February 2012 MotM

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(link to motm fixed 2/3/2012)

For me the year 2012 is all about transformation…letting go of that which has stopped serving me and getting to the core of who I really am and who I really want to be.

This month’s mandala of the month encourages us to go beyond the surface to that place that lies beneath. Any changes we make on the surface are just cosmetic. To really transform anything, especially ourselves, we need to go to the core of our being.

I can wear clothes that make me look healthier however until I face my issues with food, my body still carries 40 excess pounds. I can make myself look busy with my business however until I really look at why I seem to be stuck in the role of a “starving artist” (which is ironic based on the previous sentence) I will continue to just “look” busy while completely missing the mark of my idea of success.

Time for us to dig deep and explore the deep recesses of our being-ness.  What could use some transforming? What works just fine? What habits and practices are failing to serve us?

Ponder this as you color this month’s mandala of the month.

Coloring Tip #2

Take your time with coloring mandalas. You can allow yourself more than one sitting to finish them.  This month you have 29 days to color this mandala. Take your time with it and enjoy the process of coloring.

Treat it like a meditation where you allow yourself 10-15 minutes each day or every other day, to contemplate the topic of the mandala or whatever topic you wish. Keep the topic in mind as you color. Be aware of any insights or thoughts that may come to you as you color. Let it talk to you. Yes they do talk…if you are open to listening to them.

Be sure to download/color Section 2 of the 2012 Mandala of the Year.

Happy Coloring!

joyfully, Maureen
The Mandala Lady

January 2012 MotM

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Happy 2012, Everyone!

This month’s mandala feels like a call to action, which seems appropriate for the beginning of the year when we tend to make new year’s resolutions.

I find it’s one thing to make a resolution and another to follow through on them. In a recent email I received, it stated that until we actually commit to doing something, we’re basically standing at the doorway with one foot in and one foot out.

Along with lacking a full commitment, we also tend to create either ambiguous resolutions (get in shape, read more books, etc) or make them so outrageous that we set ourselves up for failure (run 20 miles a day, read 2 books a week, etc.)

I’d like to offer another option…how about we strive to find a way to do a little better today than we did yesterday. So rather than having 4 servings of carbs in one day, make it 3 servings. If we did ten reps of weight resistant exercises last week, do 12 reps this week. If we remembered to give a smile to 3 people today, then give 4 tomorrow.

If you have some big projects, break them down into smaller, more manageable ones. Instead of trying to organize the garage in one day and feeling very overwhelmed by it, do one section at a time. Before you know it, you can finally park your car in the garage!

We have 366 days this year so spread it out. Keep it simple and easy…baby steps. Come January 1, 2013 we will be way ahead of the game and in a much better place than we were today.

I heard Dr. Phil tell a guest once that January 1 rolls around every year regardless of what we do or don’t do. So would your rather be better off  or worse off when it comes around again? It’s your choice…it’s our choice.

Pick one thing a day/week/month to improve on and, as Captain Picard on Star Trek Next Generation would say, “make it so.”

Coloring Tip #1

When struggling with what colors to use, try using complementary colors or a variation of the complementary color.

1. red <-> green
2. blue <-> orange
3. yellow <-> purple

So if you have a lot of blue in your piece, add some orange.  Too much pink? add some version of green.

Please feel free to share your experience with coloring this month’s mandala. I’d love to hear about your progress and/or see an image of your coloring.

Be sure to download/color Section 1 of the 2012 Mandala of the Year.

Happy Coloring!

joyfully, Maureen
The Mandala Lady

Like the glass half full/half empty scenario, have you just  come from the mountainous region in this month’s mandala or are you about to head into them? It might be fun to explore both directions.

You can decide how this scene plays out. While mountains exist off in the distance, and the path leads to/from it, does it necessarily mean that the path actually goes into the mountains or does it go straight on by, offering a very scenic, close-up view of the mountains? You can decide. If you came from the mountain region, what was it like there? Did you climb the mountains? Were you alone?

