New "Inspire Yourself" Mandala Series: Precious Stones

Precious Stones

In conjunction with the most recent introduction to the Appalachian Luna Love line of our “Adorn Yourself” Mala beads, I found my Mandalas taking on a completely different appearance than those of the “Moon Phases” series. I was influenced by the varying deep and vibrant hues of the same precious stones Shelly uses to craft our Mala beads, and even more inspired by the energy each stone carries because I found the colors I used charged me with the same energy of the complimentary stone by which the mandala was influenced.

In the production of this series, I actually ran into several complications. In a tarot card reading done with the Motherpeace Tarot during the creation process, I received the Ten of Discs card, a card illustrating a community gathering as a mother gives birth to new life. The position of the card in my reading indicated that there would be difficulties experienced in the birthing process. Producing artwork is very much like giving birth, and this card appropriately forecasted the atmosphere surrounding the birth of the Precious Stones series.

Trial and error, trial and error, I found myself exasperated, frustrated, and at times ready to scrap the entire series and start over. But, with little reasoning other than trying to trust the process, I persisted. So much can be, and was, discovered in the process of artistic exploration. As the mandalas started to take shape, I found myself less concerned with hiding “technical errors” or perceived flaws, I found myself wanting to capture the difficulty and the labor experienced through the birth. Each Mandala began to tell it’s own story of it’s birth in the layers of textures, colors, and patterns. In their completion, the difficulty of the journey in each Mandala is felt, but what is also felt is the vibrant energy of each stone by which it is inspired. Either the optimism of Citrine, the self- confidence of Red Beryl, or the trust in the unknown of Lapis Luzuli, each Mandala embodies the energy of these stones.

Reflecting on the series, I found myself reminded, this is life. This is the journey of life. We are born, at first, simple, only lines on a blank page. Over time we gain experience, we are dragged through mud, we are colored with bruises and darkened with scars, but this only serves to enhance the colors of our enduring spirit. The yellow-orange of optimism is even brighter against the dark black lines.

On the back of each Mandala of the Precious Stones series, I included the stone that inspired the piece and the properties each stone carries as well as a brief meditation practice to help channel the energetic properties of each stone. My hope is that viewers of Mandalas from the Precious Stones series will feel the connection to the aspect of themselves that can endure all and learn to have faith and trust in the unknown.

Inspired by and written with Luna Love

Namaste,
Marcy