Nadean O'Brien
The mandala is an ancient motif of ritual wholeness and healing, rediscovered and made personal by Carl Jung, the eminent Swiss psychologist. A Tantric mandala is envisioned as a palace made of crystallized light or jewels, resting on a lotus that rises out of the cosmic sea. Although my mandalas have roots in Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, their contemporary style and vibrant colors reflect a quest for passionate enlightenment beyond iconography or religion.
The men and women seen in ecstatic sexual embrace in Tantric art are not real people, nor a sign of cultural depravation as first mistakenly interpreted in the Western world. They are deities symbolizing the mystical sacred union of our inner divine masculine (compassionate method) and feminine (wisdom) principles, and the ensuing blissful state of mind that allows us to function at our highest human potential.
This symbolism is still relevant today at a time when the potent forces of technology threaten to separate us from our essential selves. Throughout the ages, mandalas have flourished almost magically in times of social flux to offer a center of calm and focus for contemplation.
Gallery-quality prints · Independent artists · Décor to adore
