Mandala 11 - "Judy"

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This Mandala was made by request for a friend of mine, named Judy S. I didn't write an original interpretation prior to presenting it to her, but instead I am going to print the meanings that she found on her own. I believe it is important to recognize that the value of a healing mandala (or ANY mandala, for that matter) comes from finding personal value and personal meaning in the images. In this particular case, Judy is not one of my regular clients, and I really don't know a whole lot about her, other than what she has shared via one of the mailing lists that I belong to -- namely, that she is married, has three children, and has multiple sclerosis, a chronic degenerative/progressive disease for which there is currently no known cure.

After it was completed, I sent her a computer copy first (along with the original via snail mail). What follows is her own words of how she and her family experienced the mandala. I will add comments afterward (I've edited the family's names to protect the family's privacy).

Two of my kids ("J"-13 and "T"-10) are home today because of a virus. They went to the doctor this morning. But thanks to you, they graced my "art gallery" (placed under the windowsill by the kitchen table where we hang kids' papers) with the most beautiful and creative mandalas.......... :)

And now they're using a different medium.....color- changer markers.

This morning after everyone got home from the doctor, I wrote down my interpretation of what the mandala means to me. Please keep in mind that I've never done anything like this before, and it may not have anything at all to do with what you were thinking!

Here are my first thoughts when I saw it...........There were so many bright, cheerful, alive colors (activity? new growth?) yet it all conveys such a balance. I dunna know; its just comforting and reassuring to look at. I interpereted the entire mandala to be my own inner circle of support with my immediate family surrounding me. I took the candle to mean my life force, the center of our family, the "hub" of the wheel. The sword is the M.S., piercing and ever-present, but not dominating. The point in which the sword & candle intersect forms a cross, sign of my faith. If one element was missing (yeah, even the M.S.) it wouldn't be as strong. The sword's red handle represents my pain, because there sure is a lot of it with this disease. There are four chalaces surrounding the candle and sword. One for each member of my family. Each is surrounded by a different pattern, suggesting the unique perspectives each one has to contribute. The bottom-left chalace seems to have the most red, so everyone agrees that that one is "J-14", who at 14 and 1/2 is displaying the most anger right now. "J-13" pointed out this morning that the backround flowers are al orderly and "J-14" is a neatnik. "J-13" claims the goblet on the lower right, with its random floral pattern (yeah, ok, he's our messy one). "T-10" is on the upper-left with her pink clouds suggesting tenderness? And T-hubby's on the upper- right with the watery backround, the undercurrent of strength that pulls us all together.

What I can't figure out is the central-piece which surrounds the cross, and the way the candle flame separates into two at the top.

I was fascinated with this personalized interpretation, since it was done without a lot of workshop instruction in "how to", and I don't think Judy has worked with Mandalas before.

Much of the symbolism I use is drawn from the Tarot background, especially the Cups or Chalices in the Four Corners. Four is a number of solidity and stability. In the Tarot, the suit of Cups is the suit that deals with the emotional level... the "I Feel" part of being. While Judy is dealing with the M.S. (which she understands as the meaning behind the Horizontal Sword), which has an influence on how she lives her daily life, she is surrounded by the four most significant people (husband and three children), those to whom she has a strong emotional bond, and those from whom she derives much of her support.

This is a perfect example of how individuals can use a mandala and understand it in their own light and traditions. Judy has mentioned to me several times that she wasn't sure her interpretations were the same as what I "meant" when I painted it. What I think it means is LESS important than how it speaks to her directly.

I didn't construct the mandala with a deliberate attempt to convey specific meanings. This is a type of Healing Mandala (or Peace Mandala) which is used for ministering to the needs of the individual for whom it is constructed. Another type of mandala, the Teaching Mandala, is constructed with the interpretion (or teaching) in mind first, and then symbols brought together to illustrate the concept(s) being taught. You can read more about this when I discuss Types of Mandalas that I use and the differences between them.