Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning "to have possession of one's essence." It is a sacred circle with a centerpoint, a universal image that has long been a source of the experience of oneness and wisdom. It uses symbolic forms to draw out truth from the unconscious. These symbols help connect our inner life to our outer life.
The making of the mandala requires from us an attitude of receptivity and reverence. It is a search for and a recording of our deepest self at one moment in time and serves as a container for our deepest emotions. A mandala may be drawn, painted, sculpted, and even danced. It may involve recognizable symbols or it may take an abstract form. . . .
To begin a mandala, it is often helpful to have soft, meditative music in the background. You will need to have paper or a journal page, a pencil, and a compass for making the circle guide, crayons, pastels, markers, or paints.
Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for about thirty minutes. Close your eyes for a few minutes and become aware of your breathing. With each breath, let go of concerns, centering on the experience.
Open your eyes and look at the colors in front of you. Remembering that being receptive is important, allow a color to "choose" you. Begin at the center of the mandala with whatever form suggests itself to you. Work outward from the center. When you are finished with your mandala, you may wish to write about it, date it, and give it a title.
— Judith Veeder in The Star in My Heart by Joyce Rupp