Mar 13 2012

In Case You Were Wondering…

The Mandala Sisters haven’t been remiss in posting. No…we’ve had a very good reason!

HER!

Welcome the newest Mandala painter in our Soul Group!

Mandala Sisters are ready to

“spring into action”.

Hey, have you visited your house of color today???

The Art of Writing A Book

This month children worldwide have been celebrating the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel , also known as Dr. Seuss. It seems everyone we know recognizes his characters, books, and sentence structure. The bold colors and the simple lines appeal to our senses. Let’s take a look at some of Dr. Seuss’s color style.

Turquoise Blue and Red prevail in Dr. Seuss’s works along with Black and White. So what do those colors mean, Mandala Sisters? WW

Turquoise heightens creativity and sensitivity while healing the emotions with balance and stability. Turquoise is the color of awareness. It’s great for children and great for adults learning to work with their intuition.

Red signifies energy and strength and is a powerful communicator and attention grabber. Everyone on the planet “knows” red just like they “know” a circle. Red has that unspoken quality that say, “I’m here so look at me!”

Of course, there are other bright and significant colors featured in his illustrations but not with the same frequency. Seuss obviously knew a great deal about getting a youngsters’ attention with color. Take a second and see how you feel when you first look at the covers of his books. Try to look with fresh eyes!

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“Was it the gin, the Dean, or the boat?”

“Dr. Seuss” had an interesting beginning into the creative world. Mandala Sisters like to research artists and why they do what they do. Did you know “Dr. Seuss” began because of a drink of gin!

During the Roaring ’20′s ,Dartmouth student, Theodor Seuss Geisel was caught drinking gin with some fellow classmates. Dean Craven Laycock reprimanded Theodor Geisel by kicking him off the school paper. Ya can’t keep a good artist down so Geisel began using his middle name as a pseudonym to secretly continue writing for the paper and shortly thereafter ”Dr. Seuss” came into being.

Dr. Seuss took a ocean liner to Europe and the rhythmic sound of the engines begat the meter for his first children’s book:

“And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street”.

All of us owe a lot to his efforts toward inviting us to read, explore poetry, art, and nonsensical characters. Dr. Seuss was professionally challenged to create a storybook to encourage children and thus ”The Cat in the Hat” came into being. (Could this be another “embed” story?)

Life offers each of us it’s twists and turns, but in Dr. Seuss’ case we have to ask, “was it the gin, the Dean, or the ocean liner” that we should all thank?

And the teacher of the energy lesson is:

Meryl Streep!

Mandala Sisters read energy all the time. Whether it’s from the human kingdom, animal kingdom, the inanimate kingdom, it’s all part of the World we live in. Everything around us is in continual communication.

Recently, we saw the replay of Meryl Streep accepting her Oscar and noticed the body language during her speech.

The energy lesson is this: Meryl Streep is making her Oscar acceptance speech. Our wonderful world-class actress “feels” the energy of those who don’t support her win.

This is the downside of being an empath–we feel everything and have the ability to pretty much know who our lovers are and who our haters are. Yet being empathic is the SECRET to her success! Meryl Streep if you are reading this, Mandala Sisters give you a nod for being SUCH a good actress that we can’t ever watch “Sophie’s Choice” again. Ever.

What does a high caliber actress do when she feels her haters? She takes her hand and “waves” away that energy! The “wave” changes and puts a stop on the incoming energy. All of us do the “wave” when we are overwhelmed or changing our belief about the severity of information coming to us. Ever seen a fussy toddler wave at energy? It works! Now you can purposefully use the wave when things get overwhelming. Wave it away! It’s another thing we’re hardwired for!

Hey, who ordered the chocolate Leprechaun?

We wish all of our readers a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Why’d You Choose That Tattoo?

Mandala Sisters ask another random person this question.

Answer: I got this tattoo to match the birthmark on my wife’s arm.

This same guy recommended this bottle of wine. Love the artwork. Maybe something like it for his next tattoo?

Wine: Dearly Beloved “Forever Red” California Wine

Feb 27 2012

You’re Invited!

