Many Blessings Mandala

Many Blessings Mandala - Circle of Being Series - © Sue O'Kieffe 2014

For whatever reason, yesterday  - 9/11/2014 - was a hard day for me. I felt out of sorts and depressed. I wondered how many other people out there remembering that day 13 years ago were having a hard time of it as well, and so I turned to the healing power of mandalas to offer some soothing relief.

source inspirations:

I felt drawn to use autumnal colors. This particular variety of heather and these maroon-brown coral bell leaves spoke of transition and change. I created the mandala in eight segments to remind us that our abilities to heal are infinite.  What came through, as I massaged the various layers in Photoshop, was quite unexpected. Purple for spiritual healing, red for grounding, and pink tones for the heart all came out to play. These are Nature's offerings here for us to take in however they are  most needed.

Many Blessings.

Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

Holiday Blessings from Sacred Circle Mandalas

Opening with Love

Opening with Love (Circle of Love series) © Sue O'Kieffe 2011

source image  - currently unidentified

After a  lovely Facebook convo with the very wise Julie Bernstein Englemann, who suggested I ask the spirit of Mandala how it would like to be created, I tuned in and did just that. The response I felt was that she would like to be created with the more traditional four-points. I realized, once I began creating again,  that I have been craving the expansiveness of this configuration. I love the harkening to the four directions and the four guardians who sit at the corners of the central diamond. I see angels. I feel the burst of spring.  As of this writing, I do not know the name of the plant used for the source image, but I am sure it is related to Queen Anne's lace and cow parsnip. If anyone out there can identify it, I would be grateful to know.

The thing is, I have been feeling stuck, unworthy, constricted. I haven't felt like this for a long time, but I recognized the feeling. This was the feeling of giving up, and it scared me. A lot.

I have decided to share my heartspace with you all here, because I know we all have those feelings from time to time. But they sure aren't a stopping point. I wanted to work myself out of this funk I would much rather live in a place of excitement and joy. Joy trumps funk any old day. And as the entity known as Abraham points out  The best thing you could do for anyone that you love, is be happy! I'm pretty sure that translates to our art as well.

So  I have decided  to create a series of these four pointed mandalas, and then morph them into new iterations using the mehdi Photoshop plug-in as I described on this blog posting.

 

Opening with Love 5x5 (5x5 series) © Sue O'Kieffe 2011

source image - Opening with Love Mandala, Circle of Love series

The creation of art is a reflection of our inner landscape. My inner landscape was feeling a little ouchy and needed to be treated with kindness and love. I hope this is reflected in these mandalas as well.

I'm looking forward to this meditation on Love and the Four Directions.

Bright blessings!

~Sue O'Kieffe

Sacred Circle Mandalas

LIVING A PEACEFUL LIFE

Revitalizing Mandala (Mandalas for Peace Project) © Sue O'Kieffe 2009
source image: salal

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.~ e.e. cummings

I had the pleasure recently of exploring a part of the North Coast of California that I'd never really visited before. I'm not sure how far my friend and I walked to reach Elk's Head, but along the way we actually saw plants new to both of us. Times like that are really a delight. When we reached our destination, we got out our drums and played to the ocean for about 30 minutes. It raised my energy levels, and I have to believe the sea lions, pelicans, gulls, and oyster catchers that were all nearby enjoyed it too.

Salal, however, is well known to me. It grows in abundance up and down the west coast. This is another shrub that has a fairylike quality. The flowers remind me of little bells and I will tell you the bees just love them. It made me really happy to see those buzzers gathering up pollen and flying away happy drunk on nectar.

The mandala that I made using the top photograph as source image feels a little dreamy and romantic on the one hand, yet the vibrant lime green background has a revitalizing quality. The 6-rayed mandala is also one of my favorite formations. The number 6 has a vibration of equilibrium and completion, of creativity, beauty, the union of sexual opposites.The Pythagoreans referred to 6 as "the Mother," the Chinese endow the number 6 with the passive receptive qualities of yin (cit. Susanne Fincher Creating Mandalas). For myself, the 6 rayed mandala just makes me go ahhhhhh.

Those ahhh moments speak to me of a peaceful life, open and loving, vibrant, rich, juicy, sustaining, expanding, heartfelt and sharing. This is what I want for myself. This is what I envision for others.

When do you feel the most peaceful inside? What do you feel looking at this mandala? I would love to hear your answers to both questions.

