Our ancestors lived much simpler lives, closer to nature. Following seasonal cyclical rhythms handed down from generation to generation. We turn to our ancestors for wisdom in interpreting and understanding the message of the Mandala.
Mandala (MUN-DA-LA) is a Sanskrit word meaning, “circle” its a spiritual and ritual symbol used in ceremonies and religions around the world and represents in its wholeness the universe. Perhaps you would like to use the following information to get in touch with your own symbology to begin to understand your steps through the ancient message by making your own mandala
The Ancient Language of Mandalas — Remembering Through Colour and Form
“Symbols speak where words fall silent.
Mandalas remember where minds forget.”
Our ancestors lived simpler lives — lives woven intimately with the rhythms of nature, the turning of seasons, and the silent knowledge passed down from generation to generation.
In their wisdom, they turned to symbols to record and understand the mysteries of existence.
One of the most profound of these symbols is the mandala.
What is a Mandala?
Mandalā (pronounced mun-da-la) is a Sanskrit word meaning “circle.”
It represents the universe, wholeness, and the deep sacredness of life.
Mandalas have been used across cultures and traditions — from Hindu and Buddhist ceremonies to Native American sand paintings and Gothic cathedral rose windows — each one echoing the eternal dance of pattern and spirit.
When we engage with mandalas, something ancient within us stirs.
Our eyes absorb the inner harmony of symbolic geometry.
Circles within circles. Patterns within patterns.
Each line, each curve resonates with our inner architecture — our DNA, our cellular memory, the very geometry of life itself.
Mandalas in Nature and Culture
Mandalas are everywhere:
- The cross-section of a tree’s rings
- The spiral galaxies above us
- The cells within our bodies
- The sacred designs embroidered into ancient ceremonial garments
- The stained glass rose windows of cathedrals
Our ancestors recognised these patterns as reflections of a greater order — a way to share, honour, and celebrate the sacredness of life itself.
Through creating mandalas with natural earth objects, pigments, textiles, or architecture, they expressed reverence, intention, and belonging.
The Symbolism of Colour in Mandalas
(Based on insights from Rüdiger Dahlke’s Mandalas of the World)*
- Violet: Spiritual awakening, sacredness, the journey inward
- Blue: Depth, truth, fidelity, emotional absorption, divine protection
- Red: Courage, passion, vitality, external action, sacred fire
- Gold: Manifested light, divine unity, illumination
- Yellow: Light, joy, intellect — but when pale, warning of jealousy or betrayal
- White: Purity, resurrection, the universal perfection of spirit
- Black: Absence, mystery, death and rebirth, transformation through chaos
Each colour is not just seen — it is felt, encoded, remembered.
The Symbolism of Numbers in Mandalas
- 1: Unity, source, the unmanifest
- 2: Polarity, duality, contrast
- 3: Harmony, sacred trinity, creative flow
- 4: Earth, material existence, stability
- 5: Humanity, life force, potential for transformation
- 6: Balance between forces, sacred equilibrium
- 7: Spiritual harmony, the mystical number of creation
- 8: Infinity, rebirth, cyclical wisdom
- 9: Completion, reflection, fulfilment
- 10: New beginnings, renewed cycles
Numbers, like colours, are living frequencies — whispering deeper meanings through form.
Why Mandalas Still Matter Today
In a world of constant change, where many feel unanchored and disconnected, working with mandalas offers a way home — a way to:
- Centre ourselves amidst chaos
- Discover personal meaning through creative ritual
- Reconnect with the timeless, sacred patterns of life
- Express the soul’s silent truths through colour and form
When we draw, colour, paint, or contemplate mandalas, we are not simply “being artistic.”
We are participating in a tradition of remembrance —
awakening the ancestral memory encoded in our cells, hearts, and spirit.
We are recalling the time when all life was seen as sacred, interconnected, and alive with purpose.
“Every mandala is a mirror of the cosmos,
and every colour, every line, is a thread back to our forgotten wholeness.”
Invitation to Begin
If you have never explored the joy and wonder of creating your own mandala, now is the perfect time.
Choose your colours intuitively.
Let your hand move without overthinking.
Trust the patterns that emerge.
In every line, you are not just making art —
You are remembering your place in the greater unfolding mystery