Mandala Sisters cordially invite you to

“Your Personal House of Color”!

This is a meditational tool to choose color that is germane to YOU. All that’s required is your imagination, a pad of paper and pen. That’s it!

Here is the basic meditation we have developed for color selection. If you are creating a Mandala you will choose the following colors:

A background color
A color for your sacred center
A color for the first ring of petals
A color for each successive round of petals

You have two options for this meditation: choose all of your colors at once or use this tool for each ring of the Mandala as you paint. This is to serve YOU in the best way.

Now for the process:

Get comfortable and close your eyes so your brain will focus on your request and eliminate distractions.

1. Picture a house in your mind’s eye. It can be any type of house. You will know this house as your “House of Color” to be used over and over for your projects.

2. Walk to the front door of your house. Open the door. Inside your “House of Color” is a hallway. There will be as many doors in the hallway as for the areas to be painted. Each door is marked specifically for the area of the Mandala to be painted.

3. The first door on your left is labeled “Background”. Open the door. This room will be flooded with the color your sub-conscious has chosen for you. Jot it down on the near-by pad of paper.

4. Proceed to the next door labeled “Sacred Center”. You may also see an image inside this door. If so, make note of it as you may want to incorporate that into your painting.

If you like, you may continue attaining the remaining colors for your painting. However, if you want to stop and paint out the information you’ve received, do so. Re-enter your House when you are ready to paint the next ring. The necessary doors will be there waiting until you are ready to open them.

5. When you have finished walk out of the house. Close the front door. Your “House of Color” will be waiting for you when you need to make another selection.

This can be used for anything! Ask to be shown a color you are happiest wearing or what color relaxes your physical body. Go in your house, open the door, and retrieve the information for wonderful YOU!

Color Chosen Specifically for a Personal Mandala

Animals, Animals, Animals!

We grew up around all sorts of animals and respect their value on the Planet. It was so natural for everyone to know another families’ pet in the Village. Animals and humans alike knew each other’s rhythms. Pets were mostly limited to cats and dogs but other animals were there too!

Standby for a politically incorrect bit of information about life in the Village.

When neither dog nor cat would do, some people in the Village would buy a little monkey if they needed cheering or even a chimpanzee. It was perfectly normal to us that if things got a little rough a monkey was a perfect solution to banish those blues.

We know. We know. But it was a different time. Yes, yes, we know.

And We STILL Address Pets By Their First and Last Names!

Dogs seemed to be the leading contender for favorite pet in the village though every now and then we’d have a cat lover amongst us. Our neighbor girl was always good with a cat. She could dress her cats, wrap them in a blanket, and take them for a buggy ride as the cats sat in total allowance. Mandala Sisters were never that lucky with a cat.

The Village had it’s own animal policing. Our dog was a wonderful pet but it seemed he had a fondness for chicken. We still think he was the victim of a malicious rumor! Still, if a dog was walking beyond their home territory a phone call was made to their owner, the appropriate coordinates for the rescue were given and all balance was restored.

A typical conversation about a dog: ”What’s Tootsie Ebrey doing this far down the alley? We’d better call and let them know she’s out of the yard!”

Tootsie, being the dogs’ first name, followed by Ebrey, the family that owned her. It just rolled right off the tongue…dog’s first name, human’s last name. Mandala Sisters still have that practice to this day and if we don’t know their human’s last name a Mr or Miss will suffice until we have it. We taught that to our children too.

The eldest child of our joint group is an animal lover. Her interest rises with the unusual, the wounded, the beautiful, the infirm; she just loves ‘em. She and her brother named their first puppy after devoted dog lover, actress/singer Doris Day.

Doris Day (credit: Wikipedia)

This year has been full of news-making animals for eldest daughter to ponder e.g. the Blue Squirrel, the Painting Squirrel, the smallest lizard and so on. She once had her heart set on a Lavender Cat until she saw it’s ” Blue-blooded Price”. But whether blue, lavender, brown, whatever, animals are wonderful teachers and companions. Of course now we’re going to say: “let’s do an Animal Mandala!”

