Namaste! I have completed three healing mandalas using this method. Two were given to people I had just met and the third was given to someone I have known for a few years. I did not know who the mandala was intended for until I had completed the process. I wrote this while I was creating that first mandala in 1996.
Teaching From the Cherokee Way
This method was given to me by Jeff Harris and Christy Snow of Tucson. They
have told us (their students) that they would like us to share this
knowledge with others. Much of what they teach comes from the Cherokee Way,
with comparison and contrast of similar beliefs in other cultures. I ask
that Great Spirit be with me as I share this with you, with the assistance
of Whitedeer (the spirit essence of Jeff and Christy), Adonai and Nekooshe
(my spirit guides, whose voices I often hear more clearly than those of
Great Spirit).
A healing circle is a method of spiritual healing that is prevalent in most
cultures throughout the world: Navajo and Tibetan sandpaintings, European
labyrinths, Native American medicine wheels, Hindu and Buddhist mandalas --
the sacred circle as symbol of unity, balance and eternity.
Book Resources
There are three books I would recommend that have enhanced my learning.
Jeff and Christy gave us one form. But a healing mandala can take many
forms. The first two books are available through most bookstores. The last
must be ordered from the author. "Mandala: Luminous Symbols for Healing" by
Judith Cornell, PhD, Quest Books, Wheaton, IL: 1994. "Dancing with the
Wheel: The Medicine Wheel Workbook" by Sun Bear, Wabun Wind and Crysalis
Mulligan, A Fireside Book (Simon & Schuster): 1991. "Labyrinths: What are
they? Prehistory to the 21st Century" by Kay Torrez, Labyrinths Unlimited:
1994 (1010 E. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85034. phone: 602-253-2171).
Why Create a Mandala?
This is from "Mandala" by Cornell: Because it has the
regenerative and curative power to activate the latent powers of the mind.
The meditative process helps to focus and open the heart to the healing
power of unconditional love.
The process taught to us by Whitedeer uses symmetry in design and color to
focus healing energy first on the artist, then later for the individual for
whom the finished mandala is intended. For, as Whitedeer teaches us, we
must give away healing in order to receive healing. Yes, it is true that at
the end of the process Spirit may reveal that the finished mandala is,
indeed, intended for the artist. The artist, however, should concentrate on
the unfolding of the healing message to the spirit, first, of the
artist...with the intention that it will be given to another spirit.
"The meditative process helps to focus
and open the heart to the healing power
of unconditional love."
The mandala tends to use symbols rather than representational art. There
are certain symbols that are common in every culture, such as a triangle in
Navajo weaving to symbolize a mountain or a Valentine heart in the European
culture to denote love. Two parallel wavy lines might symbolize water. In
the Cherokee tradition, every dot used is symbolic of a prayer. A cross
might be symbolic of Christianity in one culture and a symbol for a star in
another. The symbols are yours alone. The only rule is that the symbol must
be easily reproduced four times.
Four: A Sacred Number
Four, and multiples of four, is a sacred number for many native cultures.
There are four cardinal directions, four seasons, four appendages (two
arms, two legs). Therefore it is important that the healing circle (in the
Cherokee tradition) be divided into four quadrants. The process of creating
your healing mandala will take 28 days (a full lunar month). Spend at least
15 minutes each day with the mandala. You might spend 27 days just sitting
with it and completing all of the artwork on the 28th day. Or you might
paint one day, meditate with it another day and paint over what was already
painted the third day. At the end of 28 days, ask Great Spirit for guidance
to know for whom the mandala was created. Your own healing will be
completed with the act of giving it to someone else.
Cleansing the Circle
In the workshop, we worked with a 12" diameter circle cut from soft split leather (or suede). We used acrylic paint. Jeff tells us that he might work on paper, rock, leather or cloth. But the process, or ritual, is the same.
The first step is to select the material. Then it is important to "cleanse" the material. The Cherokee Way would be to "smudge" the mandala with the smoke of sage, cedar or sweetgrass. Light the sage and "bless" yourself with the smoke, then cleanse the mandala with smoke on both sides. When the mandala is completed (in 28 days), you must once again cleanse it with smoke to remove any negativity that may have become attached to the mandala (by a frustrated artist!).
After cleansing the mandala, quietly sit with it for a few minutes. Quiet
your mind, center and ground yourself. Decide which will be the back and
which will be the front. On the back, mark "north" with a pencil mark. Then
find "east" to the right of the mark and mark "east" with a dot of red
paint (again on the back of the mandala). Then select an essence to anoint
the material with...Whitedeer uses rose and cinnamon essences. I have also used lavender.
Place a couple of drops in the very center on the back of the mandala.
Finding Your Center
The next step is to draw crossing lines in pencil on the front of the
mandala (use a ruler or straight piece of paper as a guide). The crossing
lines should run northwest to southeast and northeast to southwest, rather
than north to south and east to west. "Center" then becomes where the two
lines intersect. Place a dot of white paint in the center, then spread it
into as large of a circle as you wish (most "centers" are not more than 1"
in diameter). This is symbolic of your spiritual center and must be
respected. No part of the design may cross the center. Let the paint dry.
You might choose to return to the mandala the same day or wait until the
next day. Each time, sit quietly with the mandala and let whatever images
come to mind be translated into lines, circles, etc. on your drawing. The
Cherokee way is to always start with the east quadrant and work around the
circle counter-clockwise. It is also recommended that you include a drawing
of a butterfly somewhere in the mandala. It might appear as a square
dissected by an "X" making two butterflies. The butterfly is symbolic of
emerging, of change. The influence of the butterfly is to understand what
it is that needs to change...or be healed. Put your drawing in pencil
first...complete all elements you intend to include. When your pencil
drawing is complete, erase the pencil lines dividing the mandala into fours.
White Is Symbolic of Spirit
"White," as Whitedeer describes it, "is symbolic of Spirit. Therefore white
should be the first color to go on the mandala." He tells us that we are
spirit with a body attached, not the other way around (as many modern ways
teach us). White paint should be applied as the first coat before a color
is applied. If you intend for the entire mandala to be covered with colors,
then paint the entire mandala white first. If you intend for the leather to
show through in certain areas, or if there are colors within colors, it
would be best to paint white in certain areas, allow it to dry, then paint
a color over it.
Work the Circle Daily
When the mandala is completed in 28 days, you might choose to attach the leather to a frame. Willow branches, soaked and bent into a circle, makes a very nice frame. It can be lashed with sinew (available through craft stores). The leather mandala can be attached by making holes in the mandala and threading leather lacing through and tying it to the frame. The frame and lacing can be decorated with feathers, beads and metal charms.
Healing Equals Balance
As Whitedeer describes the process, what you begin with is not necessarily
what you end up with. By "working the circle" everyday, new elements
emerge. I find that I don't "think" about anything while I'm painting. It's
distracting to talk to someone or listen to anything but the work. As I'm
working, I find new parts of me opening up. Every so often I involuntarily
take a deep breath and push out negativity and everything that keeps me
unbalanced.
Whitedeer tells us that the work of the healer is not necessarily to make
pain go away or prevent someone from dying. Rather, the work of the healer
is that of providing balance. Perhaps someone has chosen before entering
this life to experience having diabetes. The healer's task, then, is to
help that person find balance and serenity...to make living with diabetes
bearable.
~ Kate Lightwalker 2000
LIGHTWALKER
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