Chapter 10 Mandalas: Symbols for Creating the Consciousness of Sustainability in Education Patricia Sherwood Centre for Sustainable Regional Futures Edith Cowan University: South West Campus 1. Introduction Everything, within and around us, is composed of mandalas, the circle being the template of creation. The primal shape of circle is the one, the unity, and the wholeness. It is the parent of all shapes and all numbers, for one is the principle that provides the foundation for all mathematics, science, geometry, biology and of natural and man made architecture (Cunningham, 2002: 20). As such it is the perfect symbol for sustainable education as well as providing a structure for integrating learning experiences focused on interconnectedness which bring about the realisation that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. In the making of the mandala, one experiences the movement from fragmentation to integration and wholeness, the gesture of interconnectedness which Jung (1959, 1968) established as the essential psycho-spiritual gesture of health. In this paper, I propose to indicate the contribution of mandala processes in creating the foundations of sustainable environmental education, for they provide the key to personal psycho-spiritual health making and ecological well-being. The paper aims to redress the emphasis in environmental education on structural rather than personal change so eloquently identified by Fien (2003) in his paper Learning to Care: Education and Compassion where he argues for re-emphasizing the connection between personal social and ecological well being and sustainability. In the context of this paper I define sustainable education as that which strives to achieve the 16 tenants of the Earth Charter developed in 2000 and outlined by Fien (2003). I would concur with Hay (2005) that we need to change ourselves in order to make lasting changes to the 84
world. Otherwise, George Orwell s Animal Farm is destined to replay where the structural revolution happens and all animals are equal but the lack of personal consciousness change quickly restores the prevailing status quo where: some are more equal than others. This does not discount the need for structural change for as Huckle (1993: 22) astutely indicates environmental education that simply results in the greening of capitalism does little to address the core unsustainable economic structures of production and consumption that tick at the heartless world of capitalism. However, the focus in this paper is upon an educational process to facilitate the changing of the foundation of our consciousness, so that the fragmented, self-absorbed, alienated parts in all of us are brought out of the shadows of our consciousness, and integrated and transformed into a consciousness that acts out of connectedness, care and compassion. 2. The mandala as a sustainable education process for becoming ecosynchronous Hay (2005, 2006) coined the word ecosynchronous to describe the need to see the unfolding of the self as a process of becoming in a cyclical rather than linear dimension of time. He argues that this is a core dimension to the building of sustainability and Indigenous cultures with records of sustainable living are ecosynchronous. I suggest that the mandala form is an ideal educational tool for promoting the experience of becoming in a cyclical framework. It can be a symbol for cyclical movement and the integration within the cyclical framework of the parts of our experience to promote a healthy consciousness of becoming that is centred around interconnectedness. The mandala is a profound and universal symbol of continuity, integration and interconnectedness because in the beginning is the end and in the end is the beginning. Mandalas are the templates of creation. This is so beautifully expressed in the Hindu world view when it is recounted how out of the creative gestures of the great Brahma and his consort Sarasvati, there issued forth the creative sounds which manifest as mandalas, the core patterns of all creation. The ancient Vedic culture as early as 2000BC, described mandalas as cosmic thought forms with inherent power to transform the minds and bodies of those who meditated upon them. They believed that the yantras or geometric mandalas would connect them directly with the cosmos (Cunningham, 2002: 14). Our beautiful earth is a precious mandala, a circular globe which recalls to our remembrance the need for continuity, which lies in the recognition of what Wilbur (1992) describes as the great nest of being, the sense of interbeing, core to all cultures and traditions other than western industrial and postindustrial society. 3. Mandalas as the template of healthy personal and environmental systems The connection between the mandala form and healthy creative sustainable patterns in nature has been brilliantly espoused by the Japanese researcher, Emoto (2001) in his studies of water. Through analysing the structure of water by freezing it, Emoto discovered that clean water always has crystalline mandala formations. Water in various states of pollution has fractured crystalline structures and in the worst states of contamination there is no crystalline mandala structures left. He also discovered this to be the pattern in healthy soil and contaminated polluted soils. Emoto s work 85
