"The universe is not outside of you.

Look inside yourself;

everything you want, you are already that."

-Rumi

The Seven Chakras are:

First: Muladhara or Root Chakra (Color Red)

Second: Svadhisthana or Sacral Chakra (Color Orange)

Third: Manipura or Solar Plexus Chakra (Color Yellow/Gold)

Fourth: Anahata or Heart Chakra (Color Green)

Fifth: Vishuddha or Throat Chakra (Color Blue)

Sixth: Ajna or Third-Eye Chakra (Indigo or Purple)

Seventh: Sahasrara or Crown Chakra (White or Pink)

Mandala Art by Corina Gabaldón

Mandalas are known as "sacred circles" in the Sanskrit language. All ancient and indigenous cultures utilized circles with psychological or mystical meanings. The circle symbol is universal, sacred and divine. The shape is symbolic of the universe, the earth and the cycles of time. It represents nothing or everything, the origin of all things - the sacredness of eternal being, with no beginning or no end.

The paintings below are a series of mandala paintings that I call "Portal to the Soul." They represent my journey into the opening of my heart - creating a space within me to fill with peace, wholeness and balanced harmony. It is a place and time where I come to meet my higher self and my guardian angels who have guided me throughout my life.

A lunar eclipse only occurs during a full moon. It is when the Sun and Moon are opposite each other. Earth passes between them and blocks the Sun and casts its shadow on the Moon. It is during this time that the Moon appears red.

Astrologist believe that not only can a full moon cause an effect on our psyche, but a full moon lunar eclipse even more so. According to many, it's an opportune time to to let go of the past in order to move forward more freely. Letting go of limiting thoughts, beliefs that no longer serve us, fears, feelings or situations can be a powerful time to grow personally.

On June 15, 2011, there was a lunar eclipse that occurred across the Galactic Center, which was considered an extremely auspicious event. Many believed it connected us to what is called the “Great Awakening” of the 21 century of December 2012. The ancient Mayans predicted this event through their sophisticated sky-watching. Keeping records of the moon, the sun and other planets were part of their life as astronomy and religion were integral components. But the moon was especially important. They even devoted an entire calendar to it! 

In this painting, the Celestial Tree symbolizes the merging of the cosmos and Earth – the alignment of the universal whole.

For the Mayans, the World Tree is the center – the point of beginning where the world came into being. It represents an energy conduit between Heaven, Earth and the Underworld – the three layers of existence. The trunk, the reality of this world, rose through the surface of the Primordial Sea into the heavens. The canopy is the connection to the cosmos. The roots capture the telluric energy, which is nourished by the Underworld.

The Orange Universe refers to quantum physics that explains subtle energy on the atomic and subatomic level. The orange universe is as real and powerful as what we call the physical world. Itz, the “blessed substance” or sap that comes out of the tree, is thought to be a sub atomic particle called “The God Particle.” Scientist today are working to keep wormholes open to discover the God Particle.

In the center of the painting is the Mayan Rayed Moon Disk motif, which symbolizes the moon as a circle of wholeness, oneness and nothingness.

The Healing Buddha, or Medicine Buddha as it is sometimes called, is one of the Buddha images that is believed to provide spiritual, physical or mental well-being.

There are physicians who utilize the image of the Healing Buddha as a focus of attention while they meditate or when they are treating their patients. In Tibet, they even take vows to treat their medical instruments as holy objects and offer their healing practice to the Medicine Buddha.

In this mandala painting, the Buddha is depicted with blue hair and encircled by Tibetan blue, a color representing healing, peacefulness and a calm spirit. The yellow and white colors, which are also favored in Tibet, are associated with the earth and the clouds. The white lotus flower signifies the state of Bodhi, peace and serenity. The full moon symbolizes the important events in the life of Buddha – he was born, became enlightened and passed away into Nibbana during full moon days. Buddha taught that “emptiness” and “nothingness,' characteristics we associate with the moon, led to enlightenment. Buddhist all over the world consider full moon days as special events and a time for deep refection. 

The Eyes of the Night refers to the stars or the night sky. The stars that we see today in our sky may not have been the stars our ancestors viewed thousands of years ago. To the ancient Chinese the pole star was Draconus. Whichever star lines up with the Earth's axis will be the pole star of the ages. So, the Earth's axis today will not always point toward the Pole Star.

