On a recent trip to Mt. Shasta I continued my quest to honor the delightful insect world by drawing a mandala based on the energy of this evocative creature, the Bumble Bee. The energy is definitely that of “where there is a will, there’s a way”.

This mandala was done on a trip to the Hawaiian Islands while I stayed in the home of a wonderful Japanese woman.  Without thinking much about it I naturally started to create a motif from my experience with Japanese patterns learned about when I lived in the Islands as an adolescent. It was a fun project and kept me busy for most of the trip.  The inspiration of the simple, yet intricate motif inspired me to think about how much that culture permeated my consciousness when I was a teenager and how lovely and gracious I still consider this culture.

This mandala came to me as I was beginning to understand that I, along with many others, have had a hard time opening my heart fully. Childhood wounds last a long time and are imprinted indelibly on the young psyche. It takes a lot of discipline to start changing behaviors which can then reflect back to the soul that it is safe to come into the opening of intimacy. This can be a long journey and it is absolutely necessary for our planet that we at least try to be part of this movement toward the unbounded heart.

This mandala is a representation of the cosmic web of creation.  As humans we are blessed to be a part of the radiant light the emanates from the central axis and allows us to feel a part of all the layers. It is important that there are mechanisms in place for each social and psychological collective unit to maintain unity and harmony is the microcosmic web as well as the macrocosmic. Weaving the web together periodically through group ritual recognizing  initiations of birth, death, unions and the cycles of nature is an important function of maintaining the web.

This mandala was inspired by the work of an amazing physical trainer, Brad Bartenen, who trains dancers, circus performers and regular athletes as well.  The training reaches to the depths of one’s being and encourages superior performance on all levels. The ballet dancer and the trapeze artist are such a metaphor for the potential of all human beings as they surpass all expectations of defying gravity which we all take for granted as a limitation.

The Message: This mandala is about transcending those limitations, emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally. It is dedicated to Brad as he trains those of us who need encouragement in freeing the natural body and bringing it to perfect performance. It also evokes the awesome relationship humans can experience through developing a relationship with the greater reality that is our cosmic birthplace.

This mandala was drawn  on a journey to Mt. Shasta during which I was inspired to do a mandala dedicated to the Tibetan Goddess Tara.

This mandala was done as I become intrigued with the idea of creating a piece of art based on the shape of the ellipsis.  My son Eli helped me with the engineer’s expertise of how to draw an ellipsis. It is a difficult image to create and he had the perfect solution using a string and pencil. Fun to make after learning how to do it…  The energy of this drawing is very dynamic and the bottom part represents water falling into consecutive pools.