Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

MANDALA

Derived from the Sanskrit for 'circle', a mandala is a symbolic diagram of the universe used for ritual purposes in Buddhism and Hinduism. It is also frequently represented in Chinese, Japanese and Tibetan Buddhist art, and has appeared in various forms in Paganism, Gnosticism and other religions, as well as in mythology and ALCHEMY.

The mandala generally consists of a group of cosmic deities (or their symbols or associated magic syllables) that are ar-ranged in one or more circles surrounded by a square and orientated toward the points of the compass. Some of the earliest mandalas were laid out architecturally, as at the Buddhist temple of Borobudur in Java and the Samye monastery in Tibet. They were also frequently drawn in powder on the ground for use in initiation rites.

From the 9th century, mandalas were painted on walls or on cloth or paper. Images of mandalas are often visualised in the mind during meditation practices.

The Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung considered the mandala to be what he termed an Archetype, a universally occurring pattern associated with the mythological representation of the self. In modern psychotherapies the mandala is sometimes used as a therapeutic tool.

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc