October 8, 2012, just a few months more than a year ago, I began the Mandala Monday (MM) series. I was new to blogging and trying to find a way to give myself some structure and accountability. I knew that if I didn’t give myself a reason to write posts, they might never or only sporadically happen. Mandalas seemed a perfect subject for a regular post.
One of the many unexpected results (there are always unexpected results) is that creating mandalas has become a practice for me. It has allowed/forced me to experiment with mandala source images that I probably would not have done otherwise. I’m always on the lookout for potential mandala material and some very interesting mandalas have resulted.
Some weeks, when I’m particularly busy, for just a split second I think, “Maybe I’ll skip it this week”, but then I remember that there are people who are expecting their Monday morning dose of mandalas. So I show up again to do the practice.
At this start of a new year when we all tend to be looking both backward and forward at the same time, I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the highlights of Mandala Mondays. This week and next, I’ll revisit some of my favorites as well as those that drew the most responses from readers. ( Looking forward, I’m planning a new series that will be starting in just a few weeks called Re-Inspired. Each week during my creative time, I will be digging in to my image archives and finding images that call me to breathe some new life into them. )
1. The first Mandala Monday explained why I am so drawn to mandalas and featured mandalas created from an image of tree roots.
SwissRoots Mandala 5_©Gail Haile
2. Very quickly, my process changed and the third MM discussed this change. While I had often used images of trees and usually images that were already in my archives, I began shooting images for the potential they seemed to hold for mandalas. This grouping of stones and leaves on a beach created some very interesting and beautiful patterns.
Beach Still Life_©GSHaile_
3. Rather simple images of the ice wall inside a glacier from this November post created some surprisingly beautiful mandalas.
Glacier Mandala_1_©GSHaile
4. One of my favorite mandalas of all came from photographing melting ice in my garden, Ice plus Sun. It reminds me of Irish Lace.
DrippingBranches_Mandalas_3_©GSHaile
5. In an effort to avoid going out in the cold, I photographed stones that I’ve collected from all over the world and that are lined up on my window sills. I found some amazing patterns within those stones, Rock Formations. I’ve used stones again several times to find mandalas.
Rose Quartz Mandala_4_GSHaile
6. In the spring, I played with flower images for several weeks to find what mandalas might emerge from them. There were daisies, sunflowers, and lots of tulips. This one comment posted for this MM with Sunflowers expresses so well how I often feel about working with mandalas, “It allows me to see the parts of this flower differently and in a new way. It’s like rearranging the furniture in a room and suddenly you see the room, and all the pieces in it, differently and from a fresh perspective.” Yes! Fresh perspective!
Sunflower-2_Mandala_4_©GSHaile
I’d love to know what some of your favorites have been. Have I left out yours? Please let me know in the comments.
I’ll continue next week with six more favorites from a year (and then some) of mandalas.
My favorites are from the beach—almost any beach! But the DrippingBranches mandala was pretty astounding. I must venture out when next my woods are dripping.
Happy New Year!