When I started this ‘quest’ to be more mindful and in the moment as I worked on my mandala I really thought that my special time would be early morning. I get up early – like crazy early, usually between 4:00 AM and 5:00 AM every day.

Laylee the Australian Cattle Dog Alarm Clock

Most days I wake up on my own, occasionally I sleep until my alarm goes off, more frequently it’s one of my canine alarm clocks that lick my face to let me know it’s time to start the day. And they don’t have a snooze button.

I have found however, that the best time for me to crochet a few meditative rounds on my Mindful Mandala is on the nights my husband goes to Jiu Jitsu. This is actually a good time for me because he goes to class 4 nights a week, and the dogs are all full-belly and getting one more doggy nap in before bedtime. The house is quiet and I really don’t need to keep an eye on the clock. (Because I get up so early I am the designated alarm clock for hubby and teenage daughter.) So I think I’ve found a nice groove for this very special project.

I’ve also found that by crocheting a few rounds at night and then writing about it the next day I truly am spending time pondering the symbolism, insight, meaning and whatever else the universe is trying to show me about the random card I pick for inspiration.

Mindful Mandala Osho Zen Color Inspiration – Letting Go

Inspirational and meditative excerpts from the Letting Go card.

In existence there is nobody who is superior and nobody who is inferior. The blade of grass and the great star are absolutely equal….But man wants to be higher than others, he wants to conquer nature, hence he has to fight continuously.

In this image of lotus leaves in the early morning, we can see in the rippling of the water that one drop has just fallen. It is a precious moment, and one that is full of poignancy. In surrendering to gravity and slipping off the leaf, the drop loses its previous identity and joins the vastness of the water below. We can imagine that it must have trembled before it fell, just on the edge between the known and the unknowable.

To choose this card is a recognition that something is finished, something is completed, anything that might have helped you to define who you are – it is time to let go of it.

Okay – I’m going to go with the obvious on this one – Tanglewood Knots new website design.

On the surface that insight feels so much like a cop-out, so shallow. But honestly I think a lot of my own stress arises because I over think things. Why not go with the obvious when the obvious fits the circumstances.

What I found more interesting about this card and this palette inspiration was the order that I used the colors. First – I need to get my butt to the store and get some more colors. My stash is woefully low on pastels and lighter shades of colors. The colors that spoke to me on this card were green, the pale pinkish color, and the grayish/blue color of the water. So I crocheted with that color ‘line-up’. Then I looked at it – and noticed that the green crocheted leaves in round 4 were sitting on top of the pinkish reflection in the water in round 5, which was above the grayish/blue of the water in round 6.

Yes – sometimes things just go in the order that they need to be in – I didn’t think about which color I was going to use first, second, or third. I just did it. Sometimes things just are what they obviously are.

Crochet Project Notes – Mindful Mandala

Here is where I give credit, links, and other un-mystical stuff.

Mandala Pattern – by It’s all in a Nutshell Crochet, YouTube video tutorial link – Mandala Madness

Yarn Used – Red Heart Super Saver medium weight (4) in colors: Jade, Sea Coral, & Charcoal

I used hook size H/8 5.00mm.

Thanks for reading!

~Tami