By Susannah Wood
On Friday, June 27, Great Mountain Forest and the Norfolk Conservation Commission will host a mandala-making session as part of Friday Nights on the Green. It will be a family friendly event that should be fun for grownups and children alike. The mandalas will be made from all-natural material—leaves, petals, sticks, acorns, cones, pine needles, whatever grabs one’s fancy. The idea is that at the end the materials will waft away in the wind or gently decompose in place.

So, what is a mandala? It’s a circular, symmetrical design made of repeating shapes, and the making of one is an ancient practice of worship and meditation in many eastern religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Shintoism. First appearing around the fourth century BCE, mandalas have come to represent the interconnectedness of our interior world and the world around us, and a way of enacting that relationship, of finding a sense of harmony and of being conscious of impermanence.

In Buddhism, specially trained monks make very complex mandalas with many different colors of sand, considering each grain to be blessed. Once the design is complete, they sweep the sand together and spill it into flowing water to spread the blessing.

Circular designs appear in many cultures across the world as significant symbols of unity, wholeness and sacred mystery—the medicine wheel of Native American tribes and the rose windows of great cathedrals, for example. In India, women often make circular Rangoli designs to celebrate great festivals, family milestones or just to honor the doorway of their house, using rice powder, spices, powdered stone and flowers to invoke happiness and good fortune.

For this project, participants are encouraged to collect and bring assorted materials with them—but please don’t pick wildflowers or use stones, as those could make problems for the crew that mows the grass. There will also be supplies on hand for use. Should it rain, the event will be held in the Hub and the mandalas made on cardboard to take home. Photos will be taken and posted on the town and Great Mountain Forest websites. Visit GMF for an example in color: greatmountainforest.org/events/friday-night-on-the-green-nature-mandalas.