There are many ways to create a mandala, but first we must lightly draw a circle on a sheet of paper or on a canvas. We can fill the circle in spontaneously, letting the drawing emerge step by step in a creatively unpredictable way, like doodling. Or, we can fill in the circle with special images that have come to us in deep relaxation, meditation, through the use of visualization techniques, etc. Within the circle we can capture important scenes from everyday life, or objects of fascination from the world of nature. Filling the circle in is the first step.
Mandala art is a tool of integration for many reasons.
The creation of these symbols involves many parts of us. Our body is involved in the mechanical act of drawing, and we experience our own nervous system in a new way in the fine movements required by the act of drawing. Our mental patterns are reflected in the specific forms and structures that emerge within the circle. Our feelings are reflected by our use of color. When the mandala is complete, we have an interesting, often beautifully wholistic snapshot of what is going on within us and of our present reality.