The meditation mandala is hypnotic to play with, and its calming and meditative effects help hold your focus in the present moment.

The word ‘mandala’, according to Wikipedia…
A mandala (Sanskrit: मण्डल, romanized: maṇḍala, lit. 'circle', [ˈmɐɳɖɐlɐ]) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid to meditation and trance induction.

The story goes that they were first created by Buddhist monks some 2500 years ago as a practice for novices to access a meditative state remaining focused in the present. It is said that there are some 35 different shapes it can be transformed into representing everything from the atom to the universe itself. How much truth there is to this I cannot say, but I do know there is a calming effect on the incessant self chatter while focusing on the kaleidoscopic shifting shapes in your hands.

I have decided to keep it simple and go with one design, using a deep purple amethyst bead and silver colour wire, creating a 11.5cm mandala. These are made by me in small batches and are very popular gifts.