How To Add Mandala Style To A Draw

What I love the nigh near exploring mandalas is that there is then much to acquire, explore, and observe. This week I asked Irina Artamonova to share with usa an introduction to Yantras. This postal service is Role 1 where Irina provides us with some background about what a yantra is and how they are used. Role 2 in the next web log mail, Irina provides u.s. with step-past-footstep instructions on how to draw a "Torus," one of many patterns found in sacred geometry.

What is Yantra?

Yantras, also as mandalas, are oftentimes used in meditation practices of Hinduism, Buddhism and Vedic tradition. The discussion "yantra" comes from the Sanskrit roots yan-, yantr-, yantram- , and has the post-obit meanings:

Instrument, tool, support, prop
Something that keeps, retains, controls
Amulet

Initially, yantras were created past ancient mystics and were used just inside a narrow circle of the selected few introduced to underground knowledge. The scientific discipline of yantras was kept in sacred scriptures and was passed from gurus to their followers.

First yantras served to encode the sacred noesis of the Universe and cosmic laws, to represent energy aspects of diverse deities, planets and chakras, as blueprints to build temples, etc. Later on some yantras were also used as amulets to attract wealth, to protect from enemies, to gain beloved, etc.

All yantras are united past their function equally 'free energy storage,' and are said to contain "the uncontrollable divine energy in a controlled class". In full general, the main purpose of whatsoever yantra is to become your mind concentrated on information technology and to connect you to the specific free energy held within this yantra, thus leading you to increased cocky-realization, awareness and harmony. Yantras are believed to take the power to influence ane's body, free energy and consciousness. Yantras are often called 'psychograms' and 'matrix of the Universe'.

Typically, yantras are made of geometric figures and can be either very simple (e.g. a cantankerous, a triangle, a circumvolve, etc.), or quite circuitous and consist of various geometric forms, numerals, bindu* and a relevant mantra**. Different mandalas, which could exist very colorful, decorative and characteristic images of deities, flora and fauna, majority of yantras look rather abstract, by and large pure geometric, monochrome and ornament-complimentary.

*Bindu – dot in the center of yantra. Symbolizes the point at which creation begins and may go unity. Sacred symbol of the cosmos in its unmanifested country.

** Mantra – a sacred utterance, numinous sound, or a syllable, word, group of words believed to accept psychological and spiritual power.

Examples of some yantras:

AA-1-Sri_Yantra_400

AA-2-MuladharaChakraYantra

AA-3-MahaVishnuYantra

Usually yantras are carved on metal plates or painted on silk, as these materials are believed to preserve the energy best; but they tin also be carved in wood or stone, painted or drawn on paper, wood or sand, etc. By the way, human body is likewise considered to be a yantra.

How to draw a Yantra?

Here comes the departure betwixt yantras and mandalas. Autonomously from religious mandalas, i may say that at that place are no strict rules how to describe a mandala. Actually, anybody can create 1 without any specific preparation or noesis. There are no 'right' or 'wrong' elements that you can apply. Y'all can draw it gratis-paw, using any color, shape or text you like, only every bit a means of self-expression, revealing your own condition, vibrations and free energy in a mandala, connecting to yourself though this practice, and becoming more whole and balanced as a result.

Yantras, on the contrary, are created following strict rules, and normally by people on a loftier level of spiritual development and awareness, with advanced concentration and meditation abilities. Majority of existing yantras are drawn with a ruler and a compass, carefully observing all required geometry (e.g. proportions, angles, number of elements, etc.), numeric and text symbols. Why so? Every yantra is aimed to connect you to a specific free energy, therefore, whatever element used to describe it (line, shape, colour, number, word, etc.) should contribute to this purpose, as each element has its own vibration and meaning. And if you draw a yantra 'incorrectly', it volition simply not serve its purpose.

Does it mean that people like you and me cannot depict a yantra? Of course, we can! For instance, if you want to aid balance your root chakra, yous tin depict its classic yantra copying the epitome from a relevant volume / site, meditate on information technology and connect to its energy. Or, for example, yous desire to be able to encounter the truth clearly no matter how painful this could be, and so you can draw and connect to the yantra of Kali – the Vedic goddess known 'to destroy the darkness of ignorance and revealing the truth'…

Does information technology mean in that location is no identify for creativity hither? Well, in that location is! This is how it works:

Cull whatever yantra you lot want to describe (amend look for information technology in a relevant literature, or nourish Sacred Geometry classes)
Draw all necessary geometry, numeric and text symbols, and other elements equally per the rules¹; exercise not add whatever color yet
Meditate on the yantra, trying to connect to the energy inside it
When finished, fill information technology in with color and any additional elements you feel appropriate correct now
Clarify these additional elements you've drawn, how you feel about this yantra, and how your emotional / mental / concrete state has changed

¹ Some yantras have variations in their look to better reflect a item energy aspect.

This practice would be shut to art-therapy; the result of your cartoon volition bear witness you how this particular energy flows through you at the moment, how balanced you are now in this particular aspect. If you feel your yantra is dis-balanced, you may want to repeat its drawing later on and see how it's changing, and how you're changing together with it 

How ane tin connect to the energy of a yantra?

Hither are some simple rules:

Do not pursue whatever other goals except the meditation itself, devote your practice to God / Universe / etc
Put your yantra against the wall / vertically with its center on your eye level
Sit comfortably, your back should exist straight
Breathe freely, inhaling through the nose, exhaling through your mouth
Look at bindu / yantra eye, do not examine the details, just focus at the middle, while grasping the whole yantra; blink every bit rarely as possible
Try to experience the energy contained within the yantra, and feel i with it; do not push yourself, exist gentle and smooth
If you know the mantra of this yantra, you can repeat it in your mind during meditation
If you lot take thoughts coming to your mind, do non examine them, or push them abroad, just let them smoothly fade abroad
Meditate on the yantra for fifteen-30 min /solar day during at least a week
After the meditation, examine your physical / mental / emotional land, practice you notice any differences? What are they?

Learn more than nigh yantras:

Neapolitansky S.Chiliad., Matveev S.A. "Encyclopedia of Yantras"
Neapolitansky S.M., Matveev S.A. "Sacred Geometry"
Drunvalo Melchizedek "The Ancient Secrets of the Flower of Life"
Robert Lawlor "Sacred Geometry. Philosophy and Practice"
L.R.Chawdhri "Practicals of Yantras"

Up Adjacent:

Learn how to draw a Torus, HERE.

Irina Artamonova, Moscow, Russia

Art enthusiast and nature lover.
Self-taught creative person who returned to drawing afterwards a 20-year break.
Has been studying sacred geometry and mandalas since mid-2014.
Drawing ornaments, illustrations, yantras and mandalas, sewing tilda-dolls.