Mandala is a Sanskrit word, manda meaning 'essence' and la meaning 'container', therefore mandala can be taken to mean 'container of essence'. Mandalas are a symbol of life and have appeared throughout the world across many different cultures and religions, but they are perhaps most widely used in Buddhism & Hinduism.

Tibetan monks create sand mandalas as a tool on their path to enlightenment. Labyrinths are also mandalas that can be found in many cultures and are used to as a tool for centring oneself. The yin-yang symbol is one of the most recognised mandalas, representing light and darkness or the relationship between opposing forces.

Traditionally mandalas are geometric in nature, but abstract, asymmetrical mandalas are becoming increasingly popular in the West.

Traditional mandalas have a central point from which radiates a symmetrical design. It is the gathering centre in which the outside energies are drawn, and in the act of drawing the forces, the artist's own energies unfold and are also drawn. Thus it represents the outer and inner spaces. Its purpose is to remove the object-subject dichotomy.

This suggests that there is a centre within each one of us which relates and connects to everything in the universe.

Mandalas in the Western therapy
One of the main people responsible for popularising mandalas in the Western world was psychiatrist Carl Jung. He started by drawing circular shapes and designs and observed that they somehow corresponded with his inner situation, feelings and thoughts. He encouraged his patients to draw their own mandalas, and observed from their experiences that both the creation of the mandala and studying it afterwards was therapeutic. Through this research he arrived at the conclusion that the self is reflected in the mandala.

Create your own mandala
The act of creating a mandala is a meditation in motion. Your mind stops and your inner creative self takes over. Mandalas can be created using a variety of mediums, stained glass, mosaic tiles, sand, pictures from magazines, software on your computer, or anything else you feel comfortable with.

For the purpose of this exercise we will assume that you will be using paper and colouring pencils, crayons, paint, or pastels. You will also need a compass or a round plate. Get all your materials together.

• Find a quiet place where you can sit undisturbed for about 30 minutes. Light a candle or some incense to create a sacred space.
  
  
• Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Once you feel centred, open your eyes and begin.
  
  
• With a pencil or light colour draw a circle with your plate or compass. Mark the centre of your circle with a small dot. If you did not use a compass to draw your circle, you can determine the centre by folding the circle into two equal halves, and then folding it again to create 4 quarters - where the folds intersect is the centre.
  
  
• Starting from the centre you can now fill the circle. You can either use geometric shapes like different size circles or squares for example, or your drawing can be quite abstract. Do not think about this process too much - just go with what you're feeling. Our mental patterns are reflected in the specific forms and structures that emerge within the circle and our feelings are reflected by our use of colour.
  
  
• When the mandala is complete, you have a holistic representation snapshot of what is going on within you and your present reality. You can examine the mandala to gain better insight into yourself. Do not feel under any pressure to do this, the meaning will unfold over time.
  
  
• Date your mandala, and put it somewhere where you can observe it often. Write down any observations on the side of the page.
  
  
• Mandalists will usually do a series of mandalas over time - and then observe the changes between the mandalas to understand the changes within themselves and the process of their evolution.

If you enjoyed doing this exercise there's a whole load of websites on the internet dedicated to mandalas, a quick Google will find thousands. There's even a Yahoo group which is a great place to check out for some examples and more find information.

Have fun drawing and I hope you find the mandala a useful tool in your life.