SUNFLOWER MANDALA - AUTUMN JOY

Sunflower Salutation Mandala - (Autumn Circle series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image: sunflower

Glowing like a sun
Warming everyone
Will you walk with me?
Rain and winter snow
Only help you grow
Won’t you walk with me?
~Al Jarreau

Over at the Mandala Oasis we have been creating autumn- inspired mandalas. More than one of us has used the cheerful sunflower as a source of inspiration. Who is not drawn to this joyous fall bloom? This flower reminds me of a great big hug, warm, open and inviting.

When I feel into this mandala, I am aware of the radiating nurturing energies of the last days before winter. Here on the North Coast of California September and October are our glory days. Socked in by damp grey fog in the summer, we hunger for light and an end to summer bouts of Seasonal Affective Disorder. September arrives, temperatures rise, the air is still and we bask in heat like lizards on a rock in the desert.

I am grateful for these days, interspersed with early rains. I love watching pumpkin spiders in their webs and preparing for those days when the veil grows thin between the worlds of matter and spirit.

May your days ahead be heartwarming and filled with joy.

Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

DEDICATION TO BEAUTY

Joy Mandala -(Healing in Circles series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007

What I like best about the art that I make is the privilege of creating such beauty from every day occurrences. Growing up in Minnesota I never saw wild onion growing in the proliferation with which it does here in Northern California, and the flower still delights me as a bringer of spring joy. I took this photograph of wild onion on Easter Day this year; the flower does have a sort of feel of miniature Easter lily, doesn't it? I see it even more in its translation into the mandala.

I do think that part of my calling to my art is in my dedication to beauty. I feel good about what I am doing, proud of my product and honored to use my talents in such a positive way. They are all a reflection of my own journey, but I know from the responses people have shared with me that I touch something deeply profound in them as well. My job is to create the art without expectation and let others find their own meanings. This process is often humbling in ways I would never expect.

Thank you for reading my blog and sharing in my art and my processes. If you would like to share your thoughts with me, I would love to read what's on your mind.

SPRING JOY MANDALA

Forget me nots are an early bloomer here on the North Coast of California. I have found photographing them to be a challenge, so I honored my success with this mandala. Im thinking May Day festivals, Rites of Spring, celebration, joy. My thoughts have been broadcasting into the future, towards my first art opening next February. It will be the cusp of spring here on the coast. An image like this would be a cheerful greeting after a rainy winter.