Exploration
“the activity of searching and finding out about something”
When we think of exploration, at least when I do, we think of people searching the world outside of themselves. They either go to the far reaches of the macrocosm or the far reaches of the microcosm. All the while…searching for answers and a better understanding of the world around them.
Today’s MotD encourages us to explore the most uncharted territory of them all: our inner self. Why would we want to do that? Why would we want to go where we’ve so carefully and diligently hidden (or stuffed) parts of ourselves that we’d rather not face? What’s the point?
Inner Peace. Inner Joy. Self-Healing. Self-Acceptance. Self-Love. …just to name a few.
With self exploration comes all of that and more. Yes, it’s probably going to be a messy process…it’s probably not going to be pretty and yet it will be so worth it…or so I’m told.
Where do we begin our self-exploration?
We can begin by understanding that that which we don’t want to look at within ourselves, we project outward onto others. And then we declare how terrible these people are…look what they’re doing…how could they do that…why would they do that? I would never do that.
With self-exploration we gain insight into that part of ourselves that resembles that behavior we so despise in others. For instance, if we’re abhorrent of liars and we believe ourselves as always being truthful, how could we possible be like “them”? Maybe it’s not so much that we’re lying to others but maybe we’re lying to ourselves about something…what could that be? What lies to we tell ourselves…about ourselves? …just something to consider.
How can we make this process less messy?
Coloring mandalas is a great (creative) way to work through these issues. Carl Jung used mandalas both for himself and his patients as part of their self exploration. You can too by either drawing your own mandalas, coloring existing ones, or by doing “doodle” mandalas. Whatever way you do them, before you start, set an intention to gain a better understanding of an issue that you’re ready to face and, then as you color, allow the insights to come to you…it may come as thoughts, or feelings, or just an overall knowing…like an “aha” moment…like an instant download.
As we progress along our journey of self-exploration and uncover our hidden “treasures”, we gain more inner peace, more inner joy, more healing, more self acceptance, and, most importantly, more self love.
How about you? Is (self) exploration a core value for you?
BTW…here’s what it looked like to begin with …
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.
Mandala of the Day 