Astronomers today describe this as imagining Earth like a spinning top that tilts a little and begins to wobble, which causes the backward movement of the equinoxal points around the Zodiac. This takes approximately 26,000 years, called the “Great Year.” Since the tilt rotates backward slowly, the stars behind the Sun over the years change very slowly, too. The Age of Pisces commenced about AD1, the Age of Aquarius will commence about AD2160, when the stars behind the Sun are those of the constellation of Aquarius.

Although, according to Swami Sri Yukteswar, it takes 24,000 years, and we have already entered a new age. It is this process that brings about the cycles or ages of time called yugas, which changes the consciousness of mankind. The yugas are a tradition in India that has been studied and observed for thousands of years.

In this painting, Rhythmic Moon, we are reminded that there is rhythm throughout our lives – an ebb and flow of breath, heartbeat, patterns of thought or any other repeated activities or movements, whether in or outside our bodies. This flow can be stressed or unstressed depending on our minds or other factors we are tuned to. Rhythm is our life. And we can choose its musical pattern.

The tides are not only limited to the oceans as the Earth's atmosphere or even its crust beneath our feet rise and fall to the lunar rhythm. This rhythm occurs twice a day, constantly moving from high to low. It is during the full moon or new moon when they are strongest because the Earth, the Sun and the Moon are aligned and the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun are combined.

In the artwork, the Moon is at the center, since it's forces are greatest, surrounded by the atmospheric clouds that symbolize the Atmospheric Tides. The Mayan glyph for droplets signify the rain falling upon the Earth. The mountains circling round and the deeper reddish brown represent the solid crust of the Earth and the Earth Tides. Next is the rivers and streams leading to the ocean, back to the water that is always moving, signified by the blue colors and the Mayan glyphs for water.

This painting refers to Swami Sri Yukteswar's idea of 'the great influence of time,” which he describes as external influences within the yuga cycles or ages of time. He believed that time innately influenced mankind, although mankind had free will to develop his understanding and consciousness. These changes in consciousness occur every 24,000 years when we enter a new age. According to Sri Yukteswar, we are presently in a ascending cycle of time that could result in advances in human culture and knowledge - a time of great advancement in technology and the conquest of space.

The ancient Hindu understanding of time, which Yukteswar wrote about, was shared by many different ancient cultures around the world. The Ancient Egyptians, Mayan, Hopi, Buddhist and others had a similar understanding about cycles of time.

In this painting, I chose to include in the center of the mandala the Mayan Moon Goddess enclosed in a lunar symbol as well as a Mayan motif signifying “movement” as a representation of this continuous state of emergence that is constantly developing. A state which we may want to view and live with honor and sacredness.  

This painting represents the story of how Sky and Earth were created as told in the Popul Vuh, the Mayan creation myth. It is said that they were divided into four parts and directions, and quartered into equinoxes and solstices. Then, the stars were assigned their place in the sky, and a path for each was established.

As we know today, the moon rises and sets on either side of the Sun's solstice positions – creating a total of eight positions – four rising and four settings - occurring on either side of the solstice position every month. In contrast to the Sun and Moon, the stars and planets always rise and set at exactly the same place along the horizon for hundreds of years irrespective of the season and time of day or night.

At the center of the painting, is the Mayan glyph representing the four sides of heaven, the four horizon positions of the Sun at the solstices, and the four positions of the Sun over the course of the day (sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight). The four other glyph in the outer circle symbolize movement.

Ancient cultures noticed this “cosmic dance” and designed pyramids and other stone structures in their honor. 

Om is a sacred sound. In Hinduism, it represents the entirety of the universe – divine, truth, source, or all. The symbol is one of the most important spiritual symbols among many different Indian traditions, and is found in the beginning and ending chapters of the Vedas, Upanishads or other spiritual texts.

The concept of Om as the “cosmic sound” comes from the Upanishads and symbolizes the creation of the universe. In the Hindu creation story, Vishnu is sleeping upon the serpent of eternity in the cosmic ocean. This was before there was a heaven or earth or anything else. From the depths of the universe, a strong humming of Om wakes him, symbolizing that eternity has come to an end and a lotus flower blossoms from his naval. On this lotus sits Brahma, and Vishnu asks Brahma to create the world.

In Buddhism, Om is very often found at the beginning of mantras. One of the most well known mantras is Om mani padme hum, its six syllables representing the purification of the six realms of existence. This mantra is inserted into prayer wheels or written on stones or other objects. Om, the first syllable, is said to contain the entire teachings and helps one achieve perfection in the practice of generosity. 

