Mandalas

Rose Window, Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris Larger image The Perfect Man, 2,500 BCE Larger image Navaho sand painting Larger image Tibetan mandala, 18th century Larger image Sun mask, Northwest coast American Indian Larger image

A couple of times, I've written of the morning light pouring in through the three east-facing windows in my living room. And in particular, I've mentioned how it irritates a miniature replica of the rose window of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.

I also had mentioned a number of other objects that were struck by the early morning sunbeams. And I tried several times to find images of them on-line. And I did post an image of a witches' ball on journal - 2007-0222 - thu - 0800.

And I also found a number of images of the rose window on Notre Dame. I looked at a number of sites, but one in particular was so astonishing, that I wanted to devote a separate entry to it.

It's the web gallery of photo-artist John Glines at John Glines who lists his location as being in Thailand.

The Notre Dame rose window was at a gallery titled Mandalas.

Although I've heard the term mandala, specifically, "the great mandala," I can't say that my understanding has been very clear. And I certainly never associated it with a rose window.

John offers a concise definition: "The mandala is a circular representation of the cosmos in its connection with divine powers. It is a symbol of human wholeness and often used as an instrument of contemplation."

Having given that a little thought, I realized that it obviously would include a rose window.

What is so extraordinary to me is the part that mandalas have played in the history of sacred art. The earliest representation, shown at left, is "The Perfect Man" that dates from circa 2500 BCE. (Alas, I'm unable to find the origin of the object. The searches I've done have proven useless.)

At the other end of the chronology, there are a number of modern and contemporary images included in the web gallery.

A quick Google search brings up any number of sites involving mandalas using fractals. One of the most extensive can be found at jingreed.typepad.com > I Fractal Images One, (Note that not all the representations fit the mandala definition.)

Another site with multiple images is available at Mandalas - Spiritual Art Work by Paul Heussenstamm.

In terms of location, mandals circle the globe from Tibet, Russia, America, Japan, Mexico, Nepal, India, Holland, China, etc.

Mandalas also appear in nature in such examples at a rose bud, snowflake, representations of sound waves and vocal vibrations

So what started as a simple search for a rose window turned into a wonderful serendipitous journey through time and space and consciousness. And what a splendid delight it has been.

PAX! Erin Go Braugh!