What to do for an Animal Mandala:

Photograph your pet. If your animal wears an accessory, like a scarf or bow consider that color to be worked in for your painting. The photograph will be placed in the center of your painting instead of choosing a color for your Sacred Center. It can be glued, or you can use Modge Podge™, the medium that “changes” lives. We love it!

If you or your family member would like to do your own rendition of your pet then paint your little darling in the center! Make a Mandala to memorialize your pet! It’s a nice keepsake. Do it for a friend!

You never know, someday your pet may paint a Mandala of you!

Why’d You Choose that Tattoo?

We found another willing participant for our tattoo query so the Mandala Sisters ask:

“Why’d You Choose that Tattoo?”

Answer: “I wanted a cross. I found this one on the internet and had it done. I wanted something I wouldn’t get sick of and want to change in the future.”

Jan 24 2012

The After Party:

We love celebrating Chinese New Year with our families. The after-party has a gift most people over look: the chopsticks. It’s Chinese New Year “upcycling” as the Mandala Sisters clean ‘em up to use as paint stirrers and dot makers for our future works of art.

chopsticks re-purpose

“Let’s Not And Say We Did!”

That was about as snarky as it got when we were growing up. It sounds innocent enough but we’ll apply it in a different way. We’re going to feature a regular post about “contemporary art” called:

“Why’d you choose that tattoo?”

We’ll admit it. We don’t have one single tattoo and never will. It’s not because we’re chicken. Collectively, we’ve had more acupuncture needles in our faces than most people we know.

Mandala Sisters have a more painful reason than that–we wouldn’t be able to change it the next week. Er, well, without a lot of money and real pain, so we hear. Still, we are curious as to why a person chooses the artwork for their bodies that they do.

Our first introduction to body art was by a man our father bowled with. That was in the day when you had to “run off” and get tattooed. He did so while serving in the Navy; it was a hula girl. She was a little bit naked. He could make her dance.

So we asked our willing subject ” Why’d you choose that tattoo?”

His reply: “It’s a reminder to be strong”

The Chinese Character for Strength

Strength

Jan 22 2012

Gift From the Universe?

WE HAVE A COSMIC SECRET!

A free picture postcard of the Hindu Goddess, Lakshmi set our lives on a whole new path. We didn’t know at the time that Lakshmi’s purpose was to uplift mankind. She represents abundance, wisdom, and delivers people from their sorrow. We “met” Lakshmi after our parents died six weeks apart. We decided to test the theory that “Art Heals” to allay our grief. Magically, doors opened to connect to what and who we needed. That “gift from the Universe” brought confirmation of something we now pass on to you:

Lakshmi (image from Wikipedia)

This energy matrix opened us to the Art of the Mandala, an ancient art form, as infinite and inspiring as Mother Nature herself.

Creating a Mandala gave us healing, restoration, and calm.We’ll share what we have learned so that you too, can experience this gift for yourself. Just look around you… the whole world is teeming with creative energy.

It was the Mandala that led us to you! Welcome to our website!

Why should you care about creating your own Art?

It calms you
It raises your vibration
It makes you feel connected
It allows for complete focus
It teaches you to stand in your own Grace

Surprise! You’ve been making Mandalas your whole life and didn’t even know it. You started with a circle and added spokes or petals. You just created your own baby Mandala! Did you see yourself as a child getting lost in time for a few minutes?

or did you just happen to have in your possession

The Coolest Art Toy of All Time

Does anyone remember playing with a “Spirograph”™ invented by Denys Fisher? It seemed hypnotically relaxing while tracing the circle around the wheel.

Image from Wikipedia

That circle in the center is You, the artist.

Every tradition that we know of has something like this. The Mandala is a very personal art that reflects who we each are from the inside out. We’re going to usher in a newer version that will hopefully urge you to explore the Mandala of the past while painting your own Mandala of the present.

and here is the cosmic secret:

if you’ve been able to do this naturally since you were a child
if this design has been featured repeatedly throughout Nature
if this design format has been used through the Ages in architecture, spiritual/religious works, and past works of Art

(…shhhhh…then there must be something to this that is good for us, something that is very primordial, healing, relaxing and deeply part of being a Human)

BUT MANDALA SISTERS THAT KIND OF ART WON’T GO WITH MY NEW COUCH!