Namaste.

~Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

1.

KEEPING THE FAITH

Grounded in the Light - (Mandalas for Peace ) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2009
source image: Northern California beach sand

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
~William Blake

I was asked by another artist over on Twitter how I got into mandala making. My reply was that it was more like mandala making got into me.

My first experience with the holy circle was in the late '90s when I had the opportunity to take a mandala workshop facilitated by a woman who was certified by Judith Cornell. If you have never seen examples of Judith Cornell's style, take a look at Caterina Martinico's work. I became fascinated working with in the confines of completeness in other art work I did, but it wasn't until I got my first computer and discovered the Earth Mandalas website that I knew I had to learn how to use Photoshop.

Fast forward a few years to 2005.

I went back to school for training in digital media and desktop publishing after a series of work layoffs had left me feeling ready for learning something new. After the end of my first semester in Photoshop, I remembered the Earth Mandala website and decided to spend some time learning how to make these mandalas. While developing this skill I began envisioning possibilities of getting my art out into the world. I took a second semester in Photoshop to further develop my skills and used blogging on Xanga as a way of developing confidence in my art.

It wasn't until I was diagnosed with a benign tumor on my carotid artery in 2006 that I began to feel like mandala making was a true calling. I turned my will and my care over to my faith in the Universe and did what I needed to do to have the surgery I needed. It was a demonstration in how we are taken care of if we allow it to happen. The allowing is the hardest and not without those dark moments of the soul. I am still learning to travel within the Unknown, and today I would say I do it with a bit more grace and strength than I did five years ago.

I am coming upon the 3rd anniversary of the diagnosis of my tumor and I am once again unemployed.My employer's decision was totally unexpected, and I find I am not fighting against the decision. There are moments of anger, but mostly I feel steady and optimistic that still more doors are waiting to open. My new printer will arrive any day now along with paper and packing supplies. I am looking towards selling more of my art. I am excited you get to share my developments with me here.

The message I have today is to keep the faith and follow those dreams.

Never ever give up! ~ Winston Churchill

~Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

I SENSE THERE IS THIS MYSTERY

Depth of Wonder - (Dream Mandala series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2009
source image - red alder flower staminate


I Sense There is This Mystery: All Life is Being Lived

And yet, though we strain
against the deadening grip
of daily necessity,
I sense there is this mystery:

All life is being lived.

Who is living it then?
Is it the things themselves,
or something waiting inside them,
like an unplayed melody in a flute?

Is it the winds blowing over the waters?
Is it the branches that signal to each other?

Is it flowers
interweaving their fragrances
or streets, as they wind through time?

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While I enjoy creating many different kinds of mandalas, it is the themes of mystery and wonder that intrigue me the most. While creating this image, I could not help but be drawn into its depth . It spoke to me of holiness. The mandala's 11 rays creates a bridge between the higher and lower realms and offers spiritual illumination. I thought this poem by Rilke, found on @gassho's (Pamir Kiciman) Twitwall posting a perfect accompaniment to this mandala.

This is my 250th post. I had other plans, originally, to mark this day, but spirit apparently has some other plans for me. Instead I will offer gratitude and thanks for all of those who have helped and inspired me along the way. I hope you know who you are...parents, teachers, lovers, friends, medical and spiritual advisors, different mentors...thanks for holding me up and helping me get to where I am. My open heart is full of appreciation for you all.

EVOLUTION OF DREAMS

Blue Dream Mandalas 1-4 (Dream Circle Series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2009
source image - ornamental kale

Pre sleep imagery and those visions that appear behind your eyelids during meditation inspired this series of mandalas.
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I am taking an online class at Digital Art Academy learning how to paint in Photoshop. I love learning new Photoshop skills. On a spiritual level I have been blessed with information on how to take my art to a deeper level which I have been seeking. Now it is a matter of creating that spiritual practice for myself and my art.

I have been away from my blog for a while because of a greater need to regroup. Like this series of mandalas, I too am evolving. Sometimes I feel lost for words. I just feel. My dream state has been vivid lately. I don't know if it's the full moon in Virgo or just because I am asking for answers in my dreams, but they have been wild. Elephants and shimmering discs and messages to wear more turquoise and aqua....this is the stuff my night life is made of!

Leah's theme for the month of March at Creative Every Day is dreams. She comes up wit some great creativity prompts. If you have never visited her blog, be sure to wander that way (or astral project in your dreams, if you are in to that kind of thing).

