“Lift Off”
“Lift Off” - created June 23rd, 2021
THE MANDALA PROJECT - How it came to life
If you know someone whose day would be brightened by this Mandala, please pass it along! Even more magical, with a love note from you!
The Mandala Project: #25
When you love something it reflects itself to you in countless places.
I love Ravens, so it was no stretch to see one in this little round knurl of wood laying in my path. It and the auburn character were the first two raw materials found on today’s wander.
In case it’s not quite so obvious to you—here’s my feathered friend outlined in red.
At first I tried laying them together on the vibrant roots of this forest Fir, but it wasn’t quite enough of a story to do them justice, so we carried on.
On the way to the final location, the larger light piece of wood the Raven is resting on showed up, and then we came across the big grey sweeper on the left—a root emerging from an overgrown stump. It was obviously not coming with us, and the way the four pieces of wood worked together was definitely saying something gorgeous. The Mandala had spoken: build me here.
The small stones—gathered from a path 20 feet away—came into play in such an interesting way, taking the shape of an elegant Mala draped over the wood. (No small feat as the left side of the red wood was almost vertical, so the tiny stones kept rolling down and dropping into the gap behind Raven’s right wing.) Mucho patience and many rocks required.
But that then led to the idea of a backdrop of blue stones on the right (because, hey, had extras) which added complementary colour and texture.
This is how the mandalas tend to reveal themselves—one unexpected spark of inspiration leading to the next. It’s playing with magic in real time.
Sense of Place and Scale
Many of the mandalas can easily be passed by if you’re not expecting them, which is a big part of their charm. They’re hidden in plain sight, treasure to be discovered when your perception is open to wonder.
Same as love.
PS: Found two more wood beings in the finished Mandala, will leave it to your imagination to see if you see them too.
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"Earth Elder" - The Mandala Project: #41
Grief is becoming intimate with the immovable truth that we’re not meant to hold on to or possess that which we love.