Download PDF – Radiating Mandalas And Your Creative Space

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Materials Needed

• Sharpie Pen – thin point, black ink
• Writing Ink Pen
• Graphite Pencil
• Pencil Sharpener
• 4” x 6” Unlined White Index Cards
• Sketchbook Journal
• Watercolor Pencil Set
• Plastic or Paper Cup for water – an old jar will do as well.
• Small brush or waterbrush
• Paper towels

Instruction Review

1. Plant the seed in the center of your white index card
2. Draw eight lines outward – North, South, East, West - Earth, Air, Fire, Water or Mind, Body, Soul, Spirit
3. Add shapes connecting the lines or draw shapes from those lines – always repeating that shape or line eight times all the way around the mandala
4. I find it easiest to rotate my paper as I am working
5. Continue to work outward until you feel you are finished
6. List the shapes and symbols you are using either on your mandala or in your sketchbook journal
7. If you are using color, add those color words to your list
8. Make three free associations with each shape or symbol
9. Trust the first thing that comes into your mind
10. Don’t judge your words
11. These words can be emotions, names of people, memories, places
12. There is no right or wrong way of doing this
13. Do not edit or second guess yourself
14. Once your list is complete, circle five to eight words including ones that seem strange, mysterious or funny to you
15. Then complete the phrase - Just for today she (he) finds…. or he (she) is the one who longs for…
16. Fill in with one of your words from your circled word list
17. You will need to add other words to complete your thought - adjectives, adverbs, verbs...
18. Cross out the words you have used from your word list as you go
19. Don’t worry about punctuation or spelling
20. Try to keep your pen moving and trust the process. This should only take a few minutes.
21. Now give your mandala a title - just a word or two that sums up the gist of your mandala
22. When finished, write the title of your mandala and the thoughts that came to you on the back of your mandala. Don’t forget to add a date.
23. After you are comfortable with this practice, add some color by playing with your watercolor pencils

Practicing

Enjoy this practice, creating a handful of Radiating Mandalas, using a pencil, then a pen, and finally a Sharpie pen. You might choose to create some in your journal.  Then play around with adding color using your watercolor pencils. Don’t forget to make a legend for your mandala, making your associations and linking those associations together with other words. Title and record all this on the back of your mandala and/or within your journal.

Responding

What shape is your seed?

What do you think your seed represents?

What would you like to plant in your life?

How would you describe your mandala in three words? Quickly, what are the first words that come to your mind?

Sharing

Share your thoughts and experiences in the Gathering Place at the bottom of the pages as well as on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram! Mention us @CreatingBrave in your status, tweet and/or caption and include the hashtags #CreatingBrave and #RadiatingMandalas