I hope everyone is witnessing first signs of spring. May you be blessed with new growth, in more ways than one!

~Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

THE GLORY OF LOVE

Love's Glory Mandala - (Mandalas for Peace Project) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2009
source image - piers japonica

Slowly but surely color is returning to my part of the world. Last weekend I went out for a walk and captured photographs of first hints of spring. Piers japonica is a shrub that is used in a lot of landscaping where I live. In a few weeks little white flowers that look like lily of the valley will begin to appear.

The mandala speaks to me of the power of love...glorious, deeply abiding, receptive and unconditional.

In case you hadn't noticed, music is an important part of my creative life.(Turn up your speakers!) I love finding different songs to accompany my art. The first four selections on this playlist were especially chosen for this mandala; all of the songs really are about love in one theme or another. I would invite you to minimize my blog and then go about your business ...wherever you go after you leave here...and enjoy the serenade, let the words embrace you.

(Of course, those of you reading from email or an RSS feed will have to come to the blog)


Go in peace.

~Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

THE PROCESS OF DREAMS

Green Dreams - (Mandalas for Peace Project) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2009


Dreams in Focus - (Mandalas for Peace Project) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2009
source image - rosemary

What distinguishes us one from another is our dreams . . . and what we do to make them come about ~ Joseph Epstein

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I watched the movie The Pursuit of Happyness the other night . (I'm catching up on all those great movies I've never seen before with the purchase of a new DVD player, but that's another story.) In that movie Will Smith's character pursued his dreams against unbelievable odds. I have been thinking about what it takes to make our dreams come true. Just how far would we go, would we risk, to make it happen?

When I was creating these mandalas I was unhappy with the initial results, so I removed a layer and softened another and created an image in a way I had never tried before. It was later in the evening and the soft dreamy quality appealed to me. When I woke in the morning I wondered what would happen if I gave it more definition. I liked the patterning, still soft yet glowy and filled with light, that I added back to the mandala. What was fascinating to me, during the time I was creating both of these images, was that I could swear I could smell the distinguishing aroma of rosemary in the room.

Rosemary can enhance memory, and it is also good for correcting apathy and mental fatigue. An exhilarating oil, it instills enthusiasm and bolsters self-confidence, restoring faith in our innate potential. As rosemary boosts the memory, it is a reminder of your true calling in life. ~ from Sanctuary Aromatherapy

Bringing dreams into focus is a process. The more we can define them with clarity, the more time we are willing to savor and then act, the more likely I believe we will be able to manifest our dreams.

I spent 2008 delving deeper into my art as well as going back to a 40 hour work week for the first time in five years. It was a strengthening year for me. In 2009 I want to work more towards getting my artistic dreams out in the world in a more concrete way. I will write more about that soon.

And stay tuned for post #250 too! It will involve winning a mandala created especially for you!

SOFT AS A LAMB MANDALA

Soft as a Lamb Mandala - (Winter Series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image - dusty miller

I don't have a lot to say about this particular image except I like it. When perusing some of my older photographs, I stumbled upon a picture of some dusty miller, one of my favorite wooly garden plants. Who can resist running their fingers on that velvety texture? I'd always wanted to create a mandala from one of those photos, and so I did. My heart and soul really needed that softness and to see that angel light emanating from the six points of the configuration.

I am still digesting the effects of AEDM. It did have a very positive impact on my growth as an artist. I have been contemplating for quite a long time how to begin to get my art out in the world in a bigger way. Having returned to work a year ago after a five year hiatus has put a bit of a damper on left brained planning activity after work, but I am beginning to take notes again about directions. Over the next few weeks don't be surprised if I muse on this topic here on my blog.

If you are interested in ordering one of my Sacred Circle Mandala Calendars, all I have to say is, well, what are you waiting for? I was looking at Lulu's shipping schedule today. Lulu.com is a print on demand company, so it takes 3-5 after an order is placed for it to be shipped. I ordered something today to be shipped Media Mail, and that choice is not guaranteed to be delivered by Christmas. Just so you know.

The link to the ordering page for the calendars is on the sidebar, top right. Thanks for your interest.

I have a rare bout of insomnia tonight. At 1:30 AM, I think Im finally feeling sleepy. Gonna try round three with that pillow.

Mmmm, dreaming of one as soft as a lamb. How about that?

~Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

AEDM 21 - NATURE'S BOUNTY

Nature's Bounty Mandala - (Create Every Day Month) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image - cherry leaf

This mandala reminds me of a bowl for all of the blessings and bounty that nature has to offer. It is deep and wide and has room for love and peace and compassion. I am releasing judgments about people around me who I do not agree with and putting them in this bowl for healing. We must be the change we want in the world.

Have you ever noticed the Messages from the Universe that are posted in the sidebar to the right? You have to scroll down a bit. They are there to remind us (me) of the Universal support available all the time.

I created this mandala for AEDM. This morning I received a prompt from Cheryl over at Mandala Oasis to create a mandala of Thanksgiving. Talk about synchronicity! Cheryl asked ...if thanksgiving...forgiving/forgiveness....gratitude...or appreciation were a mandala...what would it look like? ...

Words that come up for me center around enough ... big enough, deep enough, always enough ... with an eight pointed golden star(eight being a symbol of the sun as the divine instigator of endless change .. Circlot, Dictionary of Symbols, 1962) right in the center to remind me of this when thoughts might come up that speak contrary to these truths.

Leaves in autumn change color and eventually fall from tree branches. I don't suspect they hang on for dear life resisting change. May we all greet life with joy and change with ease.


~Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

Messenger for Peace Mandala

Messengers for Peace Mandala - (Mandalas for Peace series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image - owl and sandpiper feathers

I was given a bag of feathers over a year ago.I've kept them in my freezer in a plastic bag in order to kill the mites which reside in them naturally. Today I scanned two of them in order to create this mandala. It's much easier for me to identify birds than it is their feathers, but I do believe they once belonged to an owl and a sandpiper (or one of those other long-legged shore birds...)

Whenever I find feathers, I think of them as a sign, a message; and while doves are traditionally a symbol for peace, the owl is moreso a symbol of wisdom, darkness, death, and knowledge. I believe this death is transformative, a molting of old behaviors and beliefs that no longer serve mankind. In this particular mandala,the center is rings and rings of circles, which offers a sense of unity amongst diversity, protections, and old growth...like the rings of a tree. The Star represents the Self...upright, rooted to the earth, well grounded. The earthy golden brown represents the end of a healing process, the autumn season, the thin golden veil between the physical and spiritual worlds.

I am grateful to these birds who shed their feathers that allowed me to relay their messages of hope and joy that will arise when light bursts forth upon the darkness.

This mandala, with its focus on Animal, is second in a series for the Mandalas for Peace Project. You can read more about this project here. If you are a mandala maker reading this blog, I hope you will consider joining us over at the Mandala Oasis.

~Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

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

EXPERIMENTING

Community Spirit - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008

Created for a digital art journal challenge. Glad to be working in some way with other artists to work in ways that will push me a little past my comfort zone. I've been wanting to experiment with blending my handmade and digital mandalas and see what I could come up with. I was happy with the results here.

Be sure to check out my analog blog SueDooDleS

PREFERENTIAL SHAPES TEST

Sideways I Slide Thru the Square - (Reflection Series) - © Sue O'Kieffe © 2008
source image - wild anise
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On my last posting I introduced you to the concept of the Preferential Shape Test, which was developed by cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien.

Thanks to all of you who have let me know the order of your shape preferences. I'm sure you are curious to know the significance of the order positions. Here goes!

• Position 1 - Where You Think You Are - The shape placed here signals the process that now has your attention. It describes the part of yourself of which you are most aware...and most comfortable...at this time. However, it is not the most accurate indicator ...it only shows where you think you are or where you would like to be....it may mean you admire the qualities of the process it represents
• Position 2 - Your Strengths - The shape you have chosen as your second preference exhibits an inherent strength predominant in you at this time, whether you know it or not. The shape in this position indicates areas of your nature that are currently fluid, strong, and resourceful.
• Position 3 - Where You Are - This shape stands for the work that is really going on, at the core of your being. You must be aware of it in order to fully manifest the potential it represents. Think of Goldilocks ... when presented with multiple choices, the third choice was the best one for her (just right)
• Position 4 - Your Motivation - Position 4 points to past challenges that have motivated your current process of change. The fourth position ...discloses the motivation that triggered your move into the core work to be done symbolized by the shape in Position 3.
• Position 5 - Old, Unfinished Business - This shape identifies a process you have outgrown or one that you dislike. The fifth position is associated with unresolved issues you now wish to put aside and will reclaim at a later date.

