Mandalas in Nature with the Muslim-Christian Youth Groups in Manila

Mandalas weave communities together!

Last March 12, I was invited to facilitate a community mandala making for the Muslim-Christian youth groups from Tala and Culiat communities in Quezon City. The group was undergoing a grassroots leadership training under the United Religions Initiative Bowes Award grant through the Peacemakers' Circle organized by Orlan de Guzman. Russell Maier of the 1Mandala project co-facilitated with me with his co-creative energy and mandala making expertise.

 

The whole day activity was the first time the youth groups met each other after undergoing trainings in their own communities since October 2010. We celebrated the gathering through learning about mandala making and interconnectedness with nature at the La Mesa Dam Eco Park.

The workshop started with mandalas in creation through a dyad sharing with "divinated" images - they pick out a card that's upside down and discuss what the image is telling them. The images were of mandalas in nature (galaxies, plants, spiderwebs, a mother's womb, etc). Afterwards, they learned about patterns in nature and the elements of mandalas in art making (lines, shapes, color, patterns). Russell guided them in a symmetry exercise connecting them to their mirroring dialogue experience. In the afternoon, I shared about mandalas in sacred symbols from different faith traditions and led them to symbol making by connecting themselves in nature. We didn't have enough time to do a geometric pattern exercise with Islamic stars and arabesques and Christian Rosette windows but I hope to do that some other time. We closed the day with co-creation through a community mandala making with chalk, their personal symbols in nature, and natural found objects. 

That's Alan Berguia, Community Coordinator for Tala and Culiat communities. Photo by Orlan de Guzman

photos of mandalas in creation upside down waiting to send a message across :-) Photo by Orlan de Guzman

Drawing Patterns observed in Nature after a nature walk. Photo by Orlan de Guzman

Russ facilitating a body mirroring symmetry exercise. Photo by Orlan de Guzman

co-creating a mandala in groups

After creating a mandala in groups, the challenge was for them to go back in a wider circle and see how to connect the mandalas into one bigger mandala as one community

We closed the activity with a ritual prayer for the healing of the earth. I asked them to touch the earth and connect their heart beat to its heartbeat and to send good energies to Japan (the workshop was held the day after the quake)
photo by Wilma Busadre

co-creating with russ (sometimes drives me crazy! but all works out in the end)

Here's a video of the mandala making in action:

 

P.S. I had no sleep preparing for the workshop so I made sure I loaded with alkaline water and green smoothies after channeling reiki on them for the whole day adventure of working with 70 young people! I can now attest to the power of live food and energized water!