You could treat this mandala like a dream and analyze it in the Gestalt manner of imagining yourself to be each part of the mandala to find out its message or meaning. For example, as you are coloring it, imagine yourself to be the smallest of the five mountains. What does it feel like? What color(s) does it want to be? What does it have to say about itself and its place in this mandala?

What about the path? Where are you in relation to the path? How are you traversing it? What does the path mean to you?

And what about the window that we see between us and the whole mountain range/pathway landscape? I find it fascinating that it looks like the peace symbol from the 60′s. Is this mandala telling us to follow our path from the perspective of peace? What does it look or feel like to you?

“The Path” offers lots to ponder as you color this month’s mandala of the month.

And be sure to download/color this month’s section of the 2011 Mandala of the Year.

Happy Coloring!

joyfully, Maureen, The Mandala Lady

August 2011 MOTM

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What’s in your field of dreams? Do you have a field of dreams? At the moment I have a backyard of weeds, with some tomatoes and green beans making a valiant effort to thrive regardless of the condition of our yard.

I admit I lack any real talent when it comes to gardening. I envy my friends and neighbors who do remarkable things with their yards. They seem to live and breath gardening.

Okay, I went a little off topic. This month’s mandala invites us to create a field of dreams, to make them a little more tangible than just mere  thoughts in our heads. Think of each ‘blossom’ in the mandala as a goal or dream.

What do you dream about? I have a few dreams that I tend to treat as passing fancies with thoughts such as “yeah…right” or “if only” or “impossible” … to name a few. It’s amazing how limiting beliefs limit my dreams from becoming reality.

So this month it’s all about planting the seeds of our dreams regardless of our internal neigh-sayers. Time to dust them off, take them from our thoughts and see them face to face. That’s all we have to do for right now. Just writing them out starts the ‘planting’ process. If you feel compelled to take any additional action towards making the dream a reality, by all means, do so.

I know we’ve held back from pursuing some of our dreams by taking to heart what  those close to us say such as “you don’t want to do that” or “you’ll never be able to that” or maybe we were the ones saying these things to ourselves.

Here’s a new response to such comments…”yeah, you may right but I’m going to go for it anyway.” Usually our biggest ‘failures’ are not from trying something only to have it not work out the way we expected…they become learning experiences. Our biggest failure is to not have tried at all. Just feel the fear and do it anyway. To quote the movie “Bounce”…it’s not brave unless your scared.”

So I ask again…what’s in your field of dreams?

Ponder this as you color this month’s mandala of the month.

Happy Coloring!

joyfully, Maureen, The Mandala Lady

MotM: July 2011

Download the July 2011 Mandala of the month

It seems quite fitting (at least in the states) that “bursting with light” is the theme for July as we usually celebrate our independence (4th of July) with fireworks. They light up the sky with bright colors, explosions and beautiful starbursts and flares.

This mandala focuses on more than just fireworks in the sky…it’s about the fireworks in our hearts and souls. It’s that part of us that we all, to some degree, hide from the rest of the world for any number of reasons, with fear being at the core.

“Bursting with Light” encourages us to let our light shine…and more than just by a little. We only need a small spark on which to grow and shine light on our true, authentic self.

In the movie “Runaway Bride”, Julia Roberts’ character runs away from every man she’s about to marry. A clue to her reasons comes with her taste in eggs. It seems that depending on how her fiance likes his eggs cooked, she unconsciously adopts the same style. Later in the movie she decides to cook eggs every way she can to find out for herself what she really likes. You’ll have to watch the movie to find out which one she picks.

This movie offers a metaphor for our lives…are we making our own choices or letting others decide for us, consciously or unconsciously? Are we letting our fear of what others say/think, hide our light?

The time has come for us to come forward, bursting with light, letting our true selves, our true natures shine forth.

Ponder this as you color this month’s mandala of the month.

