This is my answer to the uneducated shitstorm of anti-mandala sentiment introduced by a Christian blogger.
((Origional Xtian post found here: Last Hiker))
Dear Last Hiker - Take a long hike off of a short dock! - Mother Nature
I am not a "crunchy new-ager", but that's a great thing to be! I do happen to be a "crunchy" Pagan though - also a great way to be! (However - I guess this is meant to be an insult? Hum... I thought Christians were above that.... guess not...)
This post hit a nerve. It hit a nerve in myself and appeared to also hit a nerve in the spiritually aware community of Paganism. The ignorance and misinformation (from a Christian Theological perspective) in the post is woefully astounding. Many of the comments are dreadfully ignorant as well.
First (I believe) all art is good art. Art is not just for children. It is for humans. Self expression that harms none, is an excellent part of being a human. Art can help us to recognize the common struggles we face. It can serve as a medium for discussion where disagreement has been tough. It can shed light on things we could not quite put our personal 'finger on'. (Yes, in my art of writing - I did end that sentence with a preposition - the imagery and whimsy would not otherwise have been the same.)
Art can be various things including writing, dancing, music, sculpture, recycling, gardening, fashion, paint, tattoo (I know sooo subversive), make up..... the list could go on and on and on.... every person can be drawn to express art in their own way. This. is. GOOD!
So, I challenge you to ask yourself how artwork, or participating in artistic expression could *possibly* lead one 'religiously' astray. If I choose to color a picture of a rood, it does not make me a Christian. If I focus on the life of the tree while doing so, I have aligned my mind with the trees life cycle. (If you are curious what else I am talking about - see "Dream of the Rood" it's classic lit and being well read is a good thing, so look it up dude. Also, the irony here, I mean really!)
Similarly, having a coloring book with mandalas, coloring them, or creating a mandala will NOT invoke (or evoke) some scary deity - unless of course you believe in that deity and focus your energy on said deity as you color. Therefore, lets say one is a Christian and therefor does not believe in any deity existing besides Jesus Christ. Therefor it is literally impossible to be lead to any other form of deity while coloring a mandala. This is basic Christian theology people. Yes. Really.
One should never take these random bloggers ideas as gospel. Yes, I said it.
Ask yourself -
*IF one truly believes a deity (In this case Jesus) to be all powerful, then how could coloring a picture thwart that deity's power? You do believe your soul to be his, right?
*IF one truly believes they have been 'saved', then how could art possibly thwart that?
Truth:
*What is inside your own heart is the only thing you will discover while coloring a repetitive pattern of a mandala.
*The only demons you will encounter through the door of coloring are those in your own head. So, if sneaky- "spiritual hosts of wickedness" are already in your subconscious mind.... the mandala is not your problem!
(Remember my comment about art? "It can shed light on things we could not quite put our personal 'finger on'.")?
I can promise you that the thought police are needlessly keeping you from self expression if you buy into "thou shall not color mandalas" - which by the way I am pretty certain is not expressly listed as a commandment in any Christian or Mormon scriptures. (Yes, I separate the two out because Evangelicals do not consider Mormons to be Christians due to scriptural and doctrinal differences, and Mormons don't understand the difference. Kind of like thinking mandalas will somehow cause one to become Buddhist, accidentally- or you know conjure an accidental demon. However, I digress...)
The Last Hiker quotes-
“When completed, a mandala becomes a sacred area that serves as a receptacle for deities and a collection point of universal forces. By mentally entering a mandala and proceeding to its center, a person is symbolically guided through the cosmos to the essence of reality. By constructing a mandala, a monk ritually participates in the Buddha’s teachings.”(ReligionFacts.com)
As a Christian you would not believe in any other deities - so how could some mysterious entity be collecting there? The Last Hiker states that demons can enter through a mandala - really? So now demons are Christian deities? Perhaps your 'saving' didn't stick?
Also, allow me to draw your attention to churches and cathedrals throughout the world, constructed at various points in history. (Note the links to click for examples) They very often contain stained glass mandalas. They also very often contain stonework or mosaic mandalas. I suppose if we follow the 'logic' of Last Hiker, that accidently makes those structures Buddhist or Hindu and has opened the door to demons. So, "sweet Christian friends" beware because if those mandalas don't get you , the ancient architecture or sheer ignorance will!
Go get a mandala and focus on world peace while you color. Focus on treating others with love (you know the sum of the whole law, per Jesus?). Focus on banashing ignorence, poverty, bigotry, violence.... Color Mandalas for peace! That is what Jesus would do.
Yes, I am blunt. Not sorry. Educated. Now, go read something that some religious authority (or blogger) told you not to read. Think for yourself. You will be glad you did.
I will light a candle for the illumination of your mind.
(AKA: I will pray for your enlightenment of thought.)
~Alette )0(
Church photos are not mine, but belong to the publishers at the websites provided. (Please note that there are many examples of church mandalas around the world, these are just a few for the sake of example.)
