Coloring Mandalas 1
For Insight, Healing, and Self-Expression
By Susanne F. Fincher
About This Title
Drawing the traditional circular designs known as mandalas is a meditative practice, a healing exercise in times of crisis, and a pleasurable act of creativity. As a symbol of the Self, the mandala provides a connection to our innermost being. The forty-eight drawings presented here for coloring include designs inspired by forms of nature, Native American and Tibetan sand paintings, Hindu yantras, Turkish mosaics, the illuminations of Hildegarde of Bingen, and the art of M. C. Escher. These mandalas are organized according to the Great Round of Mandala, a scheme of twelve archetypal stages that represents a complete cycle of personal growth. Thus, to do the coloring book from start to finish will carry the reader through a balanced experience of change, guided by the accompanying text.
Here you will find full-color versions of the plate images from Coloring Mandalas 1.
$21.95 - Paperback
Plate 1
This Buddhist mandala on a temple wall in Bhutan depicts the creation of the cosmos by the circling motion of primal forces. By this action the elements are spun into existence, and celestial bodies are set in motion. Twelve astrological circles use the colors of the rainbow plus black and white to depict the orbits of the sun, moon, and stars through the seasons. (Photo by Ursula Gansser. Reprinted by permission from The Mystic Art of Ancient Tibet by Blanche Olschak ©1973)
Plate 2
Flowers are among the many mandala forms in nature. (Photo by Andrew Fletcher)
Plate 3
This is a drawing of visions reported by mystics such as Yogananda and Adi Da, in which the essence of existence takes the form of a mandala whose center is a radiant white star, representing the higher levels of cosmic consciousness, on a background of blue, representing subtle planes of manifestation, radiating outward into levels of material manifestation.
Plate 4
The ever-turning rhythm of the seasons, the Great Round, becomes a pattern for the stages of life as shown in this mandala. (Used by permission of Peri Aston)
Plate 5
In this mandala created by a middle-aged woman, she used vibrant shades of yellow, suggesting insight, energy, and personal identity, contrasting with shades of blue, symbolizing intuition, nurturing, and self-expression. This mandala is typical of stage 7, Squaring the Circle.
Plate 6
A seven-year-old child created this mandala. It is an example of mandalas created as Squaring the Circle is experienced early in life. Concerns relate to independence, readiness to learn, and ability to interact with peers. These issues will be revisited each time this stage is experienced later in life.
Plate 7
Later in life, stages of the Great Round offer opportunities to deepen spiritual understanding. This mandala, created by the same woman ten years after the mandala in plate 5, is a more complex design where she integrated white (representing light, consciousness, and spirit) into the large central cross form (representing ego).
Plate 8
Energy intensifies during stage 6, Dragon Fight. As suggested in this mandala, polarities of light/dark, cool/warm, and active/receptive are clearly delineated and experienced. This conflict helps birth or rebirth the ego. Colors tend to be very bright in mandalas of this stage.
Plate 9
Mandalas early in the Great Round are diffuse, suggesting myriad tiny creatures thriving in a liquid environment. This mandala is an example of stage 2, Bliss, where soft colors are often used.
Plate 10
As the cycle of growth is fulfilled in stage 9, Crystallization, there is a slowing of creative energy. Colors are often rich, autumnal. A sense of completion, of fulfillment, predominates. (Drawing by Martha DeHart)
Plate 11
As a cycle on the Great Round comes to an end, mandalas may appear chaotic. This is the necessary coming apart of stage 11, Fragmentation. Colors are often bright, even psychedelic.
Plate 12
Color choices reflect something about you. For the artist who colored this mandala, black is a powerful, mysterious, and comforting color. Pastel colors were used to represent spiritual insights, while deep pink symbolizes the artist’s physical body.
Plate 13
Bright background colors were used in this mandala to give a sense of energy, expansiveness, and excitement. The blue used by the artist for the wings suggests her calling to share her wisdom with others.
These images accompany the book Coloring Mandalas 1, by Susanne F. Fincher, © 2000 by Susanne F. Fincher.
Susanne F. Fincher, MA, is a Jungian-oriented psychotherapist, a licensed professional counselor, a board-certified art therapist, and an internationally known expert on using mandala making for self-exploration. Through her workshops on creativity, people are able to engage their inner resources for insight, healing, and self-expression. Visit her website at www.creatingmandalas.com.
