Gone over to the Eastern Side

above
This is the Yantra I chose to work on-It's symbolism is communication but also the need to release stress (YES!)
My friend Laurie and I are taking a class in meditation and painting Yantras. We take these classes every once in awhile, usually at the NY Open Center a haven for open thinking usually about Eastern Thought, Meditation, Budd ism, Art and other topics not found in other venues.

Yantras are ancient Vedic sacred diagrams used to activate healing and centering meditative states. Creating them is both an art and a healing practice. Apparently we will study nine yantra designs that correspond to nine qualities of body and mind essential to well-being: radiance, nourishment, passion, intellect, expansion, bliss, organization, uniqueness and spirituality; and then select, draw and color a yantra design of our choice.

This from the catalog: "From the basic elements of the square, the circle and the triangle, we will discover how to design a dynamic visual meditative diagram, working clockwise from the outer elements towards the central point of stillness, or bindu, the source of happiness within. While we prepare each yantra, an accompanying mantra is recited to fully engage our senses in the meditative process. The mystical energy of yantras connects us with deep facets of our own natures as we create them, and they become empowerment symbols we can then place in our homes." I really like the meditation and chanting part, but the geometry part is getting to me and I have to buy a longer ruler. And some more paint And an eraser. And some Tums.