Nature Mandala Ritual: A Contemplative Practice for Grievers & Grief Massage Practitioners

It was raining, misty grey outside this morning. But my soul was full.

 Using A Nature Mandala to Express Intention

I walked outside into the gentle dim light, the wash of the morning rain, into my backyard, and began gathering color dappled leaves, dead rose petals, and twigs. 

I was working to express something that existed beyond words- an intention. I was gathering pieces of the earth in order to weave that intention into physical form.

Today the intention I held was for all Grief Massage practitioners, in every single place they exist.

My intention was for all Grief Massage practitioners to find real meaning in their work in this week ahead…even if their circumstances or life situations may lend a sense of meaninglessness.

I was gathering objects from the earth in order to express this intention in a physical medium.

I was participating in a contemplative ritual: creating a nature mandala. Connecting with the beauty of the earth, using my hands, creating art.

I felt a lightness and a warm peace as I picked up yellow spotted brown leaves, damp twigs, feathery wilted rose petals, and berries. I began arranging them in a pattern, intuitively, on a rain spattered garden bench.

 Nature Mandalas can be Simple

 In her soothing article about creating nature mandalas, writer Heidi Darr-Hope describes the practice as “restorative”.

Describing herself as a “semi-reformed perfectionist”, she writes that centering practices such as creating nature mandalas have long helped her to find peace and balance.

According to Darr-Hope, it helps to make practices like creating nature mandalas a habit.

Are you already in the habit of going outside and walking? If so, making a nature mandala could be incorporated into that routine. Materials can be gathered, meditated on and arranged during your regular long, meditative walk outdoors.

A nature mandala can result from a short meditative walk too! Mine did.

And even if you aren’t accustomed to going outdoors to walk and calm yourself, this simple habit can easily be cultivated.

Steps for Creating a Nature Mandala

The heart of creating a nature mandala, according to Darr-Hope, is slowing down in nature long enough to truly see the beauty –the simple ordinary beauty – of tiny things.

To create a nature mandala, you need simply to meander around, picking up the random leaves, stones, berries, twigs, and other natural materials you feel an unexplained affinity to.

What you pick up does not need to be beautiful! The key is to just notice the details of the objects you are drawn to, see them deeply.

When you’ve collected several items, Darr-Hope recommends that you place them together - in a bowl or other container -  for a bit so they can “have a conversation with each other”. For example, this morning, I arranged the nature objects I’d gathered on a garden bench.

Then, Darr-Hope recommends that you “think of something you want to intuitively express” while arranging these treasures from nature in a pattern – something like a circle or a spiral.

For inspiration regarding patterns or shapes for arranging your nature mandala, I recommend that you peruse Darr-Hope’s article, as she generously shares a trove of gorgeous colorful examples of mandalas created from nature.

Taking all this together, we can see that creating a nature mandala is a very simple way to slow down, connect with nature, and practice a restorative ritual that expresses something from deep within you.

Whether your intention is to express your own grief, or to express your intention to be of service to those who are grieving, a nature mandala can beautifully articulate (beyond words) your deepest impulses in the physical world.

Recap

As a recap, the steps to create a nature mandala are to:

1.) Wander about in nature. Walk in a relaxed and contemplative way. Slow down.

2.) Soften your gaze and start to notice the tiny details (colors, spots, patterns, textures) of the natural objects around you

3.) Gather up the items that most “speak” to you. They don’t have to be beautiful.

4.) Place the nature objects together for a bit – “introduce” them to one another. You can put them in a bowl, on a piece of fabric, on a garden bench etc.

5.) Set your intention for the mandala. What do you want to express?  What do you need to “say”? This can be an expression of grief, or an intention to be of service to others who are grieving.

6.) Begin arranging the objects in a pattern. Many times, a circular pattern or spiral is used. Use your intuition while arranging your objects in a pattern. You can draw inspiration from pictures of nature mandalas that are accessible online.

 Why Rituals Like Nature Mandalas Help

Death doula, Sarah Kerr has published a gorgeous video talk on ritual and grief, in which she describes grief like the water of a river - capable at times of “flooding us”. Continuing with the metaphor of grief as water-like, she then imagines grief rituals as sturdy river banks.

She states that, just as a river banks serve by guiding and containing the flow of water, grief rituals “create a structure to allow the grief to flow at a pace that we can handle.”

Rituals (like creating a nature mandala) help by creating “river banks” – by holding a structure for our strong emotions, our unspeakable grief, and our healing intentions.

If you are currently grieving, a nature mandala ritual could be a simple, grounding way to express your emotions (especially those emotions that may feel unspeakable or beyond words).

A nature mandala practice during grief could be a consistent way to face each morning, or to ground yourself and express your feelings at the end of the day. During grief, it is normal to experience low energy and a sense of listlessness. Spending a few minutes wandering in nature and arranging natural objects into a mandala requires minimal energy and may be a simple, soothing way channel and express grief.

If you are a Grief Massage practitioner, or other healing arts professional who wishes to serve those who are grieving, a nature mandala ritual could be a mindful, centering way to prepare for a session, or to ground yourself after working with a grieving person.

You could go for a walk and create a nature mandala outside your office each morning, prior to working with clients in order to set strong intentions for your healing work. Or, you could create a specific nature mandala for your work with each client prior to working with them (it depends on how much free time and access to nature you have in your workplace).

Additionally, if you are a Grief Massage practitioner, or other healing arts professional who wishes to serve those who are grieving, it is essential that you are able to disconnect from your work at the end of the day in order to restore your energy and practice nurturing self-care.

A practice of creating nature mandalas could serve as a self-care (disconnection) ritual for use at the end of your work day. You could set the intention to lovingly detach from the energy of grief, and from your grieving clients, in order to restore yourself on all levels.

You can view the nature mandala I created this morning below. Again, the intention I held while creating it was for all Grief Massage practitioners, in every single place they exist.

Specifically, my intention was for all Grief Massage practitioners to find real meaning in their work in this week ahead…even if their circumstances or life situations may lend a sense of meaninglessness.

I know that the leaves, petals and other natural materials I used to create this mandala are temporary.

These materials will fade further, the wind will displace them. They are being rained on right now. They won’t last. And that’s part of the magic. That’s perfectly okay. The intention will remain throughout this week and even beyond.

As you look at the photograph of my nature mandala from today, especially if you are a Grief Massage practitioner, know that my intention includes you.

 References

Darr-Hope, H. (n.d.). Mindful nature mandalas: A restorative practice. Healing Icons. Online:

http://www.healingicons.org/mindful-practice-nature-mandalas/

Kerr, S. (May 16, 2019). Rituals help us contain our grief. Sarah Kerr, Death Doula. Youtube. Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtaRab4LfOM