Relax…the Mandalas of Now are very adaptable to any style after you get the basics down but here’s the thing: we don’t care what kind of art you create; just create it!

Take a look at the gallery of our featured artist and friend Carla Stoelting. (place cursor over image for closer view) We all learned to paint Mandalas the same day! In a very short time, she’s taken her painting to another level on her own!

Featured Artist ~ Carla Stoelting

Carla Stoelting

1. Can you explain to our readers what it is like to create a Mandala? Is there some feeling or energy that you derive from formulating this particular style of art?

For me, creating a mandala, can be exciting, emotional, challenging and rewarding, all at the same time. I might have a general idea of what I think it’s going to look like when I start, but undoubtedly this will change as I go along. I think it is at that moment I give up control and open myself up to what is trying to come through me.

I think the best thing about painting mandalas is that it requires my full attention and focus. There is a lot to be said for “busy hands, idle mind”. When it comes to mandalas, both my hands and my mind are occupied. It’s much like doing yoga or acting for me — two of my other passions. They all calm the monkey mind and require that I live in the present moment and focus on what I’m doing. I also love color and the way different colors work together — how they can create energy and mood. This gets me very excited in a nerdy sort of way.

2. Is the feeling generated from being an artist the same type of creative spirit that you prepare yourself with before acting? Different feeling for either?

Like I touched on above, acting and painting both require that I don’t try to control anything. Instead, it requires me to live in the present moment and open myself up to whatever presents itself. When I first started studying acting, I thought it was about conveying where I thought a scene should go. Over time I have learned it is not that at all. I have a teacher who says that’s like giving someone a dead gift — and I totally agree. It is about immersing myself in the circumstance and allowing it to work through me. This is what I apply when painting mandalas. In both situations, I am much better at creating than recreating. That is to say, I cannot steer and control it, I just have to be in the present moment.

3. What keeps you in the groove for doing more mandala paintings and obviously formulating more intricate types of personal mandalas? Is it a personal competition or it is driven by something bigger than yourself?

There is a constant pull to do something new. With each one, I attempt something new. The last two I did were completely original — not based on any known mandala patterns. “Church Glass” was inspired by a stained glass window I saw at the Cloisters. I had snapped a photo of it and the more I looked at it the more I realized the shapes were essentially circles. Everyone refers to it as the “black and white” mandala, and that was the intention, but the truth is there are many shades of gray, blue, green, black and white combined, making it look basically black and white. Such is life.

And on “Infinity”, I started with a series of interlocking circles, thinking that would pretty much be it. Kind of like the “Flower of Life”, but my own take on it. Well, it was horrible. The whole thing made me claustrophobic. So I then toyed with this idea of space and negative space and I went back and repainted (argh), creating gaps in the circles (negative space). I then had the idea to create an endless knot behind it, filling in only in the negative space. It was incredibly hard for me to figure out and I am still not sure how I did it. It’s like two parallel universes on top of each other. I am currently working on something else with an endless knot. This time I got on the internet and searched “how to create an endless knot” and of course there were easy directions telling me how to do it. Haha. Typical Capricorn. We never do things the easy way.

Wabi-Sabi

The Japanese word “wabi-sabi”, loosely translated, means to honor objects that are aged, worn, or without luster.

We like that! To honor our grandmother we have photographed her teapot. It’s cracked and no longer serviceable but the beautiful artwork featured is still amazing to look and appreciate.

Welcome the Year of the Dragon

Heirloom from Great-Grandmother

About Us:

**The Mandala Sisters is a moniker for real-life sisters: Rhinda and Renee**

Rhinda

Renee

We are energy practitioners that believe the Divine exists in everything. This knowledge is carried forth in our works of art. We provide education and will also share various energy techniques that we have found beneficial along the way.