by Last Updated on March 28, 2023 by Avia
The term, “Native American mandala” is relatively new. The rage got started when Eastern Indian art collided with Native spiritual art, and then that got mushed up with some endlessly creative artists & designers. Not sure what I’m talking about? Read further about Native American mandala, their meanings, and some Native mandala designs.
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About Native American Mandala Art
Exploring Native American Mandala Art Meanings: The Native American mandala is created in honor of a people that truly understand the deeper undercurrents of thought, nature, and life. The term mandala simply means ‘circle’.
Native American descendants understood that all of life moves in a circle. They took this a step further and created lovely circular designs to more deeply connect with their natural environment. You can use these mandalas to meditate upon to do the same thing and deeply connect with nature.
Our Native American ancestors instinctively know that our own thoughts can sometimes mask the deeper messages that come from our hearts. The Native American mandala is used to uncover the deeper meanings of our hearts, and assists in observing our motivations in life in connection with the grander scale of the universe.
Native American People have profound respect and understanding for the movement of Spirit. They know that all things are connected, and united. By incorporating the Native American mandala as a tool, we too can begin to understand the connectedness of the Universe.
Focusing on these mandalas and their symbolism allows our mind to cease its constant chatter, and our thoughts begin to delve deeper in the midst of thought that dwells closer to the realm of Spirit. The mandala gives the chattering mind a point of focus, something to digest, while the Spirit connection is made, and clarity of the heart and soul is reached.
“Our first teacher is our own heart.”
~Cheyenne saying
Common Native American Mandalas and Their Meanings
Feather Mandala
Feathers represent ascension and spiritual strength. Feathers were worn by Chiefs to symbolize their communication with Spirit, and to express their celestial wisdom. This Native American mandala is representative of the cosmos with the center representing ourselves. When focused upon, we lose ourselves to the finer, lighter energies of the air, and we begin to feel ourselves relax into the knowledge of our presence within the universe. By contemplating such higher ideals, we are able to understand our purposes and desires more clearly. Click here for more symbolic meanings of feathers
Dream Catcher Mandala
Legend has it that an Ojibwe woman could not put her child to sleep. She went to the old medicine woman who gave her a ring of willows with spider webs laced through the center. The medicine woman explained that the sleepless child suffered from nightmares, and the willow ring would serve to filter the bad dreams out, allowing only good dreams to visit her sleep. As a mandala, the dream catcher has two connotations. One, it allows us to utilize filtering power of our minds. It also brings our attention to the elaborate construction of our lives, and our power to construct and rebuild it as we deem fit. Both of these meanings boil down to the reminder that our thoughts are powerful, and have the ability to make our lives into nightmares or incredible dreams. See more about dream Symbolism here. Learn more about dream catcher meanings here.
Sun and Wind Mandala
This Native American mandala represents the life giving power of the sun combined with the ever-present spirit of the wind. The two together give us a unique and intimate perspective of the powers of nature. When focused upon, the essence of who we are falls into the meaning of the mandala, and we see how the philosophical energies of the sun and wind can positively change the entire structure of our lives. See also Native American Sun Symbolism. Another page of interest: Native American Wind symbol
Labyrinth Mandala
The labyrinth is a common Native American symbol representing our life as a journey. It also begs the heavy questions of our philosophical beginnings. Most interestingly, these labyrinths do not have endings, and so this mandala drives home the fact that we are each infinite, and eternal. By focusing on this mandala, we are able to see our beginnings and understand it to the relation of our journey. Not necessarily viewing our life as a labyrinth, but rather, understanding our life is what we make of it. Our nature is infinite, and how we live our lives will determine the amount of freedom our soul experiences. Read more about the symbolic meaning of the labyrinth here.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed these thoughts on the Native American mandala. Follow the links at the end of this page for more Native American art meanings and mandala information. Thanks for reading.
Mighty brightly,
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Mandala Meanings
The meaning of mandala comes from Sanskrit meaning “circle.” Even though it may be dominated by squares or triangles, a mandala has a concentric structure. Mandalas offer a great way for the mind, spirit and body to balance and find harmony. Get more information on mandala meaning and purposes here.
Native American Symbol For Wind And Meaning
My studies and observations indicate the first peoples of North America considered the wind to be a living force in and of itself. The wind is a god – a power that is capable of communicating a larger-than-life language to those who would hear it. Learn more about this sacred Native American symbol here.
