A Birthday Mandala (PDF-0000)

I am 72 years old today. This is somewhat of a pivotal time for me because I am actively

deconstructing a couple of large mandalas that have been very much a part of me for

many years. So on this birthday I will write something about mandalas in general,

because they have been so important in my life.

We form a mandala every time we are inspired to start anything new from our heart. We

create a miniature universe (a world within our world) in which our own essence-activity

is at the center. And that heart-felt activity serves to transform us, creating a sacred

flower in space and time, a mandala.

The elaborate Tibetan sand mandalas start at the very center and gradually emerge to

embrace the entire universe. Conversely, when then are deconstructed, sand mandalas

are swept from the outer edge in toward the center, and the pile of colored sand is then

dispersed, often in a river or stream, which carries away the blessed particles.