Several months ago, my friend Virginia commissioned a mandala for a young woman named Isabel. The mandala was a gift from Virginia and her husband, Irving, in honor of Isabel's Bat Mitzvah. When I asked Virginia what her intention for the piece was, she wanted it to reflect and express Isabel's spiritual gifts and talents. I had never met Isabel, but immediately I had an image for her mandala.
Today Isabel came with her father to pick up her mandala, and we had a wonderful conversation. Imagine talking with a bright, energetic 13-year-old about who she is as a soul and what is her connection to the universe.
Isabel asked many questions about her mandala. She was intrigued by the idea that I could know something about her. I was quick to explain that the symbol explored her potentials. It is up to her to develop her gifts and manifest them in the world.
The mandala shows a woman standing in the center of the circle, arms outstretched like she is playing with, or maybe even manipulating, the moon phases. The sun is represented in the outer circle. The spiral behind the woman represents eternity. It is unclear which way the woman is standing. Is she facing outward, engaging with the world we know? Or is she facing the spiral and the moons, representing her connection to the eternity of the cosmos?
There is also a hint of an eye, with the spiral center representing the pupil. This eye refers to inner/spiritual vision.
Since the image represents Isabel's gifts and talents as potentialities and possibilities, it is up to Isabel to develop and grow her skills; to learn to use her powers wisely; to be confident and willing to stand in her power as a woman, a human being, and a spiritual soulful being.
Here are some of the concepts included in Isabel's mandala:
- Four elements: earth, water, fire, air
- Chakras--moving upward
- Big heart--bridge between below and above
- Four worlds: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual
- Transcending oneself--tapping into universal energy
- Paradox: being small and insignificant relative to the universe, AND the whole universe is made for me
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