Also…be sure to check out Section 7 of the Mandala of the Year.

Happy Coloring!

joyfully, Maureen, The Mandala Lady

June 2011 MotM

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What does it mean for something to be “heartfelt”? By definition, it means to be sincere, open and genuine.

Are we living a heartfelt life? Do we go about our business in a sincere, open and genuine manner? I know for me, sometimes I catch myself being different depending on whom I’m with and what I’m doing…mostly because it’s scary to be and say and act how I really am.

Recently I started doing Mandala Readings (www.MandalaReadings.com) both on a general level and for individuals. I have yet to fully broadcast to the world that I’m doing them…of course now the cat is out of the bag, isn’t it. All the silly little fears about approval, rejection, ridicule, etc. have stopped me from fully jumping into the deep end of the pool with letting people know that my mandala art has taken me to a new and exciting level. The amazing thing for me has been that the more I do these readings, the more acceptance and approval I’m receiving.

I watched a video of a woman talking to an audience telling them that as soon as she accepted her “freak-ness”, that’s when she could drop the fears and limitations of who she was; it gave her freedom. She could stop hiding behind a false persona and finally be genuine and true to herself.

How many of us let the fear of what others think and say affect how we are? I know my hand is raised. When I catch that happening, I remind myself of a simple mantra…so what. So what if others think I’m weird/strange/odd. Because as many people who think I’m weird, there are that many and more  who fully appreciate and love who I am and what I do.

So back to heartfelt. What does it mean to live a heartfelt life? It means connecting more with our true passion, our heart’s desire without the fear and judgment that the mind often interjects. It means being genuine.

Yes, I know the fears will pop up. The trick is to recognize them, even talk to them. When we can bring them to the light of day they often diminish and can even disappear. I have this strong suspicion that most people who disapprove of others for truly expressing themselves, really harbor their own fears about being true to themselves for fear of the very same ridicule. How silly is that?

Two wonderful books that helped me handle fear are “Love is Letting Go of Fear” by Gerald Jampolsky and “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway” by Susan Jeffers.

So here’s what we can do. Start with baby steps, pushing the envelope a little further each time or we can be really brave and just take a flying leap. If we stumble, just get up, figure out how to do it better next time, and then continue onward and upward. Remember and adopt easy mantras like “so what”, “keep moving forward”,  “I can handle this”, and “it’s not brave unless you’re scared.”  Most people will forgive and honor anything as long as we come from a genuine, sincere, and heartfelt place.

Ponder what heartfelt means to you as you color this month’s mandala of the month.

Also…be sure to check out Section 6 of the Mandala of the Year.

Happy Coloring!

joyfully, Maureen, The Mandala Lady

May 2011 MotM

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How much of what we experience in our lives is factual? I know with our current state of the media, often times what is reported as fact is really someone’s opinion stated as if it was factual. Most people who watch it think “If it’s reported as news, it must be true.”

To take that comment on a more personal level, if someone of perceived authority says to us, “you’re stupid”, “you’re smart”, “you’re skinny”, “you’re fat”, “you’re ugly”, “you’re pretty”, “you’re a klutz”, “you’re a jerk”, “you’re a sweetheart”, etc”, well then it must be true…why would this person lie. All of those statements are opinions; and some can hurt. Statements of fact would be more like “you’re 5’2″ tall”, “you have blue eyes”, or “you weigh 150 lbs.”

How much of what we’ve been told over the years have we accepted as fact when in reality it is opinion? As a kid I spilled milk at the dinner table a couple of times and from that point on “they” called me a klutz…which I bought into and accepted as a fact for a good portion of my life. And yes, I have cried about it on a few occasions.

For years I hated meatloaf and declared it as if it were fact. Then one day, as an adult, I decided to make a meatloaf and found out that I love it! While that too is an opinion, it’s an opinion made after testing out my previous opinion. In another experiment I found out that “yep…I hate peas.” Still an opinion however I based it upon testing it’s validity.

