Well, that was fun! I was invited back for a second Sunday of mandala making at St. Matthew Church in Baagaan this past Sunday. This time we moved up from individual to couple to a big group mandala. Again, no art supplies necessay! I gave the kids 10 minutes to wander around the Church and pick flowers.
And this time, Sarah joined me! She made the 13 hr trip from Manila to just in time join me for the workshop. Sarah is a professional mandala artist too. Mandala artists are in fact a rare breed, I only know one other. Through the coordination of the Kasiyana Peace centre, the kids have no idea how lucky they were to get the two of us guiding the cocreation!
Sarah added her unique energy to the flow, showing how a mandala composed with silence and mindfullness can be a prayer. When we moved to make the group mandala we had everyone add their contribution with a thought or a prayer for the community.
Mandalas even made it into the sermon that Sunday.
Father Dalis was so excited to learn about Mandalas the day before-- he had graciously invited me to join him and his family for dinner-- that he spent a quarter of his sermon on them.
There is a beautiful stainglass rose window in the cathedral in Sagada. But he, nor the parish knew the meaning behind it. I was was able to explain the numerical symbolism to him over dinner. He then excitedly explained it to the Church.
He did so in the Canakan'e dialect so I didn't understand what he meant til someone explained later that afternoon to me that, after reflecting the day before on what I had explained, an 'Enlightenment blessing to the community". Nice! Oh, and he also introduced my name as "Russel T. Mandala".
I have no idea what the T stands for though!
Of course, its not really about mandala making. Its about the harmonizing of intentions and community coming-together. Its an honour to be the catalyst for such things.
Round three next Sunday!
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