The Soul of Whole

In many of my posts, I have been talking about taking care of the self. A huge part of this is taking care of one's spirit. Easier said than done! For many of us, the chaos of life distracts us from anything but basic survival--getting to work, getting the bills paid, maintaining children, doing schoolwork, and whatever other forms of torture we subject ourselves to!! However, there are simple ways to reconnect with our spiritual selves and help us feel whole again. One method that I am starting to really find meaningful and yet simple, is the mandala. A mandala is a circular design that expresses the inner self. Carl Jung, one of the most fascinating psychologists that ever lived, talked about the mandala as a way to come to an understanding of the complete self, which, in his theory, could not be accomplished completely until around the age of forty. Anyone can create a mandala and in any medium--pencil, paint, crayon, whatever! What the mandala does for us is remind us of our wholeness, that we are complete in and of ourselves. It also reminds us that we are more than the sum of our daily tasks. Here is a great website that has some great mandalas that other people have created. Sometimes, their commentary on their mandalas are better than the artwork!! http://www.mandalaproject.org/