Mandalas are magical. In art and religion, mandala designs symbolize the universe. I have adapted the idea to a smaller, more personal expression. During my study of Reiki (the art of using hands to channel energy to the body, and mind through spirit), the teacher gave me a book in which to journal my experiences. On the bottom of each page was an “affirmation,” a thought expressing positive energy. I drew a line around the words as I recited them. One line became three. Using crayons, I colored the design. The book became a thing of beauty as well as a record of my Reiki experiences.

Afterwards, I wanted to continue the drawing activity so I got a book of quotations from my library. I read through them until something struck me as meaningful. I wrote the thought in the middle of a blank page, then recited it while making a black ink line-drawing around it. Every day I read another new idea and drew whatever it inspired. It became an amazing exercise of free-flowing, semi-conscious art.

Synchronicity abounds. A friend remarked that she had purchased some Mandala Coloring Books to assist her in meditation. A project was born. I scanned my drawings, typeset the words, and created a mandala coloring book for my friends. I present some of these drawings to you now. Feel free to download these pages. Color them.

Create your own. Your local library will have many source books of wisdom that you can use for inspiration. First, select a thought. Write it on a blank page. Repeat the words as you draw line patterns around them. Do it without thinking what the picture should look like. Just put your pen to paper and let the lines flow. The tricky part is knowing when to stop. The drawing will tell you, if you listen carefully. Color it. Each part of the picture will tell you what color it wants to be. Making a mandala is a wonderful way to get in touch with another part of yourself. The part that remembers magic.