A fact is black and white…it either is or it isn’t. Opinions, however, can change…and opinions vary based on perspective or context (one woman’s junk is another woman’s treasure). If I stand next to a person who weighs 102 lbs, I would be considered overweight. On the other hand, if I stand next to a morbidly obese person, I would be considered thin.

My father calls himself stupid because while growing up during the depression he had to drop out of school to help support the family. To me he’s a genius…and I make sure to tell him often. He can walk into a room and tell you how much dry wall it would take to cover the walls just by visually scanning the room. He can calculate in his head, in fractions, measurements for perfectly installing a door, building a house, making a wooden rocking horse, and so on. My dad considers himself stupid because he lacks book smarts. I tell you this, when it comes to carpentry and all things construction I’d go to my dad before I’d go to any professor at MIT. Being “stupid” is an opinion.

In my opinion I consider myself to be fat (the medical industry calls me overweight). However calling myself fat is yet another way to belittle myself and sabotage my overall well-being. The fact is, I weigh 150 lbs. Looking at it from a factual perspective, I can choose to continue to be 150 lbs or I can choose to do something different. Regardless, I am worthwhile and deserve to be happy and at peace with myself.

As we go about the month of May, let’s pay attention to the comments we make to others and especially the ones to ourselves. Is what we’re saying a fact or opinion? If it is an opinion, is it the truth? From where did this opinion originate?

Affirmation for the month: 

Even though I am (fill in the blank), I am worthwhile and deserve to be happy and at peace with myself just as I am.

Keep the affirmations in the positive and factual vs opinion. Examples:

• Instead of saying ‘even though I am fat…’ say “even though my body weighs 150 lbs…”
• Instead of saying ‘even though I’m stupid…’ say “even though I dropped out of school…” (or whatever the basis is for you thinking you’re “stupid”)
• Instead of saying ‘even though I can’t afford to buy a new computer… ‘ say “even though I currently lack the funds to buy a new computer…”

Feel free to share any affirmations you are using in the comment section.

Also…be sure to check out Section 5 of the Mandala of the Year.

Happy Coloring!

joyfully, Maureen, The Mandala Lady

*IMHO – in my humble opinion

March 2011 Mandala of the Month

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wake up…Wake Up…WAKE UP!

Do you know where you are and what you are doing right now? Are you mindful of all you do throughout the day? Or do you operate in autopilot mode most days?

I catch myself operating most days in zombie/autopilot mode. What is that you say? Let me share just a few of my most recent experiences.

On line at the post office to ship an order to France recently, I felt myself to be quite present. I observed the other people in line, their packages, the workers behind the counter…assessing which one I prefer to have help me, and so on. The next thing I know I’m walking away from the counter wondering what happened. Did I put the packing slip in the envelop? Where did I put the receipt? Did I put my debit card back in my purse? How did this happen? It dawns on me that the whole time I interacted with the clerk, I set myself in autopilot mode, paying little attention to what I did during that time. Weird.

Last week I went looking for my camera. I know I had it at some point earlier in the day. Where was it? I roamed and roamed all the places I thought it should be. On a whim I went into my husband’s office and sure enough, there it was. While getting something out of his office, I failed to realize that I had set my camera down. But wait!…it gets better. Once back at my computer, I realized that my cup of tea went missing. I had it in my hand when I looked for the camera. Once again I roamed the house in search of something I failed to be mindful of when putting it down. I found it in the tv room, where I set it down while looking under things for the camera. But wait!…it gets better. Now back at my computer, I realize that the glasses I use for reading the computer screen are missing. At this point, I practical laugh out loud at myself. Again I set off on my quest for yet another thing I forgot to be mindful of when I set it down. It finally dawns on me to look down…hanging from the eye glass chain around my desk, I spot my glasses. Okay…how ridiculous. I wasted a good 30 minutes all because I went into autopilot mode…failing to be mindful of my actions.

