The Mandala Project: #10

There was a multi-vehicle accident on a major highway near here a few years ago. The paramedics arrived and one of them was attending to a vehicle in the ditch, with an unconscious man in the driver’s seat. As he was reaching into the still-running car to turn off the ignition, the driver slumped forward, his foot depressing the gas pedal, and the car began to accelerate out of the ditch and back onto the highway.

The paramedic leaped from the vehicle and it careened into an oncoming van full of teenage athletes, sending it into the ditch. Thankfully no one was seriously injured, but I remember thinking when I heard this story: the energy of the accident wasn’t finished yet.

Same with this Mandala. Okay not exactly the same. But a parallel principle applies:

If the waves of energy keep coming, tune in to them and track them ‘til they’re done.

The Evolution of a Theme

There were three iterations of this Mandala.

The first was completed on my morning wander. I was gathering small pieces of broken wood, and when I came across this ears-drawn-back-head-tilting-beastie-shaped one, I knew she’d be the focal point. Her wild hair was a late addition—I’d just finished assembling the pieces when a surprise tuft of deer fur arrived to complete her look.

The second and third versions emerged in the afternoon. I was out walking Lily and noticed a couple of tiny little bright magenta shapes on the trail. I had no idea what they were, had never seen anything like them. As I knelt to investigate I realized there were several of them scattered about and an idea started sparking…”hmmm…how could these tie into this morning’s effort?…something circular perhaps…”

They were the size of pine nuts, as light as cotton, super fragile (*use kid gloves ) and weirdly sticky. Meaning a total pain in the ass to work with.

But I was captivated by their bright colour and super curious how they could be implemented. I gathered a handful and returned to the morning Mandala spot.

First thing I noticed was another little bundle of deer fur and when I placed it atop the smaller stick to the right, something primal and touching emerged: Mom and babe…a story of connection was writing itself into being.

Decided the long grass was distracting, moved it off-set and snapped a photo just as a beam of light hit the scene. Coulda been a wrap.

But these little magenta treasures…had to play with them. It was epic getting their co-operation, but I eventually wrangled them into a circle, moved a couple of other things around, added a triangular stone and it was complete.

I like all three versions. Would’ve been fine to call it done after the first, and getting to the third was bordering on obsession, but it’s a force that won’t be stopped.

One of the challenges with creativity is finding the sweet spot between ‘this is pretty alright’ and chasing down perfect. I often go well past the line before I discover where it actually is.

Whether or not it’s ultimately worth the quest is in part the domain of the beholder. Leave a comment if you wish, would love to hear if you have a favourite and why!

Mystery Solved

A few days later I was crafting another mandala under a spruce tree and as I stood up I came eyeball to eyeball with my little magenta co-conspirators suspended on its branches. Spruce buds!

Okay first, how have I not noticed this before?

And second, did some research and found that the Norway Spruce—super common in North America, has male and female cones, both bright magenta-y-red. When the males start producing pollen they become increasingly puffy and start to come apart—definitely the characters I was dealing with.

As the pollen is released, it fertilizes the females buds and an embryo is produced in the female cone, which is protected by a seed coating. The process of ripening takes about three years, after which the female cone opens and releases its seeds. Three years! Holy shit.

Final tidbit: when the magenta buds fall off, they expose new bright green shoots on the tips of the branches (stay tuned - they find their way into an upcoming Mandala).

Here’s the beautiful article where I sourced this botanical info from, on a site called The Meaning of Water. It goes into more fascinating detail, including a variety of edible, drinkable options for both stages of the buds—in case that’s your thing…

THE MANDALA PROJECT

I’m posting one new Mandala every Monday with a few words about how it came to be, and the challenges that arose or insights that emerged in its creation.

Check back here to see the new ones, or subscribe below if you’d like to receive them directly.

< Mandalas 1, 2 and 3, and the story of how the project came to life

< Mandala #9

Mandala #11 >