Grains of Nirvana—a Sand Mandala Ritual

Mandalas are sacred symbolic images traditionally used in Buddhism and Hinduism as aids for meditation. Mandalas have come into wider use in the West for healing, for spirituality, for art.

When His Holiness the Dalai Lama was in San Francisco, to honor his esteemed presence, the Asian Art Museum had a Tibetan cultural exhibit that was truly wonderful. One of the most moving aspects of the exhibit was the creation of an intricate, mosaic-like sand mandala by two Tibetan monks over a period of several days. Most astonishingly, at the end of the exhibit, the monks took the gorgeous, multihued masterpiece and simply threw it into the wind at Ocean Beach. We Westerners were thunderstruck. How could they possibly destroy this beautiful, spiritual art piece that took so long to create? The monks were quite jolly about it, laughing a lot and seeming quite unconcerned. They explained to the confused onlookers that “all of life is ephemeral and this act emphasizes nonattachment.” While the sands are now mixed into the sands of the entire world, the wisdom associated with it has remained.

This six-step ritual taught by the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan monks has been handed down through centuries in the Himalayas. The process for making sand mandalas is a reflection of the concept of the “sacred circle.” These mandalas are actually a way of “initiating” large groups of people, as the monks believe that Buddha intended enlightenment for all beings. 

Elemental Rituals: Water

 The human body is made mostly of water, and our connection to this sacred element is primal. People are especially drawn to the ocean, whose water is a blend of minerals and water similar to the chemical mix of our blood. Have you ever noticed how blissful you can feel when you’re at the beach? The negative ions produced by water are soothing and create an overwhelming sense of optimism. In the presence of water, we feel refreshed. The ocean tides are a rhythm of life and a regulating force of nature.

Water cleanses and restores us, determines our climate, enriches our crops and forests. Water has long been used in ritual and continues to this day to be employed by nearly every culture. In India, the sacred Ganges River cleanses the souls of Hindus from birth through death, when they often float off to eternity in a river burial. Christian baptisms are done with the sacrament of water. The Chinese deity Kuan Yin, goddess of compassion, offers spiritual seekers the comfort and solace of a holy lake. Aphrodite herself rose up from the ocean, and the Yoruban divinity, Ymoja (Yemaya in Brazil and Cuba), is believed to rule all the waters of the earth.

I was born with both my natal sun and moon in the astrological sign of Pisces. As a double Pisces, I receive much spiritual substance from water and turn to my element for succor. Water is the element that rules Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio. It reconnects water folk with their native element and keeps them in tune with their true nature.

The Japanese have elevated water ritual to the level of an art form with baths, water meditations, water gardens, and tea ceremonies. Through the centuries, they have perfected the presentation of tea as an inventive and spiritual practice.

 

Everyday Sacred: A Ritual Guide to the Days of the Week

Each day of the week has specific correspondences and meanings. Here is an at-a-glance guide to the days of the week, gleaned from the mythologies of centuries put to practice for different types of ritual. I do a money-enhancing ritual every Thursday, or “Thor’s Day,” which is the day for prosperity. Perhaps you want new love in your life; if so, try a “Freya’s Day” ritual on a Friday night.

Sunday is the day for healing and vitality, as well as creativity and new hope. It is a day of confidence and success. This is the day ruled by the Sun, so it corresponds to fire and the sun sign, Leo. The colors for this day are gold, orange, and yellow, and the sacred stones for this day are also in those colors, amber, citrine, carnelian, and topaz. Sunday’s herbs and incense are cloves, cedar, chamomile, frankincense, amber, sunflower, and heliotrope.

Monday or “Moon Day,” is a dreamy day for intuition, beauty, women’s rituals, and your home. Monday is associated with the element of water and the sign of Cancer. The clouds are shiny silvers, pearl, pale rose, white, and lavender, which are reflective like the moon. The gems and stones are similarly shaded moonstone, pearl, quartz crystal, fluorite, and aquamarine. The herbs and incense are night blooming jasmine, myrtle, moonwort, vervain, white rose, poppy, and camphor.

Tuesday is the day for action, as mighty Mars rules it. Now you can seek your passion, surge toward your goals, find your destiny, and be strong and courageous. “Mars’s Day” is the time for high energy in your career, for physical activity and sports, for aggression in meetings and negotiations, and for strong sexuality. Both fire and water come into play and the astrological assignations are Aries and Scorpio. Red is the day’s color, and the corresponding gems and crystals are ruby, garnet, carnelian, bloodstone, and pink tourmaline. Incense and herbs for Mars’s Day are red roses, pine, carnation, nettle, patchouli, pepper, and garlic.