goes further to show that every thought and feeling of a human being contributes to the crystalline breakdown of the mandala form or to re-establishing the crystalline mandala form. Positive, generous, kind thoughts support the development of mandala crystalline structures, whilst negative thoughts; the fracturing of these patterns. He also noted that electromagnetic goods such as mobile phones, microwaves, televisions and computers erode the crystalline mandala structures and contribute to their breakdown. The implications of his work for sustainable education practice are profound. What we think and feel directly creates sustainable or unsustainable environments. The mandala and its strengthening or breakdown becomes a mirror of the degree of contamination within the microcosm of our selves, which is then reflected into the macrocosm around us. Below is an illustration of a healthy, life-giving sustainable mandala crystalline shape in water resulting from repeating the words, You are cute/lovely versus the breakdown of the form resulting from repeating the words: You are a fool. These images are typical of mandala formation in healthy and unhealthy soils and water. Mandala: image for sustainability Top image is typical of healthy individual and natural forms while the bottom image is typical of polluted and contaminated individual and natural forms. Ref: Emoto (2001) The Hidden Messages in Water The mandala symbol is also used to synthesise and integrate our experiences into a vibrant whole. Jung (1959: 357) was the first western psychotherapist to recognise this power inherent in the creation of the mandala form: The basic motif is the premonition of a centre of personality, a kind of central point within the psyche, to which everything is related, by which everything is arranged and which is itself a source of energy. The energy of the central point is manifested in the almost irresistible compulsion and urge to become what one is, this centre is not felt or thought of as the ego but, as the self it is surrounded by periphery that contains everything that belongs to the self the paired opposites that make up the total personality. 86
Often sacred mandalas have been used to indicate a symbolic journey or state that can lead us to inner peace, or a deeper understanding of interconnectedness. Buddhist mandalas belong to the tradition of establishing maps of inner connectedness. The mandala creating process provides a medium for creating psychological health. Jung also noted that in Buddhism and Hinduism, specially created mandalas are used for high meditative activities to connect the meditator with the realm of the transcendent. Examples of such transcendent mandalas are found in the website http://www.buddhanet.net/mandalas.htm. Mandala forms in sustainable education There are many ways in which the mandala form can be used in sustainable education. The limits are governed by the limits of one s imagination. They provide an excellent integrating format for bringing together experiences, knowledge and skills that engender sustainable and holistic thinking and practice. I am going to share three artistic examples of the use of the mandala process in educating for sustainability that I have developed in my work as an educator and counsellor of adults and children. These are: 1. the mandala of integration: creating connectedness 2. the mandala of your life-span : creating integration 3. the mandala pathway: creating meaning Mandala process 1: the mandala of inter being Mandalas are sacred circular spaces used in many religious traditions to represent resources of a profound nature for body, mind and spirit (Watts, 2002). Core to the Mandala form is the sense of connectedness between dimensions relating to the mineral, plant, animal, human/spiritual realms of human experience. This mandala is constructed by using four quadrants, one to represent each of the four primary kingdoms of human experience (see Figure 1). The student is asked to collect images using a collage format, or paint images or draw depending on the student s preference, that represent life forms that connect them to each kingdom, and when they evoke these forms they feel stronger, more alive, more present to the world and themselves. Sometimes a student may complete these images very quickly. On other occasions it may take several weeks to find images in one or more of the quadrants, for these images must be found through deep inner searching. I have observed in counselling, where this mandala process is used frequently with children and adults not coping with day to day issues in their lives that the more deeply the person or child is able to access resources in each of these parts of the mandala, the greater the person s capacity to deal with crisis and challenges in daily life in a healthy manner. It is through connectedness that inner strength seems to be found. Tacey (2003) in his work on Australian spirituality notes the importance of young persons accessing inner strength and the experience of interconnectedness through connections to the natural environment. He goes on to demonstrate that fragmentation of connectedness to self, to others and to the world is a recipe for depression, suicide, and addiction among youth. 87
4. Human/Spiritual Kingdom Element - Air 1. Mineral Kingdom Element - Earth 3. Animal Kingdom Element - Fire 2. Plant Kingdom Element - Water Figure 1. Mandala of inter being Below is an example of a completed Mandala using collage and paint. 88