This mandala painting, Temple of the Heart, is a type of mystical diagram referred to as a 'Sri Yantra' that is used for meditation. It has not only been utilized for thousands of years, but actually revered by scientists and mystics. It is believed that the Sri Yantra is the key to awakening creative powers and the gateway to the entire universe. The English translation is 'Instrument of Creation.'

This sacred symbol is formed by nine interlocking triangles that surround and radiate out from a central point, known as the Bindu point. The Bindu represents the unity that underlies all the diversity of the physical world. The triangles are symbolic of creation, the interlocking of all that exists. The downward pointing triangle represents the feminine creative power, while the upward facing triangle represents the masculine energy principle. It is seen as the marriage of Heaven and Earth. The outer lines represent a sanctuary with four openings or gates to the regions of the universe.

The lotus petals symbolize the heart – the dwelling place of our soul or inner-being. When the petals ,or our hearts open, we become aware and understand the power of forgiveness, unconditional love, compassion and appreciation.

This mandala painting, “Festival del Sol – Festival of the Sun”, celebrates life, goodness, and our journey through time and space. In Mesoamerica, the sun was referred to as “The Heart of the Sky,” and all directions led to it.

A Yucatec prayer refers to the sun as “the master of the east” who carries prayers to the four extremes of the sky and the four extremes of the earth. In the center of this painting is the Mayan sun glyph that symbolizes both the celestial flower and the four directions of the sun. Hummingbirds also represented the sun as the Maya visualized the sun as a hummingbird, the red evoking the sun and yellow representing the abundance of maize.

In many Mayan legends, the sun god appears to his consort, the moon goddess, as a hummingbird. In the Popol Vuh, Hunahpu is the twin who becomes the sun at the end of the story of the Hero Twins. Huitzilopochtli, the sun god and one of the Aztec’s most important gods, led its people on a journey to establish the city of Tenochtitlánin the middle of LakeTexcoco (Mexico City today) in 1325.

This mandala painting, “Espejo Sol -Mirror Sun”, represents the mirror as a reflection of what is sometimes outside our awareness, but if we look within there is an inner world where we can discover our heart/soul/face.

In Mesoamerica, mirrors were a representation of the sun. They were utilized as instruments for ritual shamanistic practices. Mirrors were made from highly polished iron ore, mica, obsidian and iron pyrite. Many were circular and associated with not only the sun, but eyes, faces, caves, passage ways, flowers, the fiery hearth or the world as a whole.

In modern Nahua tradition, the sky is regarded as a living crystal mirror. The modern Sierra Totonac of Mexico associate the sun with mirrors, referring to it as “Espejo Sol”, Spanish for “Mirror Sol.”

The symbol in the center of this mandala painting is known as “The Galactic Butterfly,” representing all the consciousness that has ever existed in the universe, and was found in a pattern on blankets by Toltec and Zapotec weavers. To them, butterflies were seen as ancestors returning for a visit to the physical world, and wearing these symbols assisted them in joining the consciousness of our galaxy.

In this painting, there are a total of 52 lotuses and 52 crystal beads symbolizing the 52 year Aztec and Mayan cycles. At the end of this cycle, both civilizations held a New Fire Ceremony (El Fuego Nuevo) to celebrate the end of the cycle. The Maya held theirs at Chichen Itza where a convergence of the Pleiades and a solar zenith aligns with the Pyramid of Kukulcan every 52 years, and the Aztecs at Tenochtitlan, where they built their Pyramids of the Moon and the Sun.

This painting, titled “Kalachakra Sapphire Moon”, is the third of a series of mandala paintings called, “Portal to the Soul.” I painted this mandala at a beautiful spiritual and educational retreat, known as Hale Akua Farm, on a hilltop in the town of Haiku on the island of Maui.

The symbol in the center of the painting is the Mayan “moon face” glyph, and the “moon glyph” is repeated around the large outer circle of the mandala. Metzli is moon in Nahuatl, and the moon was associated with womb, regeneration and the changing phases and

seasons."Po" is the name for the moon in a number of Mayan languages. The English word "moon" can be traced back to its ancient Indo European root meaning "to measure." Time was measured by the moon.“Kalachakra means “Wheel of Time” - “kala” is time and “chakra” is circle in the Sanskrit language.

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All giclée prints were done by Dunking Bird Productions, a digital design and print company that caters to the needs of digital artists and collectors of fine artworks. For more information, go to: www.dunkingbirdproductions.com

Soul Insights owns and reserves the rights to the imagery it has created and displayed here. No reproductions of this work in any form, for any use, is allowed without the express written consent of the artist.