Wednesday, or “Odin’s Day,” is when the planets of communication, Mercury and Chiron, rule. This is the optimum time for writing, public speaking, intellectual pursuits, memory, and all other forms of communication. It is also a day to recognize your karmic duties through astrology and your Chiron sign, an important asteroid placement in your chart. Through introspection, try to find your “sacred wound” and heal it so it does not hold you back in life, trapping you in old patterns and relationships. The element for Wednesday is earth and the sun sign is Virgo. Colors for this mercurial day are light blue, gray, green, orange, and yellow. The crystals are sodalite, moss agate, opal, and aventurine. The herbs and incense are cinnamon, periwinkle, dill, sweet pea, cinquefoil, and ferns.

Thursday is the day for business, politics, legalities, bargaining, good fortune, and material and fiscal wealth. In other words, it is money day! The elements that come into play are water and fire, and Jupiter, the planet of abundance is the ruler. Pisces and Sagittarius share this planet as ruler. The colors are blue, purple, and turquoise. As you might suspect, the crystals are turquoise, sapphire, amethyst, and lapis lazuli, so favored by the Egyptians. The herbs and incense for the day are saffron, cedar, nutmeg, pine, oak, and cinnamon.

Friday is doubtless everybody’s favorite day of the week, as it is ruled by Freya, the Nordic Venus, goddess of love. Friday is all about beauty, love, sex, fertility, friendships, and partnerships, the arts, harmony, and music, and bringing the new into your life—new energy, new people, new projects. Haven’t you met a lot of people on a Friday night out? Air and earth are the elements and the signs of Libra and Taurus are the astrological signs. Pale green and deep green, robin’s-egg blue, pink, and violet are the colors, and the crystals are emerald, pink tourmaline, rose quartz, as well as jade, malachite, and peridot. The herbs are incense for Fridays are apple, lily, birch, pink rose, verbena, ivy, rose, and sage.

Saturday is ruled by Saturn and connects the elements of air, fire, water, and earth. It is a time for protection, discipline, duty, binding, family, manifestation, and completion. The sun signs are Capricorn and Aquarius, with their colors of black, brown, and deepest blue, Saturday’s crystals are amethyst, smoky quartz, jet, black onyx, obsidian, and darkest garnet. The incense, plants, and herbs for this day are ivy, oak, rue, moss, myrrh, deadly nightshade, mandrake, hemlock, and wolfsbane. (Many Saturn herbs are poisonous; please exercise caution when using them.) How do we use these magical correspondences in ritual? You can create your own ritual simply by choosing candle colors, crystals, and incense from the list that matches your intent and go from there. I have included some sample rituals that draw from these magical correspondences. 

Mandala

Raise your chi with crystal mandalas. A mandala is sacred space through which we can connect to the greater energy of the universe for spiritual growth and health and well-being. Different designs and grids have different properties. By laying out these sacred patterns, you can focus and calm yourself and create conscious change in your mind and body. The wheel with spokes is the most common pattern, but you should experiment and create your own new form with crystals and meditate upon it.

Tips ’n’ Tricks: Moonstone Mirror

Moonstone is a psychic mirror, especially for females. Wise women of ancient India were the first to figure this out. If you are feeling out-of-sorts or off-center turn to this lovely stone, sacred to the shining orb in our night sky. Under moonlight, gaze fires at the moon and then at your smooth, round moonstone and look for the answer to your personal mystery. A message will come to you in the form of a dream this night.

Pinkie Power

For protection, a pure silver ring worn on the right pinkie has the greatest magical power, especially when engraved with your birth sign, or astrological glyph, and the sacred pentagram. To instill the ring with protective power, clasp it over your heart and call out:

“Ring of Silver, shield and encircle me. Blessed be.” 

Living the Magic

Now you have been initiated into the art of crystal and magic. You can make yourself a true-love tiara, a seductive toe ring, or a bewitching bracelet, to name but a few of the crystalline projects you have in your new bag of tricks. Gem magic is a merry way to make magic, but it is, in essence, all about improving the quality of your life. These gorgeous gems and sacred stones are all around us, with enhancing energies that you can apply consciously to bring a sense of well-being to your job, your family, your friends, your love life, and your deepest spirit and psyche. Use this special kind of magic to create wonder, fun, fantasy, and fulfillment in all areas of your life.

Create Your Temple Sanctuary: Magical Mandalas and Sacred Space

Spiritual health is just as important as the other kind. Regular maintenance and what I call “inner work” is greatly abetted if you have sacred space where you feel at your best. If you don’t have access to a temple space, you can create a sacred temple space in your own home. The imprint of your own creativity is vital to your personal shrine; it should be decorated with things also made by your own hand. Ideally, your windows allow sacred light to fall upon your designs. This is an artistic endeavor; you are making sacred art. If you do your best work at night, be sure to have adequate lighting. It is also a good idea to reduce the possibilities of distractions and interruptions. It is strongly suggested to turn off phones and television, to create as peaceful an environment as possible.

Bless the space in a fashion of your own choosing with your favorite incense, candles and objects that represent deepest spirituality to you. A magical mandala will greatly enhance your sacred space. The word “mandala” is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean “circle,” a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself—a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.