The word "mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean "circle," a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself--a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.
Describing both material and non-material realities, the mandala appears in all aspects of life: the celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon, as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and community.
"The integrated view of the world represented by the mandala, while
long embraced by some Eastern religions, has now begun to emerge in Western
religious and secular cultures. Awareness of the mandala may have the potential
of changing how we see ourselves, our planet, and perhaps even our own life
purpose."
(From Mandala: Journey to the Center, by Bailey Cunningham)
Here the mandala represents a book, an American novel read by an AP English Language student in Mr. Jollymore's class. The students strive to capture some of the physical, material aspects of the novel, including its representative TIME PERIOD characteristics, while representing in form, color, figure and line the movement, mood, theme and character development of the book. Thus, their mandalas, like those representing the cosmic, show the relationship of elements - material and immaterial - in a smaller universe, the novel.