When I look at this month’s MOTM I see what looks like a flag in mid wave trying to get our attention. Ever see someone spaced out and someone waving their hand in front of their face to get their attention…to wake them up? This flag waves to bring us back to life, to break our trance from all the other stuff that distract us from our lives; to be mindful of our actions throughout the day.

Another way to look at this would be to check in with how often we allow ourselves to be pulled this way and that with our endless mind chatter and fears; like the wizard saying ‘pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.’ How often do we allow ourselves to be governed by our fears or the opinions of others?

In the news of late we see the beginnings of people waking up in northern Africa and the middle east. The people woke up to the idea that they refuse to be led by a tyrannical/dictatorship-like government. We see more revolts, revolutions, and protests popping up everywhere as people being to stand up for themselves.

This mandala reminds us to take back our lives. How are we allowing others to determine/run our lives? How are we allowing the fears in our minds determine/run our lives? Are we living our truth? This idea pushes the comfort zone for most of us. We can continue to be like a frog floating in a pot of water feeling quite safe and comfortable little realizing that the pot sits on a stove slowly warming to a boil…or we can wake up, realize where we are, and jump out.

Ponder this as you color this mandala throughout the month of March.

And as you color the flag, how would you decorate it? what logo or message would you design?

Also…be sure to download/color Section 3 of the 2011 Mandala of the Year.

Happy Coloring!

joyfully, Maureen, The Mandala Lady

February 2011 Mandala of the Month

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For this month we focus on joy, with the intent of continuing to focus on joy for the remainder of our days on this planet.

On Dictionary.com, they define joy as “the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.” The use of the word “keen” in that definition caused me to look up “keen”, which they define as “eager; interested; enthusiastic; slang:  great, wonderful, marvelous.”

What is keeping us from our joy? I know for me it usually comes down to a ‘deserving’ issue. Am I worthy of joy? How can I be joyful, when so many people suffer on a daily basis?

I’m reminded of the 1984 movie, “The NeverEnding Story”, about Fantasia, a magical land created by the dreams and imagination of humankind, now threatened with destruction by The Nothing, a shapeless, ominous force created by human despair. The more people succumbed to despair, the more Fantasia disappeared. It turns out that the young boy reading the story of Fantasia is the only one who can save it and does by finally believing that he can, spreading hope and joy throughout the land.

I believe that the more of us that can create and find joy in our lives, the more it will grow and spread. What happens to a room full of dull, boring people when a joyful baby appears; it changes the whole feel of the room and everyone in it. We need to be the joy and even if it’s a struggle to be joyful all the time, capture whatever moments of joy you can and savor it.

Coloring is one way to tap into your inner joy. Ponder this as you color this month’s mandala of the month.

Be sure to download/color Section 2 of the Mandala of the Year

Happy Coloring!

joyfully, Maureen, The Mandala Lady

We often associate the word surrender with a negative action…to give up, quit, hand over, roll over, or lose…just to name a few.  The surrender being referred to here is the one that asks us to surrender to what is, to stop hiding behind or resisting what we have been denying about ourselves and our lives.

I know, heavy stuff.  And that’s what makes coloring mandalas so wonderful.  We can take a look at these issues in a creative, and hopefully fun, way.

So what have we been doing or avoiding all these years as a means to survive, to protect ourselves or hide from others, that are now failing to serve us any more?   I know for many of us rather than face or deal with painful issues, we stuff them, avoid them and otherwise numb ourselves to them in some way.  For me, I usually numb with food, tv, or keeping myself too busy.   As serendipity would have it, a couple of days ago a friend shared a YouTube video of a talk given by Dr. Brene Brown where she discusses the concept of wholeheartedness, coming from a place of authenticity.  She gave some insights into this numbing thing we do and how when you numb negative feelings you numb the positive ones as well.

Let me share with you two issues that rank high on my list of areas to heal.

