“Shapeshifter”
“Shapeshifter” - created July 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: #45
This mandala, it turns out, is a shapeshifting dragon. More on that in a minute.
What I love almost as much as its magical abilities is that it’s tucked away just twenty feet feet from one of the busiest tourist roads in Banff, there to enchant those who happen to move curiously enough through this place to notice it.
The secret-not-so-secret location.
It’s built on a network of roots that have raised themselves up from the forest floor, an acknowledgement that even the smallest and seemingly insignificant elements of the natural world are collaborators in beauty.
The fluid lines and dynamic patterns weaving together reveal the dance of the universe, each curve and twist a reminder that we are a part of an interconnected web of life.
The Power of Perception: Unlocking MysterY through a Shift in Perspective
The original perspective I was oriented to when building the mandala. I was moving fast and thinking little due to being swarmed by mosquitoes, which turned out to be a great reminder that speed can sometimes be an ally in the creative process.
I created this mandala with the leaf pointing upward and the wasp nest on the left side curling downward, adding in the rocks and cones with no creature in mind, but as I was editing the photo later I rotated it one turn to the right and a swan emerged.
This mandala knew what it wanted to be.
This in itself was surprising, but months later as I reconnect with it again (and perhaps due to the influence of some mystical encounters with dragons I’ve experienced in the time since creating it) I can now see the swan has become a dragon, even as it remains a swan.
Swans, with their graceful and delicate demeanor, have captivated humankind's hearts for centuries. Their pristine feathers and regal stance have been used as a symbol of peace and tranquility. But what if this gentle creature, with a flick of its wings, could transform into a dragon, the epitome of raw power and untamed wildness?
For me this swan-dragon embodies the essence of transformation and duality, the combination of the swan's grace with the dragon's fierce strength, the gentle flapping of wings transforming into thunderous gusts of wind; this is a creature who shifts between beauty and power at will, captivating our imaginations and inviting us to pay attention to unseen possibilities.
It’s fascinating what magic emerges when we trust that we inhabit a world where everything is connected, where change and transformation are the only constants, and where the adventure is to keep tuning in to the rhythm and movement of mystery.
"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.