The essential form of the mandala, the circle, arises from the fundamental natural shape of the spiral.
The entire cosmos and all forces within it are moving in spirals, so it is no wonder that the circle and its derivatives appear around us everywhere.

The circular shape symbolizes perfection.
The circle is the cosmic shape that organizes our existence, encircling the endless space surrounding us, our bodies and our very thoughts.

The mandala describes our physical and spiritual circle – the giant sphere on which we live, to the circles of family, friends and human society.

Circle and its center is the basic model of creation itself and can be found on all levels, from the macroscopic grandeur of the cosmos to the microscopic splendor of the tiniest systems in our bodies. From galaxies to blood cells, the circle is everywhere: in biology, geology, chemistry, physics, astronomy and more.
Within every living cell on earth – you will find a mandala.

In every flower and every fruit, in every section of a tree and in the shells of snails. Wherever one finds life, one finds a center from which life radiates, energies flowing in and out – this is the mandala’s perfection.

Mandalas are human creations based on the (organic) archetypal shape of the circle.

Unlike conventional drawing where the artist seeks to emulate the beauty of nature, the mandala is a creation that arises from the artist’s own nature, and thus constitutes an integral part of creation.

Mandalas have been created by all cultures and all peoples. They have been made of every conceivable material in an infinite array of sizes, and human-beings of ever race, religion, gender and creed are involved in their making.

In ancient Israeli culture, “Honi the Mandala Maker” is fabled to have drawn mandalas in sand. He would then stand at the center of the circle and pray for rain, and his prayers were known to be highly effective.
At the birth of modern Israeli culture, we find the circular “Hora” dances, signifying new life and birth.
In Tibet intricately colorful mandalas are created in sand, constituting an ancient part of the culture. These sand-mandalas create distinct patterns and require great skill to create. Each pattern describes Buddhist conceptions and allows the onlooker to connect with the significance of creation and his or her place within it.

One finds the mandala in a great many architectural edifices, both ancient and modern, from the great circle of Stonehedge, through temples and rosettes labyrinths and gazebos. Woven baskets and circular engravings, dream catchers and circular gardens (the "bustan" gardens of the east)– mandalas are universal human creations.

When a human being creates a Mandala, he establishes a link with the rest of creation. The act of drawing a mandala, the moment of creativity, draws on the essential movement of the cosmos and creates empowerment on all levels.

From the physical layer of simple bodily processes down to deep emotional layers and the abysmal layers of the subconscious and inner spirituality.
Since time immemorial, healers have used the circle as a powerful tool for healing and empowerment. From Indian sand circles to Jung’s significant western mandalas, the mandala is a thing of great power.

Mandalas and Water

Springing from the innermost wells of man’s connection to the cosmos, mandalas are also associated with the most basic substance: water.
 
The link between mandalas and water is a fundamental one. Water covers about 80% of the earth's surface, and makes up about 80% of our bodies. Water is everywhere
And wherever there is water connections are made.
Water connects heaven and earth, vapor (spiritual) and solids (physical).
Water flows, percolates, drips, surges, breaks, branches, whirls and spins.
Solid natural forms are perfect reflections of water’s flow: spirals (the whirlpool), circles (a water drop), waves, folds, splashes and more.
Just as water flows, connects and purifies creation, so the mandala flows along its spiral curves, manifesting the innermost depths of the artist and connecting all aspects of his or her personality: the physical, the emotional, the spiritual and beyond, up to the eternal circle whose flow is the eternal flow of water in nature.

Together with my spouse, Gady, we are deeply involved in the connection between mandalas and water, from two different and complimentary perspectives:
The perspective of the mandala which draws from the inner wells and flows out onto the page through my hand, and the perspective of Gady’s camera lens which penetrates into the very essence of water – as can be seen from Gady’s water pictures: natural water photographed up close on mandalar and other backgrounds – manifesting the globular “spirit of water” within visible reality.

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