My Mandala Monday

I colored my first Mandala, today. About a month ago, I ordered my "coloring" book from Amazon, but it's been hiding between two spiral notebooks on the dining room table.  A couple of times, I thought about it while hubby and I were watching television, but I didn't have enough nerve to make it public.

Today, was perfect for it because I was subbing at school for the online recovery credit class. Having the kids all on computers gives me a lot of time to read, write, ....or, color.  If it weren't for purchasing an inexpensive travel set of colored pencils the other day, I might not have started.

I thumbed through the assorted designs.  I didn't see any one in particular, so I just made a random selection.  I unzipped my black travel kit of colored pencils. Did I mention thrill? Inside, to the left, were a dozen newly sharped pencils - yellow, orange, purple, red, pink, dark blue, light blue, green, dark green, black, white, and brown.  They were held in place by 2s with two black elastic bands. To the top was a small white eraser and a blue pencil sharpener that would accommodate two different sized pencils.  Both items were held in place the same way.  To the right was a small artist pad for sketching.  It, too, was also held in place by two bands of black elastic.  The case also had a nifty little strap to loop around my wrist. Not a bad buy for seven bucks.

It took me a few seconds to decide what color to start with and where to start.  I wanted the process to be more involuntary, if that were even possible.  If only the whole ordeal were separate from my control, like a colorful free write. I began to focus on how I held my pencil.  I held it like a knitting needle in my right hand, using the side of the lead, rather than point on to do most of my coloring.  My art teacher encourages me to hold my paint brush like that to keep my painting from being so "anal" (as she puts it).  The only time I was direct on the point of the lead was when I had to squeeze into the tight angles of the star like shapes. 

As I swept back and forth across the page, I noticed how gently and carefully I was coloring. I was very conscious of staying with the lines.   All sorts of thoughts began to flow. I thought about my own personality. Controlled.  Comfortable in the lines.  Another thing I noticed was it was easy to finish one area before going to the next. And, even if I didn't, I could jump right back I where I was before.  I liked the containment on a smaller scale.  I wish house work went this easily.

Mandala comes from a Sanscrit word meaning circle.  It represents wholeness and our relationship with the infinite, whether it extends beyond us or within our bodies and soul.  Some of my friends and I joke about getting together for a Mandala afternoon.  I wonder what kind of snacks I should serve?