Testimonials

Sometimes people who received a mandala reach out to tell me what the mandala means to them, and some have also agreed to share their stories here. Scroll down to read about:
   ~ Gordon's story
   ~ Veronica's mandala
   ~ Mihaela's reflections
   ~ Steve’s Grounding mandala
   ~ Noelle's mandala
   ~ Jane's Balance mandala
   ~ Rebecca's mandala

Let me know if you'd also like to share your story!

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Gordon's story:

Manuela: I was asked by my friend J. to paint a mandala for her friend Gordon, who had been hospitalized with a sudden and serious health concern. As soon as she asked me, I saw in my mind the image of an old willow tree in my neighbourhood. So that afternoon I went and sat under the Willow, centered and became still, and asked her if she had any guidance for Gordon's mandala. Very quickly a fully formed image of the mandala took shape in my mind: a pale yellow background, protective circles of willow and sweetgrass, and a blood red center. I then spent (i.e. wasted) some time arguing with this guidance and trying to negotiate with Willow: I did not think the blood red in the middle 'went' with the soothing, peaceful feel of the rest of the image. I proposed green instead, or yellow, but to no avail. The image in my mind remained stubbornly unchanged, so eventually I relented, went home and painted the mandala that evening. J. took it to Gordon two days later. Here is the mandala, and Gordon's response to it below:

Gordon: I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your lovely gift - the willow mandala. What struck me immediately about the painting was the symbolism that you used - the blood-red centre, surrounded by Sweetgrass, encircled by Willow. A week before J. gave me the painting, I had seen a scan of the inside of the major artery in my arm that leads directly to the heart. They were inserting a slender tube into that artery and down to the heart, to administer medicine intravenously in order to combat the virus that had infected my bloodstream. The image that I had seen on the scanner screen was the centre of the mandala. The first image to come to me was that the centre of the mandala was the inside of my artery and it was being protected and cleansed by Sweetgrass. Only healing energy could enter here.

When I sit with the painting, I am taken into its centre which then becomes my own bloodstream. Then all the cells of my body are filled with a quiet vibration as universal energy sweeps through me as it does for all living things. My body is filled with a strong sense of healing and connection to all of life. I sit with this many times a day even when not in the presence of the mandala. It has been a wonderful and humbling experience. It ties in perfectly with a larger lesson that I am learning, yet again, about connectedness and gratitude. The mandala gives me a deep sense of calmness, strength and connection. This is deeply healing.

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Veronica's mandala:

I received this mandala from Manuela as a gift for my birthday a couple of years ago. I remember when Manuela started making it (I didn't know it was for me and I am not sure if Manuela knew either). What first attracted me to it was the burgundy background. It's warmth made me smile. But then, it started to take shape. I didn't see it after that until it was completed. To be honest, I didn't immediately understand it, I just admired its beauty. As time has gone by, I have connected with it more and more. It breathes fresh air to me. The continuous movement of the shapes and the sparkles at the centre speak of renewal, particularly as things change and are unknown to me -- I feel reassured because things fit together and work together. Many things in life come in threes. They happen together for a reason. They converge at the right time and when they do, they make sparks. Things can be good or bad but the sparks can be used to start positive new chapters. I don't know if any of this makes sense to you but it is how I have connected with my mandala.

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Mihaela's reflections:

I spy it with the corner of my eye, from my favorite position on the living-room couch. It sits on a table, by the window, close to the Mandala of my best friend, Cosmina, who passed away in 2016. They keep each other company somehow. Two symbols of two different characters, yet complimentary in so many ways. Hers is symmetry and flight. Mine is... blooming knowledge and possibility.

It is the perfect summation of my recent craving for it. Knowledge. Reading books was not such an important pursuit for me... It's silly to say that, looking at my collection of graduate degrees and my being a researcher for a living. I think it was that I associated the activity with work. On my thesis, on my office research. And I aspired to 'being free' in my spare time. Yet I've always loved stories...and the escapism of books. And after my friend was gone (and she was a walking encyclopedia) I realized how much I got from her - to fulfill my own curiosities. And that now, it was up to me to try to feed that thirst. So the symbolism of the mandala - depicting an open book, from which a bud, and then a tree spring out - seemed like the perfect encapsulation of my new drive for knowledge, and meaning. And also a reassurance that it is the right path. The tree has so many branches...teaming with possibilities. And it also exudes strength, a purpose, and renewal. Thank you for helping this mandala make its way to me.

Cosmina's mandala

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Steve’s mandala:

 The theme of my mandala was about being grounded. Being grounded to me normally means being in a place of stability and calm from which one can think clearly and act effectively. And yet this mandala was red, which is a very active colour. And it was layered. It reminded me of the semi-molten mantle of the Earth, deep underneath the ground we walk on. And one message was that perhaps being grounded can also mean being in touch with our own deep, inner fires.

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Noelle's mandala:

I loved the Mandala that Manuela made for our new baby, Noelle, even though at first I didn't understand it. The darkness of the background, the even darker triangle of the mountain's silhouette, and the brightness of the star all made a beautiful contrast, but what did it mean? Then I had the opportunity to speak with renowned Spiritual Medium Deborah Savoy. She told me that our daughter was an incredible bright light and had chosen us as parents because we were such a calm, stable foundation. We would help her do what she needed to do in this lifetime. Suddenly, Manuela's Mandala not only made sense, it seemed to have more resonance than ever before. Noelle's Mandala is above her crib, pulsing its energy into the room and making our baby smile. ~ Claire Grady-Smith 

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 Jane's Balance mandala:

The minute I first saw this mandala – before either Manuela or I knew she would give it to me and before I knew its title was “Balance” – its three circled stars connected in an equilateral triangle stood out for me. They spoke to me of the three “centres” of intelligence which I know we all have as human beings: the head, the heart and the gut or belly centres, all of which need to be in balance and open connection for us to be at our best.

Next the figure in the centre of the mandala brought the balancing of these “centres” from a guiding concept to real life application. Indeed, in my personal and spiritual growth journey, the balancing and opening of the energies and capacities of all three centres in me has been, and continues to be, hugely important. The mandala beautifully reminds me of this.

But the mandala also holds what for me is yet a deeper reminder, a deeper truth. Its outer golden ring speaks to me of the divine and how it encompasses everything and everyone, including me. As well, the way the three “centres” partially extend beyond the golden ring show me that the spirit and worldly realms are interconnected. I am also reminded, to bring myself fully into my body, and all its centres, here and now to be open to this connection.

Each time I look at my mandala, and I do so often, I know I am held by Source and that deep within me is a balanced knowing of Oneness.


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Rebecca's mandala:

The mandala Manuela made for me is so beautiful. It feels like a connection, a grounding down to the earth, in the middle of this hectic, sometimes hostile city. 

Our apartment is full of stones and plants, and this mandala belongs perfectly here. I love the colours, the evocation of water, and most of all I love the real leaves. 

This mandala lives on a shelf in the hallway, a peaceful, centering, and reassuring presence in my life.

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