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Original mandalas reminiscent of ancient spiritual art.


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Introducing the first volume in the mandalaZone library,

Mandala: Spiritual Visions of Our Ancient Self

...a collection of images and writings
about the peace, beauty and self-discovery of the mandala.

Mandala: Spiritual Visions of Our Ancient Self

 



Mandala: (Sanskrit: "circle") In Hindu and Buddhist Tantrism, a symbolic diagram used in the performance of sacred rites and as an instrument of meditation. The mandala is basically a representation of the universe, a consecrated area that serves as a receptacle for the gods and as a collection point for universal forces. Man (the microcosm), by mentally "entering" the mandala and "proceeding" toward its centre, is by analogy guided through the cosmic processes of disintegration and reintegration. from Encyclopaedia Britannica




A quick guide to a few of the rooms in mandalaZone...
Gallery
Take a peaceful
stroll, find your self
in the mandalas.
Alcove
View unique,
personal mandala
commissions.
Archives
Essays on Life,
the Universe and
the Mandala.
Lounge
A thumbprint
gallery of all
the mandalas.
Menagerie
A tapestry of
glimpses from
each mandala.
Reading Room
A collection of
links to many
interesting sites.
cafepress.com
A new, exciting
collection of
mandala products.
Message Board
Your notes and
comments are
appreciated.




Announcing New Creations at cafepress.com...

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I am excited to announce the addition of a whole new line of mandalaZone products now available at cafepress.com. Please visit my shop there and browse around for a while. There you will find mugs and magnets, clothing, journals, posters and more. If you would ever like a product you see there displaying a mandala you can't find, please let me know and I will be happy to create it for you and add it to the shop. Thanks, and please let me know what you think of the items available there, what should be available... any suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated.



The Spirit of the Mandala:
Meaning, Metaphor and the Quest for Self

Mandalas have been the focus of meditation, contemplation and admiration for years too numerous to count. Since before the dawn of recorded history, humanity's intimate connection to the mandala has been a vibrant link to our universal ancestry. It is a sacred diagram that displays the structure of the spirit and the interwoven nature of the cosmos. Many have studied their design, their inherent centrality, as a path toward achieving an ideal centrality in their own selves. Such interaction with a mandala is a process of approaching enlightenment. Its elements are the essence of life, the myriad layers of existence, of being, of living, so that each mandala is but one of an infinite number of possible manifestations of the self. Its creation is the gathering of intangibles, the construction of an architecture of peace and order within a swirling, chaotic world. It is a pulse point on the universal collective consciousness. The mandala represents the center of the universe and the outward-expanding awareness of the human experience. It is a quest to rediscover that center, the nucleus, the focal point for all things. The journey's conclusion, our eventual return to that center, is inevitable—only the path may vary.

The circle is the most archetypal form, its shape is simple yet within its potential resides all that is possible. It is symbolic of the universe without and within, the space that stretches away from us and toward the deepest recesses of the self. It is simple, efficient and beautiful. It is ancient yet constantly reborn. It is the cycle of days, years and eons; it is birth and death and rebirth; it is the sun in the sky and the droplets in the clouds; it is the primeval source of man, and by extension, consciousness; it is knowing, forgetting and remembering; it is the ring of fire around which our ancestors sat and the horizon which marked the boundaries of their world; it is the mandala inscribed in the galactic core. The circle is the complete geometry of the spirit, of the cosmos, and of the unity of the two. It is the gate, the heart, the breath. It is within us all.

Welcome to mandalaZone. All the images you will see in the gallery are my original, hand-drawn creations. My mandalas are based on a structure of four (and multiples thereof), representing the four cardinal points-- all contained within the eternal geometry of the circle, the sacred receptacle with no beginning and no end. New mandalas will be added about every month or so. In the alcove you may view a collection of exclusive, commissioned mandalas. For some very informative links on mandalas and other interesting topics, as well as access to several excellent webrings, feel free to stroll through the reading room at your leisure. And in the message board you can sign our guestbook, join our mailing list or participate in our mandala discussion forum.

You can also visit the lounge for thumbnails of all mandalas in the gallery and the alcove.



mandalaZone archives

Please visit the archives, featuring essays on a variety of mandala-related topics.
To review the current entry, please follow the link below:

Continuum of the Self:
Threads in the Tapestry of Existence

Each of us is a thread—every person, every single thing that exists—weaving its way through the intricate tapestry of time and space that enigmatically comprises the universe. We are not merely points in this grand masterpiece, isolated and irrelevant, rather we and our influences stretch backward and forward through all of time and space. As threads we touch more than we know, and we hold together the fabric about us through connections we barely understand. Unfortunately, we are not aware of the linear nature of our being, since we immediately sense only what surrounds us at a given moment. This very limited viewpoint creates the impression that we are only a self-contained pocket of elements and circumstances. In reality, however, the details that describe you, your behavior and your personality are not isolated qualities that exist by themselves, having appeared out of nowhere. They are the products of long strings of forces leading back to the birth of the universe, forces that have gradually pushed and shaped what you and everyone else are today. Today's reality is a product of yesterday's reality continuously modified by the events and circumstances that occur moment by moment. So you—the collection of attributes that describe you at this particular moment—are not an entity unto yourself, rather you are an aggregation of incidents sculpted into form by physical and social inertia. You are an indescribably long series of events at a fleetingly ephemeral point in time, in this place, at this moment. Therefore we are much more than the entity that exists here and now, we are every place and every moment—we are a wondrous and infinite continuum of the self.... (continue)


 


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Upcoming Appearances
...a chance to see up close, chat for a while, get to know each other...

mandalaZone festival booth

October 25-26, 2008
In the Park with Art:
Coral Reef Park, 7895 SW 152nd St, Palmetto Bay, FL (view map)

November 15-16, 2008:
Great Green Family Festival:
Fruit & Spice Park 24801 SW 187th Ave. Homestead, FL (view map)

December 06-07, 2008:
Woodstock Arts & Crafts Festival:
Welleby Park, 11100 NW 44 St,
Sunrise, FL (view map)



The mandalaZone Gallery

diágomon mandala

diágomon mandala
added 10.04.08




The mandalaZone Alcove

zarikárdan mandala

zarikárdan mandala
added 09.05.08



The Pewter Pendant Series

mandala pewter pendant


The Quest Series

volkoshan quest series


The Variations Series

volkoshan quest series

 


Tattoos and Body Art

mandala tattoo body art


The Peace Collection
by ebb & flow designs

an t-shirt


About the Artist

Peter Patrick Barreda




 

 


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