Research: Mandalas & Symbolism

Symbolism
Taken from "www.whats-your-sign.com"

Native American Mandala Art Meanings

The Native American mandala is created in honor of a people that truly understand the deeper undercurrents of thought, nature, and life.

Further, they instinctively know that our own thoughts can sometimes mask the deeper messages that come from our hearts. The Native American mandala is used to uncover the deeper meanings of our hearts, and assists in observing our motivations in life in connection with the grander scale of the universe.

Native American Indians have a profound respect and understanding for the movement of Spirit. They know that all things are connected, and united. By incorporating the Native American mandala as a tool, we too can begin to understand the connectedness of the Universe.

Focusing on these mandalas and their symbolism allows our mind to cease its constant chatter, and our thoughts begin to delve deeper in the mist of thoughtthat dwells closer to the realm of Spirit. The mandala gives the chattering mind a point of focus, something to digest, while the Spirit connection is made, andclarity of the heart and soul is reached.

Common Native American Mandalas and Their Meanings

Feather Mandala:
Feathers represent ascension and spiritual strength. Feathers were worn by Chiefs to symbolize their communication with Spirit, and to express their celestial wisdom. This Native American mandala is representative of the cosmos with the center representing ourselves. When focused upon, we lose ourselves to the finer, lighter energies of the air, and we begin to feel ourselves relax into the knowledge of our presence within the universe. By contemplating such higher ideals, we are able to understand our purposes and desires more clearly. Click here for more symbolic meanings of feathers



Dream Catcher Mandala:
Legend has it that a Sioux woman could not put her child to sleep. She went to the old medicine woman who gave her a ring of willows with spider webs laced through the center. The medicine woman explained that the sleepless child suffered from nightmares, and the willow ring would serve to filter the bad dreams out, allowing only good dreams to visit her sleep. As a mandala, the dream catcher has two connotations. One, it allows us to utilize filtering power of our minds. It also brings our attention to the elaborate construction of our lives, and our power to construct and rebuild it as we deem fit. Both of these meanings boil down to the reminder that our thoughts are powerful, and have the ability to make our lives into nightmares or incredible dreams. See more about dream Symbolism here. 


Sun and Wind Mandala:
This Native American mandala represents the life giving power of the sun combined with the ever-present spirit of the wind. The two together give us a unique and intimate perspective of the powers of nature. When focused upon, the essence of who we are falls into the meaning of the mandala, and we see how the philosophical energies of the sun and wind can positively change the entire structure of our lives. See also Native American Sun Symbolism. Another page of interest: Native American Wind symbol 


Labyrinth Mandala:
The labyrinth is a common Native American symbol representing our life as a journey. It also begs the heavy questions of our philosophical beginnings. Most interestingly, these labyrinths do not have endings, and so this mandala drives home the fact that we are each infinite, and eternal. By focusing on this mandala, we are able to see our beginnings and understand it to the relation of our journey. Not necessarily viewing our life as a labyrinth, but rather, understanding our life is what we make of it. Our nature is infinite, and how we live our lives will determine the amount of freedom our soul experiences.