Mandala

Lou Davis is our church Venture FX leader who introduces craftwork in conjunction with worship. She has another series of her work displayed in The Well (the café at church), based on the Mandala. She explains:

Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning circle. Mandalas have been used as a form of meditation and contemplation by a variety of spiritual traditions. The circle represents the universe, wholeness and purity.
In the bible there is a history of gaining insight through dreams, in Jesus birth narratives both Joseph and the Magi receive vivid dreams that impart life-saving knowledge.
I have used mandalas to reflect on the connection dreams have with knowledge. In my dreams, sometimes I see images like these, but in movement and colour, flowing and metamorphosing. These are a faint reproduction of the patterns my subconscious brain can dream up.

This particular image is entitled Revelation
This represents the revelation that dreams can bring, the beauty and the clarity that comes as consciousness sinks away into nothing but patterns and shifting images, that allow you to realise deep truths about yourself and the world, piecing together information in a way that you cannot do in a waking state, leading to new revelations.

While I am full of admiration for the significance and complexity of the
work my fingers itch to colour in the patterns, which, I understand, is a growing trend for adults for relaxation.