The Mandala Wheel
Everything constantly evolves. We evolve and transition from one phase of our life
into the next, from one level of consciousness to another. Transitioning from separateness
into connectedness, from loneliness into the experience and knowledge of a Spiritual Presence,
is greatly helped by the process of the Mandala Wheel. In the process of transition we
improve our inner wellbeing by applying principles that come from the different branches
of Yoga (Jnana Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga), and we use techniques that are
natural to the Native American traditions like sitting in a circle, purifying our mind
and body with incense or sage, and using a talking stick to give authority to the person
who speaks and to invoke intense listening in the others.
The sacredness of transformation requires a prayer at the beginning and a blessing at the
end.
As we go through the process, which consists of 12 steps or lodges, we experience our creativity: in the cardinal directions we gain access to our intuition through visualizations. We use and observe our mind to inquire about our obstacles and problems, to formulate the exact question or determine the next step of our spiritual quest. We learn to give preliminary answers without getting attached to them by listening carefully to ourselves and to others. We gain insight into our individual needs and learn to take care of them. We explore our history (personal background, tribal or national history) and share our personal experiences connected to our endeavour. We feel and evaluate our feelings trying to transform negativity in a loving approach to people and situations. We vow to actually integrate into our life what we learn from being in a Mandala Wheel. We then consider how we can work out strategies to fulfill our vow. It is not enough to find solutions theoretically. We need to translate them into actions in order to transform our life.
The final step obliges us to evaluate the propositions we found. We ask whether future generations will benefit by them. Only if that is the case, they are approved of and blessed. If they are harmful they are vetoed and the process has to start all over
There are several ways to do a Mandala Wheel:
| Half day | This is the smallest version of a Mandala Wheel, consisting of the facilitator
and one person only. It is appropriate as an introduction into the method and
recommended for very private quests or problems. Duration approximately four hours, cost 145,00 Euro |
| Weekend | A Mandala Wheel Intensive for a small group of minimum two, maximum four participants,
during a weekend, starting Friday night and finishing Sunday at lunch or later. 240 Euro per person including overnight stay and meals. |
| Five Days | A 5 day Mandala Wheel for a group of up to seven participants starting on
Thursday evenings and ending Tuesday after lunch. This leaves space for walks,
rest periods, playful group activities and visiting Le Marche. 480 Euro per person including overnight stay and meals. |
| Weekly | A Mandala Wheel over four weeks for a small group of two to four participants,
who meet once a week for 2 hours. A continued presence is absolutely necessary. 80 Euro per person. |
To learn about and take part in a Mandala Wheel will lead you to deeply appreciate both the teachings of Yoga as well as the spiritual tradition of the Native American people. Not only: it also means to honor all other traditions as well, to understand, that at their very Center is the same Creative Source of the Universe. The more we honor all the different traditions in the world, the more we are fulfilling a unifying purpose in our own souls and the more peace there will be, within us and around us.
What the Mandala Wheel is not
1) In order to avoid misunderstandings we should not think of the Mandala Wheel as a
psychotherapeutic method Western style. There is no therapist who takes responsability
of the process. The responsability for the individual process of transformation remains
with every single person who participates in the process. The Mandala Wheel acknowledges
the healing power within every individual and within the group. Healing does take place,
but it is a healing which is guided by the Higher Self both of the individuals and the
group Self.
Basically it is the Spirit who has all the responsability, just the same way we believe,
that God guides us through whatever experience in life.
2) We share our story, we share our thoughts, we share our emotions. But we do this in a very respectful way. We truly need to believe, that we are parts of a sacred universe. Therefore we carefully control negative emotions. If during the process negativity or animosity should build up between two people it is strongly recommended to heal this between the two people concerned outside of the group. Of course any help needed may be asked. The overall tendency in a Mandala Wheel (as in our life) should always be to maintain peace and harmony, to consider any action under a yogic point of view: it should do no harm to anyone, and it should do at least some good to someone.
As far as I have experienced the Mandala Wheel it helps us to become stronger.
It helps us to discover which qualities in us can be expanded and it gives us ideas
of how to do that. So the Mandala Wheel means growing and healing, it means developping
all the qualities, that are still hidden in us - it is a way of celebrating our
creative capacities.
Mandala Wheels will take place in English, Italian and German language.
Please check the schedule for dates.
If you have any questions please contact Usha by email (vincenzo@piscini.net) or by phone (071)7958295.
Thank you for your visit, have a nice day.
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