I don’t have a clear, definite answer for this… and if I did, where would all the fun go? Actually, if such an answer existed, I doubt that verbal communication would suffice to articulate it… But not trying to articulate is also avoiding the fun.

Each mandala carries with it a multitude of different meanings, while at the same time, each mandala hints at some sort of ‘essential truth’. Mystics and sages from different backgrounds and time periods have coincided: the truth that can be expressed is no longer the truth. In this way, ultimately and in its highest expression, a mandala can be a portal through which we can interact with some realms of truth. Most of the time, mandalas can serve as hints or reminders. Consider this beat example: You have not really seen the moon and you're not sure what it is. Someone points a finger up to show you the moon. You look at the finger and then figure it out, that the moon is up there in the sky. You can also figure out that beyond the moon, there are stars. In a sense, the finger is not the moon, it is not the stars, it is not your vision, and it is not the interaction between you, stars, moon, and the person who shows you. Once you see the moon, the pointing finger may no longer be necessary. Nonetheless, seeing the finger, seeing the moon, experiencing the moon, understanding the moon, being at the moon, and knowing what the moon is with the fullness of your being are not necessarily the same thing. Knowing that the finger can also hint at the stars is also slightly different. Also, the finger is part of a medium, and you can ask other things of this medium. A mandala can serve as any of these things, and may also take you beyond the finger, the moon and the stars and help you become aware of awareness and the process that takes place in this action.

In part, mandalas can have many meanings because they function as mirrors. They will reflect back certain things about yourself, your place in the world and in the evolution of life. They can also show a path, a method, a cycle, a train of thought or action to help us figure things out. They can take you through different layers of the onion that is our world and our being. I have no way of knowing all the possible things that a single mandala may reflect back to a specific viewer. Please share whatever you see!

Related Blog Post: What is a Mandala?