Full Circle Mandala Project for Peace

PURPOSE: To join in community, invoking the essence of peace, which is a deep awareness of the truth.
To share this gift we have with others, bringing together our differences in the creation of communal mandalas coupled with the voices and movement of our bodies, hearts and souls in the dances.
In the unfolding of freedom and peace , we offer ourselves to others, our sisters and brothers, drawing our maps of consciousness in unity while honoring diversity. Each mandala layer can be  accompanied by a Dance of Universal Peace, leaving a chance to express this creative force through all channels. By giving away the mandalas at the end, to whomever or whatever group we choose, we offer this to others.

HERE IS A LINK FOR MORE PICS OF THESE

Description of the Workshop:
In opening to a deep peace that is already here, within the beautiful container of community and the spiritual structure of the mandala, ( a circular map of consciousness often used by Tibetans and other cultures) we will create communal mandalas to give to Syrian refugees or to any group you would like. No art experience is necessary. If you can draw a stick figure with a crayon, you can do this, children have done it. It is more importantly about the participation and unfolding of energy.
With special fabric crayons, you will be guided step by step with visualizations and instructions in this creation.

Please join us in this awakening to love.

Personal peace mandalas:
Meditation on peace

The theme I generally use is peace, although others have been successfully used.
After a focus on our intention of peace, we open awareness to the preciousness of life  through meditation and visualization.See below.

Allow the participants to sit quietly and close their eyes, putting their energy behind their eyes like they were watching a movie. Allow the Universe to show them a symbol for their own personal peace, without any trying. I usually find this works!
Using the crayons, You can tell them to create their symbol or feeling  in the small circle. They can use a pencil is they like to outline,  it will not show up after.

If they are stuck or need help, offer these  suggestions-

Gratitude, for help received. lllustrate freedom, create a solution to violence, bring together two opposites ( strength/gentleness , young/old, sky/earth, light/darkness. Love/hate, alone/together, etc.. new symbol of love  Healing , physical, emotional, or both…

For the personal mandala circles, I usually use a 4-6 inch circle on regular printing or photocopy paper, easy! Make one circle with a compass or trace an object, photocopy it, and they can cut it out. Peace starts within, with acceptance and relaxation. With a guided meditation, or a talk filled with the presence of peace, we close our eyes and allow the feeling to permeate our being surrendering to what is. We allow any images to arise on the screen of our closed eyes that could support this peace for us personally, and let those images descend into our hands and the crayons to begin the work.

NOTE: any writing will appear reversed, so if you must add words, write them down, put them face down on a window so you can see through the back of the paper, and they will appear reversed from the other side. you can just copy them that way.

Group  Mandalas- After the creation of the individual mandala, we place them equally spaced  around the outside layer of the circle.

Each person envisions their “piece of pie” of the circle, illustrated here is 4 participants (for simplicity,) although I usually have a few more.

Then we begin with the creation of the three layers listed below

The first level of the mandala is focused on sacred ground, a place on the earth where you feel peace, at one with nature. Or It could be a blessing for the earth which is sorely needed. A laying on of hands for our mother land. This level should reinforce our feeling of safety, protection and belonging. It is the outermost layer, with the largest space for personal expression.

Colors: personal choice.

Dances- Walks, Ya hay ,Ya huq, E Malama, The earth is our mother, Shanoon, All my relations, and others.

The second level deals with space, and listening. How do we give people enough space, enough value, to really listen ? How do you value yourself enough to value others? Can you really listen to someone who disagrees with you? Etc…Images: sky, water, space…we leave a little channel open with nothing in it, (leaving white paper) a pathway for the descending light to fill after. You can see these in the picture below, yellow channels connecting the outer layer to the inner.

Colors; mostly blue with some a little purple or green

Dances- Zhikrs, Gate gate, om tare tu tare, Take me as I am,

The third level deals with Acceptance. Love. Grace. Light. The totality inclusive and beyond opposites, the intrinsic union beyond doubt. Kids will relate to it probably as love. We begin all together with a yellow crayon in the center point of the mandala, at the same time, bringing light down from the center into the empty channels (or they can be left white), filling everything with light and love.

Colors; mostly yellow, with orange and a little red. Materials needed:

Dances -The light is in all forms, the Kalama, Send us thy peace, All I ask of You, The Montreal Peace dance, etc…

Paper: 1 large piece of paper-any thin, cheap paper like cartridge will do. I buy it in a roll to get it big enough. Nothing shiny. For the small individual mandalas, grab some papers from your printer!

Any crayons or pastels will do, although if you want to transfer them (iron them ) onto material after to create a banner l you should use Crayola fabric crayons. $ 2.99 for a package of 8! Can’t beat it!

Here is a link for the US: http://shop.crayola.com/color-and-draw/ crayons#prefn1=craProductType&prefv1=Fabric
Canada : https://shop.crayola.ca/product/crayons-fabric-8-ct/

You can make circles with a compass for blackboards, (for schools) , recommended,  or a string with a pencil, by holding the string with your finger in the middle and circulating around the circle, or, using bowls and round objects of various sizes and tracing them.