Using Mandalas And Color in Healing and Meditation
Mandalas have gained in popularity over the last 10 years thanks to the revival of coloring books of adults in which they feature quite heavily. The coloring books are popular as a tool for mindfulness and so it makes sense that mandalas would be included. However, mandalas are anything but new.
What Is A Mandala
A mandala is a form of a geometric symbol that is always circular. In fact, mandala means ‘circles’ or ‘completion’ in Sanskrit. They take many forms and are created using repetitive patterns within one another and are a tool of spiritual guidance.
Mandalas as a tool have existed for centuries within various forms of spirituality. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shintoism all feature mandalas in their practice. Western culture has more recently widely adopted them within the practices of meditation and art therapy.
Mandalas For Mindfulness & Meditation
The creation of a mandala is personal to the creator and can include any pattern, symbol, or color that that person prefers. They are useful as an aid in meditation as they take patience and concentration to create.
The process itself of drawing or painting a mandala is relaxing and enjoyable. Practiced away from distractions and modern devices, creating or coloring in a mandala can lead to a trance like state.
Relaxation – The body relaxes and the mind quietens. Studies, including that of Curry and Kasser’s, have also found that coloring mandalas can reduce anxiety.
Mandalas can be created using any medium. In Buddhism, mandalas are traditionally created in sand. The belief is that these sand mandalas transmit positive energies to the environment and to anyone that sees them.
Mandala Colors Meanings
There are no wrong or rights when it comes to the creation or coloring of a mandala. They are intended as a form of self-expression. Allowing the subconscious to flow out in whatever form it chooses.
How to choose your colours – The colors chosen to create a mandala should be chosen subconsciously. This will give an accurate reflection of how that person is feeling and the energies within them on that day.
Interestingly, avoiding a particular color can be a telling sign of how a person is feeling too. They also be used in Colour Therapy.
Color Meanings
Gold, Copper Bronze, and silver:
Gold – is the color of self-confidence and authority. It is thought to have magical powers and can symbolize that someone is feeling strong. Copper and bronze have similar meanings as one another, most likely as they are often mistaken for one another. They are the color of love (you thought that was red didn’t you). They can also relate to our professional lives and friendships.
Silver – is very much a female color. It is a color that gives stability and balance to our emotions and even to hormones.
Black and white:
Black – is a color with many meanings. Those that crave it may be feeling depressed or low. However, it may be that they have secrets or feel drawn to mystery and the underground world. That said, black can also be a color that symbolizes the deepest of meditations.
White – is the color of healing of perfection. White light is believed to be a harmonizing and healing power that can remove bad energies.
Purples:
Different shades of purple have slightly different meanings. Although, overall it can be said that purple is a color of spirituality itself, of transformation and of soothing energies. Purple is a good color for someone struggling to relax or sleep. Perfect for meditation.
Red:
Possibly one of the best understood colors of the whole spectrum. Red demands attention. It is everything you would expect – energy and warmth, passion and war, sexuality, and love. Red is often used for confidence and power and rightly so.
Yellow:
If you ever see someone wearing yellow, know that that person is feeling their full power. Interestingly enough, they don’t always realize this about themselves. Yellow can also soothe pain and digestive issues.
Color is a powerful force that affects us mentally, physically, and spiritually.
How to use your Mandala – How you choose to use it in your mandalas can show you insights about yourself that you didn’t realize previously. On the flip side, you can use color in your mandalas purposefully to help adjust your moods and energies. For example, using all yellows for cheering or purples for calming. Whatever way you choose to use them is right.-
SOURCE: Ashley Halsey is an editor at Edinburgh Writing Service who uses color and mandalas in her daily meditation practice. She enjoys gardening and is always looking to learn about different cultures and beliefs.
