The traveling mandala

Our Living with Cancer circle formed in 2020, when in-person support groups were rare. One of our members had tried other online cancer support groups, but ours was the one that stuck for her. We were creating bonds of support, love, and friendship, but as a kinesthetic learner, she longed for something tangible to strengthen our connections. She suggested that we create a mandala together.

Another circle member is a weaver who suggested that we create a cord to share, and she volunteered her logistical skills to make the collaborative mandala possible. Following her suggestions, we agreed that the mandala would be round and contain nine pizza-like slices with a center section that would be filled in by a beloved host who had recently left the circle. The mandala was sketched onto Bristol board, then cut into three even pieces that could be stacked and placed in a large envelope that would also contain a pack of colored pencils, brief instructions, the cord, and a mailing list.

Circle members selected the colors they used on their “slice” of the mandala and incorporated personal and group symbols. Each member also chose a color of thread that was twisted into the cord, with one additional thread of gold added to represent what is beyond all of us: a spiritual element that we feel in our shared connection.

In April of 2023, the package began a journey around the world, and we monitored its progress over time, sharing our excitement as it traveled. As the package arrived in each of our homes, the mandala and cord offered something physical that we could touch and interact with in a way that was not possible online.

The cord had knots at increments, so each of us could cut off a small section without unraveling the rest. That piece serves as a tangible reminder of the way we’ve come together and brought strength to one another. Some of us wear it as a bracelet and some keep it on our altar.

As the mandala and cord traveled, the cord grew shorter and the mandala grew more beautiful. During the first circle of 2024, we sat in awe of the individuality and wholeness of our shared creation. At that time, we didn’t yet know who created each slice, since no one had signed it.

For some of us, our mandala is an object of sacredness that holds all the love, caring, compassion, and connection we feel for one another. Even though the mandala is completed, our collaborative project continues. We’ve chosen to “author” it collectively, and one of us is planning to create frame-able prints and also attach it to glass candle holders, so each of us can have one.

“The beauty of this project is everybody’s healing and leaning into love, and that is going to get us through this life,” said one of our circle members.

“Holding it in my hands, I could feel the spirit of each of my healing circle sisters,” said another. “It was powerful.”

 

Header photo: The mandala co-created by these Terri’s members