Today’s theme, “Luminous Mandalas” seems so timely. Here in New England the winter nights are really long. It is dark when I wake up in the morning and dark when I leave the office at the end of the day. I’m counting down the days to the Winter Solstice. One day and counting!

Today’s video is more than a how-to demonstration on creating and coloring mandalas. It is also an invitation to consider your own gorgeous bright light and how it radiates to inspire others.

In this video you’ll find:

• An introduction to the Great Round and Stage Twelve.
• A demonstration using colored pencils on a black background to create a luminous effect.
• A demonstration of using stencils to create a mandala design.
• A gallery of luminous mandalas from members of the 100 Mandalas Community that features a variety of styles and mediums.
• An invitation to join the 100 Mandalas Community.

Supplies Used in the Video:

• Prismacolor Colored Pencil
• Uni Posca Paint Marker in Silver
• Strathmore Black Paper, 9 by 12-Inch
  Cut into a 9″ x 9″square.
• Gamblin Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits Bottle, 4 oz
  (See my video on blending colored pencils)
• Stumps And Tortillions Set

Try These Supplies on Black Paper:

• Uni-Ball Medium Point Gel Pens
• Gold and Silver Gel Pens
• Chalk Pastels
• Oil Pastels
• Metallic Oil Pastel

Books Referenced:

• The Mandala Workbook: A Creative Guide for Self-Exploration, Balance, and Well-Being. by Susanne Fincher
• The Mandala Healing Kit: Using Sacred Symbols for Spiritual and Emotional Healing by Judith Cornell

About the Great Round:

Since January 2015 we have been working through Susanne Fincher’s book, The Mandala Workbook: A Creative Guide for Self-Exploration, Balance, and Well-Being.  In the book, Susanne covers the 12 psychological stages of “The Great Round.” You are welcome to join us at this stage or look back over the other stages that we’ve covered so far and dive in where your curiosity takes you. We will be revisiting the stages in January 2016 with Stage One.

Stage Twelve: Opening to Grace

Stage Twelve corresponds to the wisdom of old age. Susanne Fincher writes, “Stage Twelve invites you to lean into the ground of your being, the Self, trusting in this source of continuing support during the ups and downs of your personal journey. When you find yourself in Stage Twelve, you may feel like a new person and an old soul. A review of the past is often part of the process. Looking anew at past events can realizing their pattern of meaning and allow a great Ah hah! to emerge where there was only pain, confusion, and anger before. During Stage Twelve we can experience joy, relief, love, and forgiveness.” (page 211-212)

We experience this stage each time we have a “transcendent or peak experience.” I have experienced this stage when beholding the beauty of nature (while on a mountain top, watching the sun set at the ocean, walking through a verdant forest), after child birth and many times caring for my son, listening to an outstanding musical performance, and after periods of fasting or meditating. I found myself with a heightened awareness and appreciation of the world around me and a deep sense of interconnectedness with all living beings.

Characteristics of Stage Twelve Mandalas

• Simple, luminous forms against a dark background.
• May depict glowing flowers, glistening trees, or fountains of light.
• Birds in flight, human figures with arms outstretched, chalices or other vessels filled with light.
• Colors tend to include darks – indigo, black, purple – and pastels such as pink, peach, blue, yellow, light turquoise, and lavender.
• Mandalas in this stage are lovely, uplifting, and awe-inspiring.

I created the mandala pictured above following an exercise in Judith Cornell’s book, The Mandala Healing Kit: Using Sacred Symbols for Spiritual and Emotional Healing.

1. Draw a circle. I traced a plate.
2. Mark the center. Using a white colored pencil mark the center with a dot. This represents you and your inner light. As you color your mandala, you’ll start from the center and work your way outward. Think of this as your inner light radiating outward.
3. Add shapes using a stencil. I used the lotus flower stencil from the Mandala Healing Kit. I traced using a silver Posca paint pen. I like the fine point of the Posca pens when tracing the stencil.
4. Create an outer glow. I outlined the shapes using a white pencil. I then colored outward very lightly to create a gradient. Start lightly with colored pencil and go back and add more layers until you achieve the tonal quality that pleases you.
5. Create an inner glow. Experiment with different colors. To create the inner glow, I traced the inside edge with a colored pencil and then lightly colored to create a gradient. You may want to color over an area with white pencil to lighten and brighten the areas.

Reflections on my luminous mandala:

I often use flowers to represent my own “blossoming” and personal development. I’m drawn to flowers that are just opening as I feel it mirrors where I’m at in my life. I haven’t quite blossomed. The two “seeds” above the lotus flower pictured above represent my creative potential, those projects that I have yet to realize.

I see the other lotus flowers around the perimeter as those lovely people from around the world who have been gathering around my invitation to create 100 Mandalas in 100 Days. Each person in the 100 Mandalas Community brings their own light and seeds of creative potential. I learn so much from every participant from the beginner to the experienced. I love how we have come together around the making of mandalas and support each other on this fabulous creative journey.

If you are just discovering the 100 Mandalas Challenge, be sure to check out these links:

• About the 100 Mandalas Challenge
• How to Draw Mandalas – 10 Video Lessons
• Join the 100 Mandalas Sharing Circle