Mandala process 2: the lifespan mandala I have designed this Mandala process to facilitate persons integrating different life experiences so that rather than repressing difficult experiences and projecting them upon the external environment, they may begin to integrate these parts of themselves. This mandala is divided into as many quadrants as there are 7 year phases in the person s life cycle. So, for example, if one is 47, then there would be seven quadrants. If one is 28, there would be four quadrants. Then one designs a circle within a circle. The smaller circle becomes the layer at which the challenges or difficulties at each phase of the life span are represented. The larger cycle becomes the layer in which the resources or connections with persons, plants or animals are present to provide strength to deal with the challenges. Here, the student comes to see that it is not so much the challenges you face in life that constrain your potential, but rather the absence of connections to the resources in the human and natural worlds. Tacey (2003) argues that a sustainable life is a life that has connectedness and can move to the realm of interbeing, in the moments of challenge. Below is a diagrammatic representation of a life-span mandala (see Figure 2). Figure 2. Lifespan mandala Below is an example of a completed life-span mandala completed by a trainee counsellor undergoing a life-review process. Such mandalas are used with clients to help cultivate insight on particular issues, to create connectedness and integrate difficult life experiences to promote greater psychological health. 89
Mandala process 3: the pathway of hope and vision This is a process I have developed to facilitate groups and organisations recapturing their sense of wholeness, purpose and interconnectedness to each other, their communities and the world. I ask: what are the goals, the visions of your organisation or of individuals within it. This mandala pathway may be completed as group vision focused on some specific purpose or it may be done as individuals seeking to express their particular goals and visions in their lives. The pathway on Figure 3 was completed at Sophia College, a tertiary institution training counsellors where students chose to represent their vision for themselves in the world. They combined inspiring quotes with the mandala paintings which each person designed him/herself to represent his/her connections. This pathway has not only inspired the makers, but also all persons who come to train or visit the college and who often can be seen stopped before a mandala, taking a calm moment to reconnect with themselves in life s business. For those persons wishing to be inspired by the possibilities of building the mandala into sustainable education processes, you will find a range of tools and techniques for the diversity of mandala design in Watts (2002) Mandalas: spiritual circles for harmony and fulfilment. Conclusion Mandalas provide us with an ancient and universal symbol, the circle for creating the consciousness of oneness, of integration and an inspirational symbol for becoming ecosynchronous. They are profound symbols for creating the experiences of connectedness to self, to others and to the cosmos, for building the personal foundations that must go hand in hand with structural change to achieve the goals of the Earth charter, a more equitable, humane, compassionate and skilful way of managing the earth s human and natural blessings. They provide a structure that 90
enables students of sustainable education to reconnect disparate parts of their experiences, to work towards self-integration, to embrace possibilities and symbolise their hopes and visions for a sustainable future. Figure 3. Pathway of hope and vision References Cunningham, B. (2002). Mandala: Journey to the centre. London: Dorling-Kindersley. Emoto, M. (2001). The Hidden messages in water. New Yprk: Atria. Fien, J. (2003). Learning to Care: Education and Compassion. Professorial lecture presented at the Griffith University Ecocentre. Hay, F. (2005). Becoming ecosynchronous, Part 1. The root causes of our unsustainable way of life. Sustainable Development, 13, 311-325 published online www.interscience.wiley.com (accessed 02.08.05). 91
Hay, R. (2006). Becoming ecosynchronous, Part 2. Achieving sustainable development via personal development. Sustainable Development, 14, 1-15 published online www.interscience.wiley.com (accessed 02.08.05). Huckle, J. ( 1993). Environmental education and sustainability: A view from critical theory. In Fien, J. (Ed). Environmental education: A pathway to sustainability (pp. 43-68). Geelong, Australia: Deakin University Press. Jung, C. (1959). The archetypes and the collective unconscious (R. Hull, Transl.). In The collected works, Vol 9, Part 1. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. Jung, C. (1968). Analytical psychology: Its theory and practice. London: Routledge and Keagan Paul. Tacey, D. (2003). The spirituality revolution the emergence of contemporary spirituality. Sydney: Harper Collins. Watts, L. (2002). Mandalas: Spiritual circles for harmony. London: Hermes House. Wilbur, K. (1992). The marriage of sense and soul. Melbourne: Hill of Content. Author Email: p.sherwood@ecu.edu.au 92