Throughout this process of creating mandalas, there were many parts I valued. Visually, I valued the beauty of repetition in this project. There is something extremely satisfying about one object continuing in a circle and I found the entire exercise soothing. The Mandala comes from the Sanskrit word circle and is often looked at as meaning wholeness. The sophistication of something so simple is fascinating, and part of why I loved this project. In East Asia, Tibetan monks make incredibly detailed Mandalas out of sand and then, after hours of this labor, they sweep them away. This ritual represents the impermanence of existence and how everything is in a constant state of motion and change. This message really resonated with me, as I am going through significant changes in my life being a senior. The coming year is going to bring lots of change, and this project helped remind me that nothing is permanent and change is a natural part of life and something that can be beautiful.
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