#1 – my weight/health

I know I’m overweight.  I hate that about myself.  I hate that I let myself go.  I hate that I have to give up foods that I love in order to be healthy.  Notice all the hate stuff?  A lot of resistance and resentments going on there.  I look at clothes that used to fit me and tell myself that I’ll hold on to them because I’m going to lose the weight.

Two days ago while shopping, I looked at some bras that were 50% off.  I must have spent at least 30 minutes figuring out which ones to buy…the ones that are actually my size or the ones that I plan to fit into once I’m in shape…or buy all of them!  I know ‘they’ tell us to ‘act as if what you want is already here’ and that from an affirmation point of view buying the ones that I want to fit into would be the more appropriate choice, a motivational item for me.   I finally just stopped myself and really took a look at the situation.  When I finally surrendered to the ‘what is‘ in this situation, namely…right now, I am 35 pounds overweight.  I knew exactly what to do.  I bought the bra that would actually fit me…right now.

To take this a bit further, I know that in order for me to be healthy, I have to surrender to the fact that I am 35 pounds overweight without all the harsh judgments and criticisms; that I have to change how/what I eat and my inactive lifestyle.  Until I fully surrender to this, taking full responsibility for where I am right now, I will continue to be stuck where I am…wishing, hoping and dreaming that I will be healthy some day.

#2 – being wrong

This is a tough one for me.  I hate being wrong.  I hate being made to look like I’m stupid.  I beat myself up over it, dropping my self-esteem down a couple of more notches every time.

Here’s how it usually plays out…

1. someone points out that I made a mistake (which I immediately translate to “I did something WRONG”; I’m a horrible person; How could I be so stupid, etc.)
2. I deny, deny, deny.  Play the blame game.  Declare I’m being wrongfully accused.
3. When I realize that it really was my fault, come the excuses and the overly defensive attitude.
4. I then become annoyed/angry/aggravated and usually take it out at the messenger (the person who pointed out the mistake).
5. The messenger either becomes upset back at me or walks away wounded and hurt.
6. Begrudgingly fix what needs to be fixed without ever discussing it again.

Ideally I want it to play out like this…

1. someone points out that I made a mistake
2. thank the person for pointing it out to me
3. fix it, if possible
4. apologize, if warranted
5. determine what I learned from the mistake and go on from there

Of course the absolute ideal would be that I am perfect; without ever making a mistake again! 

I know, though, that until I surrender to the idea that I am human, that I have made and will make mistakes, that I can survive and still be worthy of being liked/loved/accepted regardless of the mistake, until I surrender to all of that, I will continue to play out the first scenario.

Where do we go from here…

Let’s start this new year by being willing and open to finding those areas of our lives that have stopped serving us, that cause us pain and suffering.  Surrender to them, knowing that this is the start of living our lives wholeheartedly.  They say that half the battle on any issue is being aware that the issue even exists.  At this awareness stage, the issue usually becomes the enemy.  We usually fight it, deny it, hate it, resist it, blah blah blah.  When we surrender, however, we become one with the ‘enemy’…we are all together at the negotiating table determining where we go from here, resolving whatever needs to be resolved, finding agreeable ways to live in harmony.

I realize the idea of surrendering is scary; it makes us vulnerable.  God forbid in this culture we appear to be weak in any way.  And yet, in Dr. Brown’s talk, she states how being vulnerable is a major factor in living wholeheartedly; it allows us to connect with others.  She states that “vulnerability is the birthplace of joy, creativity, belonging and love.”  Now who would want to resist that?

Ponder this as you color this month’s mandala of the month.

Happy New Year!  Happy Coloring Everyone One!

joyfully, Maureen The Mandala Lady

I’m starting a new project tomorrow (1/1/2011) called “The Mandala of the Year” … more coloring!

I would love to see your colorings…Upload them to Flickr at  http://www.flickr.com/groups/mandalas/