(from Arrien, Angeles Signs of Life, pp. 23-28)

Next time I will talk about the shapes themselves. I'd love to hear what you think about this process.

Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

EXPLORING MANDALA SYMBOLOGY

Inner Landscape Mandala - (Reflection Series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image - shrubbery

Angeles Arrien is a cultural anthropologist who wrote a book in the early 90's called Signs of Life. She wondered if all cultures had common symbols in their art and what meanings were attributed to them. After seven years of study she discovered that five basic shapes appear in the art of all cultures: the circle, square, triangle, spiral and equidistant cross.

From this research Arrien developed a Preferential Shapes Test as a tool for self discovery. I first took this test in the mid '90's and found it spot-on. If you are interested in trying this yourself, this is what you do:

After drawing the above shapes on a piece of paper, rank them according to preference. Do not spend a lot of time thinking about the order.

At this time in my life my preference ranking is 1) square 2) triangle 3) spiral 4) equidistant cross 5) circle. I know my preferences are different now than they were10 years ago (as they should be). I do remember at that time the square was in last place. The rest I don't really remember.

This mandala started out being about using the square as the primary shape in my mandala, but then it morphed into the equidistant cross!

Don't worry. In the days to come I will explain more about what Arrien ascribes to
the ranking and meaning of these shapes.

SUMMER OF LOVE

Summer of Love Mandala - (Summer series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008

It was 1967 in San Francisco. In Minneapolis I was naively 16 with no idea of the social changes that would transpire over the years to come. I didn't even really know where San Francisco was. Now I live about 300 miles from "The City." Whenever I see neon orange, green, and yellow, it always takes me back to that time in my life. There was a time in my youth when orange was my favorite color.

And now I think back on that time...the music, the ideas, the philosophy, the revolution...we have made progress (at least women aren't wearing white gloves to work anymore!). The Age of Aquarius and the Information Age have come together, and it is easier to realize..interacting with a cyber community all over the world-... how we really are all One.

May we all be made whole in this Circle of Love.


Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

Hey, for a lighter side of Sue, be sure to visit my sister blog SUE DOODLES!

OASIS MANDALA

Oasis Mandala - (Circles of Light series) - © Sue O'Kieffe
source image - lithodora

Sometimes we all just need to get away. In the heat of summer, wouldn't a cool pool surrounded by palm trees be just the thing? Lounge in the shade, lots of iced tea and lemonade, a good book, sunblock, the calming sounds of song birds and running water soothing your soul....

I hope you are all having wonderful summers and finding time to relax.

Enjoy!


Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas


Be sure to visit my sister blog SUE DOODLES!

SACRED LIFE SUNDAY - MYSTERY

Mystery - (Meditation Cards) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008

This is my body, this is my blood - Mark 16:22-24 (paraphrased)

...the beauty of the bird, the symbol of the snake, the courage of the pilot, and the wonder of human love will always be touched with mystery ~F. Forrester Church

Love enigmas more than certainties ~ Rob Brezsny
-----------------------

I am back from my trip and am still processing photographs (I took around 300!). Re-entry was a little bumpy and I'm still processing the emotional content of the journey as well. But ohhhh, it was so good to get away, with incredible beauty surrounding me for three days in Southern Oregon.

I am walking a line between wanting to go deep with my art and living on the surface in the material world. Mostly I think this dichotomy....one or the other.... is an illusion. Choose my time wisely.

Tick-tock.
The time is now.


Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

TAPESTRIES MANDALA

Tapestries 6 Mandala (Connie Rose series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image: Connie Rose yarn photo

My friend and fellow artist journeyer Connie Rose has been gracious and let me play with photos of her handspun yarn. This is one of my favorite images of the six I have created..warm and toasty and in keeping with the solar imagery of my previous post.

I share her love affair with textures and love the doodl-y quality of the mandalas created from her handspun goodies.

When I was younger, I loved making yarn paintings, painstakingly glueing down strand after strand of yarn on masonite to create images of -- guess what?--suns!

On this holiday weekend in North America, I hope you are able to capture a bit of solar energy and enjoy some time off from whatever it is you normally do. Have fun, be safe, etc. Despite the rising cost of gasoline, I have decided to do a short jaunt up to southern Oregon and spend the weekend with a friend on 15 acres of forested and beautifully landscaped splendor for some serious R&R and photoshooting. Oh yum. Stay tuned.

See you on the flip side!

Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas