24-165 Empathy

The Mandala Lady, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
abstract background of warmer darker colors of blues and greens, with a bit of maroon, light mustard yellow, and off-white. on top different bold shapes from the background are outlined in black. creating the illusion of depth, the lotus-styled mandala in the center is drawn in light green to look like it’s behind the black outline shapes. around the outside edge of the mandala are drawn a row of peach-color lotus petals with white dots trailing out to the edge of the paper. inside every petal is drawn a gold petal and a white dot.

Empathy

“the ability to understand the feelings of another without necessarily sharing them”

This is another one of those powerful values that we could all use more of these days. The key to empathy is about making the effort to understand the feelings of others. Essentially with empathy we “get” what others are experiencing…because we ourselves, to some degree, have probably been there, done that, and have bought & donated the t-shirt.

And actually, by being empathetic, it makes it easier for us to be present as well as being able to see the bigger picture, which in turn gives us the opportunity to be of better service to others.

Years ago I heard Marianne Williamson talk about how someone was sharing with her some emotional issue they were having, to which Marianne gave them a possible way through it. Their response was “well, that’s easy for you to say” to which Marianne said “Yes, and that’s why I’m saying it”. Because the other person was so deep in their issue, they were not able to see beyond where they were. Marianne, on the other hand, being empathetic (and having been through it herself to some degree) could see from a broader perspective and thus offer them appropriate counsel.

Sympathy can sometimes come from a place of saying: “I’m so sorry”, while empathy goes deeper by saying: “I see you”, “I feel you”, “I get it”…”I’m here for you”.

How about you? Is empathy a core value for you?

BTW…here’s what it looked like to begin with …

abstract background of warmer darker colors of blues and greens, with a bit of maroon, light mustard yellow, and off-white.

joyfully,

Maureen
The Mandala Lady

encouraging and inspiring curiosity, creativity, and play through the art of mandalas

About the 2024 Mandalas of the Day

Each day I will create and post a mandala inspired by one of 366 “value” words chosen randomly. The objective being to discover for myself which ones would best represent my core values…and by doing so, I hope it inspires you to determine your own.

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Published by The Mandala Lady

My Mission: connecting with our Inner Light in delightful, inspiring ways For me, creating mandalas is more than just coloring pretty patterns in a circle. I do it because my spiritual evolution and creativity require it of me. My mandala designs come about within an active meditative state, connected with my higher self, my spiritual guides and nature spirits. Together, we bring into form, mandala art the allows me to re-connect with my own inner peace and joy, letting me explore and expand my own creative spirit to however far and in whatever direction I want to take it. As part of my own spiritual journey, I encourage, and hopefully inspire, others to explore their own creativity, to help them re-connect with their own inner peace and joy. As a means to that end, I make all of my mandalas available for people to color. Why should I have all the fun?

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