“Mountain Tops”

For this mandala design, I created one full-color version using color pencils:

 

Available on eBay this week! ->
Auction ends August 18, 2014 @ 10:05 pm pt

The Mountain Tops mandala is one of a series of 21 asymmetry mandalas created over a 3-week period in autumn 2007. It consists of multiple upside-down “v”s going on into infinity.

My asymmetry mandalas come about by drawing in-the-moment inspired doodles.

This mandala received its name after I finished coloring it. It feels like I’m flying way above a large mountain range, with lots of peaks and valleys.

Materials & Process

I created this mandala while in meditation. I used the back side of archival mat board as my surface and prismacolor colored pencils as my medium.

For the “framing”, I adhered the with archival glue to a piece of 5.5″ square solid wood block which I painted with acrylic paints and gel markers.

I coated the entire piece with mulitple layers of non-yellowing clear acrylic gloss finishing fixative, and then 2 layers of liquitex gloss varnish.

The Message

Mountain Tops gives us a bird’s eye view of all the opportunities and possibilities available to us while here on earth. When we were young, people would ask us “what do you want to be when you grow up?” To which we usually gave one answer: teacher, doctor, fireman, dancer, etc.

We were taught to believe that we only have one shot at what we want to be. Often on reality contest shows, we hear contestants say things like “this is my last chance at this” or “I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t win”. What a sad and devastating position to put themselves in.

Mountain Tops reminds us that we can have as many shots at whatever we want to do as we desire. Some may be short lived, some may span decades, and some may come out completely different than when it started.

Our heart’s desire provides the life force that propels us forward in whatever direction we choose to go.

Starting today, take a look at where we are in this moment. Are we happy with our current situation? Is it making our heart sing? If yes, Yay!

If other than happy, take the time to check in with your heart to “hear” what it has to say about what it wants. For many of us, we may have to dust the cobwebs off the pathway to our heart.

MEDITATION

• make yourself comfortable in a quiet space
• take as many deep breaths as needed to relax your body and become focused in the present moment
• take a stroll down memory lane in your mind’s eye to when you were a small child…hang out here for a while. remember the fun times, the play times, the times that gave you joy
• now imagine a grown-up coming into view, asking you “what do you want to be when you grow up?”
• go into the heart of your small child-self and respond to the grown-up with one word “happy”… “I want to be happy when I grow up”
• while still in the heart of your small child-self ask it “what makes you happy?” “what makes you sing?”
• in this quiet space and time allow your small child-self to respond…listen and feel what it has to say to you…without judgement…without question
• when you’re ready bring yourself back to your present self
• make note of your experience in whatever way makes you happiest: journaling, coloring, painting, drawing, dancing, singing, creating, etc.

As a continuation of this meditation, open your mind to what you learned from your heart. Research all the possible ways you can fulfill your heart’s desire.

For example, if your small child-self wanted to be someone who heals people, we make think at first that this means you need to be a doctor or nurse. However upon closer examination and from a broader perspective (fly over the mountain tops) we can translate that into a myriad of ways: massage therapist, surgeon, psychologist, acupuncturist, counselor, etc. Our options are limitless.

ACTION PLAN

• Pay attention to what makes you happy…what makes your heart sing…what makes you joyful.
• Determine all the possible ways you can incorporate these into your everyday life…think outside the box. If singing makes you happy, then find ways to sing: in the shower, doing dishes, driving, walking, etc.
• Ask for the universe to show you examples of what makes you happy in action . Sometimes all we need is to see someone else doing what we love to do, giving us the inspiration to figure out how we can do the same…or completely change course.

Be open to the possibilities and the possibilities will appear.

Sometimes we just need a bird’s eye view.

Namaste

FYI…

• original “Mountain Tops” available for sale on ebay
• “Mountain Tops” can by found in the Pastoral Mandala Coloring Book

joyfully, Maureen The Mandala Lady