The related structures referenced in my essay include:
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, FR
Bordeaux Cathedral, FR
St. Vitus, Czech Christ Church, Dublin IRL
Monastery of Tatev ,9th century Armenian
This post hit a nerve. It hit a nerve in myself and appeared to also hit a nerve in the spiritually aware community of Paganism. The ignorance and misinformation (from a Christian Theological perspective) in the post is woefully astounding. Many of the comments are dreadfully ignorant as well.
First (I believe) all art is good art. Art is not just for children. It is for humans. Self expression that harms none, is an excellent part of being a human. Art can help us to recognize the common struggles we face. It can serve as a medium for discussion where disagreement has been tough. It can shed light on things we could not quite put our personal 'finger on'. (Yes, in my art of writing - I did end that sentence with a preposition - the imagery and whimsy would not otherwise have been the same.)
Art can be various things including writing, dancing, music, sculpture, recycling, gardening, fashion, paint, tattoo (I know sooo subversive), make up..... the list could go on and on and on.... every person can be drawn to express art in their own way. This. is. GOOD!
So, I challenge you to ask yourself how artwork, or participating in artistic expression could *possibly* lead one 'religiously' astray. If I choose to color a picture of a rood, it does not make me a Christian. If I focus on the life of the tree while doing so, I have aligned my mind with the trees life cycle. (If you are curious what else I am talking about - see "Dream of the Rood" it's classic lit and being well read is a good thing, so look it up dude. Also, the irony here, I mean really!)
Similarly, having a coloring book with mandalas, coloring them, or creating a mandala will NOT invoke (or evoke) some scary deity - unless of course you believe in that deity and focus your energy on said deity as you color. Therefore, lets say one is a Christian and therefor does not believe in any deity existing besides Jesus Christ. Therefor it is literally impossible to be lead to any other form of deity while coloring a mandala. This is basic Christian theology people. Yes. Really.
One should never take these random bloggers ideas as gospel. Yes, I said it.
Ask yourself -
*IF one truly believes a deity (In this case Jesus) to be all powerful, then how could coloring a picture thwart that deity's power? You do believe your soul to be his, right?
*IF one truly believes they have been 'saved', then how could art possibly thwart that?
Truth:
*What is inside your own heart is the only thing you will discover while coloring a repetitive pattern of a mandala.
*The only demons you will encounter through the door of coloring are those in your own head. So, if sneaky- "spiritual hosts of wickedness" are already in your subconscious mind.... the mandala is not your problem!
(Remember my comment about art? "It can shed light on things we could not quite put our personal 'finger on'.")?
I can promise you that the thought police are needlessly keeping you from self expression if you buy into "thou shall not color mandalas" - which by the way I am pretty certain is not expressly listed as a commandment in any Christian or Mormon scriptures. (Yes, I separate the two out because Evangelicals do not consider Mormons to be Christians due to scriptural and doctrinal differences, and Mormons don't understand the difference. Kind of like thinking mandalas will somehow cause one to become Buddhist, accidentally- or you know conjure an accidental demon. However, I digress...)
The Last Hiker quotes-
“When completed, a mandala becomes a sacred area that serves as a receptacle for deities and a collection point of universal forces. By mentally entering a mandala and proceeding to its center, a person is symbolically guided through the cosmos to the essence of reality. By constructing a mandala, a monk ritually participates in the Buddha’s teachings.”(ReligionFacts.com)
As a Christian you would not believe in any other deities - so how could some mysterious entity be collecting there? The Last Hiker states that demons can enter through a mandala - really? So now demons are Christian deities? Perhaps your 'saving' didn't stick?
Also, allow me to draw your attention to churches and cathedrals throughout the world, constructed at various points in history. (Note the links to click for examples) They very often contain stained glass mandalas. They also very often contain stonework or mosaic mandalas. I suppose if we follow the 'logic' of Last Hiker, that accidently makes those structures Buddhist or Hindu and has opened the door to demons. So, "sweet Christian friends" beware because if those mandalas don't get you , the ancient architecture or sheer ignorance will!
Go get a mandala and focus on world peace while you color. Focus on treating others with love (you know the sum of the whole law, per Jesus?). Focus on banashing ignorence, poverty, bigotry, violence.... Color Mandalas for peace! That is what Jesus would do.
Yes, I am blunt. Not sorry. Educated. Now, go read something that some religious authority (or blogger) told you not to read. Think for yourself. You will be glad you did.
I will light a candle for the illumination of your mind.
(AKA: I will pray for your enlightenment of thought.)
~Alette )0(
Church photos are not mine, but belong to the publishers at the websites provided. (Please note that there are many examples of church mandalas around the world, these are just a few for the sake of example.)
The related structures referenced in my essay include:
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, FR
Bordeaux Cathedral, FR
St. Vitus, Czech Christ Church, Dublin IRL
Monastery of Tatev ,9th century Armenian
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