I have been thinking a lot about Mandala’s and Jung’s use of the Mandala.   There is a lot of suggestion like that the western artistic tradition incorporates elements of the mandala.  I have been thinking about this a bit, and the only place it is really applicable to talk about western Mandalas is with Mazes or Labyrinths.

When I think about a labyrinth I think of Theseus and the Minotaur. The Minotaur is hidden in the center of the labyrinth – the shadow, the darkness, the unspeakable monster, the other – that is inside all of us.  Theseus enters into the labyrinth to slay the Minotaur with the help of Ariadne’s thread – he can follow the thread back to exit the labyrinth.   When we go into our unconscious we should not get stuck there permanently. What are the tricks and tools to help us come back and to integrate what we have learned.

What is the thread?  There is this relationship between weaving and memory, or time. The fates weave, Penelope weaves and keeps the memory of Odysseus alive. Weaving is a historical art and a logical art. You must make one weave before you make another and they build up on each other. Much like writing is a historical and logical art. And of course there is the relationship between text and textile.    Weaving is created historically but can be read ahistorically (acausal) as a painting, where writing is always experienced as logical and historical (causal).

This is in contrast to painting or pottery. These are spacial arts that are both ahistorical or alogical in their production and their apprehension. I can paint a little on the top left of the canvas then on the top right – there is no linear way I must proceed.  These arts are also experienced acausality  or ahistorically.

It seems I have lost my way in the maze and must find the thread again to return to the concept of the Mandala and the Maze.

 

I have been journaling for a few years now and I am not quite sure what I am doing. I rarely look back over my journals, and I do not have a reason behind journaling.  No matter what I do it is always recommended that I journal.

When I started doing Kung Fu, it was recommended that I keep a kung fu journal and write down thoughts about my sparring. When I was playing chess, it was recommended I keep a chess journal. When people lose weight, or try to lose weight, they are encouraged to keep a food journal. I have not been encouraged to keep a music journal but I imagine that too would be encouraged.

I just keep a journal where I write (and draw) every day.

Something about this seems futile.

What am I doing? Is this contact with my soul, is this work towards a wholistic creation, or is this just like doing morning push ups -an exercise – not the work but preparation for the work. And if it is preparation for the work, am I exercising the right muscles.  Is the preparation for the work the work itself? Or through working you create THE WORK. But I supposed if this is correct then we must work correctly.

All this must see very cryptic. But I have decided to change things up. First off, I am going re-read my journals weekly with a meditation on the weekly thoughts. When  I am completely done with one with one journal, I will reread it and transfer those things I find most moving to a larger book.

I am finding my journals becoming more multimedia. I started making crochet and knitting in the books, these may be re-created in some form in a final book, or just left in the original journal.  When I am moved to I will journal after yoga, as I feel so moved to these days, or after playing music.

Why? What is the purpose? I am not sure – but I am interested now in the idea of reworking in addition to working. So why not experiment with that.