Natural Mandalas: 30 New Meditations to Help You Find Peace and Awareness in the Beauty of Nature

The author describes a series of Mandalas within the context of nature. Each Mandala represents a meditation and it is shown in full color. The artistic presentations would make a beautiful series of pictures to show family and guests. For instance, the acorn represents "possibilities". The red rose represents the heart. The lotus enlightens. The Chrysanthemum represents Taoist perception. Pagodas represent layers of the earth. The Peony stands for prosperity. The diamond epitomizes light and spiritual force. This work is perfect for students of Eastern religions and philosophies. It could provide interesting discussion in many areas of academic study. The volume would make a perfect gift for the student of far eastern art in your family.

Having reviewed `Meditating with Mandalas' recently I assumed that `Natural Mandalas' would follow the same format. I was correct about my assumption but was surprised to see that it was compiled by a different author! Not that this is a bad thing, because this book is another fabulous mandala book, just like the one I had reviewed earlier. Once again the illustrations and designs of the mandalas are superb. Just browsing through them is an enjoyable (and addictive!) experience. They are also designed to appeal to Westerners, whether you have experience with mandalas and/or meditation or not. As mentioned, this title is compiled by a different author to the first in this serious on books about mandalas. Lisa Tenzin-Dolma writes full-time about various mind-body-spirit subjects such as herbalism and meditation. She lives in Bath, Somerset with some of her previous titles being `Swimming with Dolphins (1997), and Understanding Planetary Myths (2003). The author's background in a variety of careers (singer-songwriter, nurse, aromatherapist, counsellor, clothes and jewellery designer, whole food cook, medical assistant in a haematology laboratory, and proof-reader and editor - wow!) I think has added to her understanding of people in general. Lisa also grew up in a nomadic fashion in a variety of cultures which also adds to her understanding of what makes people tick. `Natural Mandalas' starts off with an introduction and then another mini section introducing the natural mandalas, with the actual mandalas being set out in the following subsections: The Fertile Earth; Sky, Weather and Myth; and finally, Animal Life. Each of the mandalas covers four pages... for example the mandala named `Cherry Blossom' on page 62 shows the actual illustration with the facing page giving instructions and ideas for your meditation on it. There is also a saying for it, in this case, `In the cherry blossom's shade there is no such thing as a stranger. - Kobayashi Issa (1763 - 1827)' on the facing page. On page 64 and 65 there are further ideas and thoughts about this mandala titled `Cherry Viewing', plus a couple of other proverbs/sayings. One of them, which I particularly like is titled `Nature's Wisdom - Study what the pine and cherry blossom can teach. Man is not the only keeper of enlightenment. Tao Te Ching (4th or 3rd century BC).' In summary, I would highly recommend `Natural Mandalas' as a gift for those people who have everything. This is also a great title for those with an affinity with nature, and an interest in mind-body-spirit topics.