Creating Personal Symbols Through Mandala Weaving

Live from Majorca, Spain

On Sunday 7th March at 11AM EST, VAWAA artist Cloe will welcome us back into the mystical realm of mandala weaving to create our own personal symbol by weaving a beautiful 4 sided, square mandala. 

These mandalas, woven by indigenous tribes in Mexico, are used as powerful symbols to protect all members of a tribe. Cloe will begin with an illuminating introduction to its ancient cultural origins, mystical purposes, and possible materials and applications. You’ll be invited to enjoy a moment of stillness and introspection. 

She will then guide you to weave a beautiful 4 sided, squared mandala with 2 sticks and your own selection of yarn. We may then embellish our mandalas with whatever decorative elements speak to us and help us tell our story. You're invited to bring along any small items that you find visually beautiful or personally meaningful and symbolic; i.e leaves and shells or beads and buttons, or some small photograph to be framed by your weaving.

Our own intentions, thoughts and dreams, will be reflected in the weaving and decoration. As each mandala will be a unique symbol, it will be fascinating to see the diversity in creativity.

This session will give you a good foundation to practice the basics of mandala weaving and get the most out of the upcoming advanced mandala weaving session!

All levels are welcome and there is no prior experience required. There will be plenty of time to share, get feedback and meet other participants from around the world. 

Joining us from a different time zone? Be sure to convert the time.

What you'll need

• 2 wooden sticks 25-30 cm (9.8 - 11.8 inch) long and 5-8 mm (0.2 - 0.3 inch) thick. Available in any dollar store, creative shop or homegoods store. It is fine if your sticks do not meet the exact measurements. You can use tree branches for a more natural and wild effect, provided they do not bend too much.
  
  
• 3 to 5 different colors of yarn. Acrylic or wool of medium weight are easy to use. Feel free to add any uniquely textured yarn. The yarns do not need to be of equal thickness. Very thin yarns won't work very well.
  
  
• Scissors
  
  
• Optional: Thin strips of textile, knot together so you can use them just like long threads.
  
  
• If you are keen on adding additional items for decoration you can use any object from nature such as leaves, pine cones, shells. Or small personal items such as a small photograph or some craft store accessory. Please Note: If using beads, you will require a needle with a large eye that will still fit through your beads.
  
  
• Any liquid crafts glue to attach decorative items
  
  
• Notebook and pen to take notes

How to join

We'll be hosting this VAWAA Online on Zoom. We'll send link and details to join via email 1 day and again 30 mins before it begins.

About Cloë

Cloë weaves mandalas by hand using natural and fair trade yarns. Her mandalas are born out of a constant, moving meditation on the interconnected nature of reality. She loves to observe geometrical shapes unfold as she places thread after thread on a wooden frame. Her home studio is in a protected nature reserve in the oldest part of Majorca Island, overlooking Balearic Sea. These vivid colors of nature are her greatest inspirations as seen in her brightly colored mandalas. Having traveled extensively to remote and tribal places since childhood, she also draws inspiration from indigenous cultures, ancient symbols and sacred art. Only a personality as lively and luminous like her can create mandalas that convey the magnificent glow of nature. Shine on!

Visit her artist page to learn about her in-person VAWAA

Reviews

"This was an unexpectedly meaningful class. Not only did I learn how to make a mandala using different materials but I also saw how helpful it is in seeing reflected back where I am in the moment. The instructor, Cloe, was also a delight; encouraging of all of us and open in sharing what she came to value in adopting this art form. I highly recommend it." - Ellen

"Thank you for today's experience. Fun and inspiring. Really enjoyed the class and teacher." - Terry

"It was truly an exciting and unique experience learning the Mandala concept. Cloe is a warm, welcoming and creative person herself which made me further enjoy hence my ideas. I enjoyed every minute of the experience so much that I am now looking at opportunities to share my new skill with people at large." - Ananya

"My mandala is a snapshot of a story still evolving, a token that I will take with me to remember this experience. I feel renewed as an artist and I'm excited to see where inspiration will take me next." - Megan

"Cloe was such a delight and made us feel very comfortable right from the start. We got to know her as she showed us her studio, explained the history of mandalas, and talked about her artistic journey. She was especially patient with us as she answered all of our questions and helped us with all of our mess-ups! Cloe even made a mandala along with us, and was so encouraging with our artistic efforts. We were very pleased with the way our mandalas turned out, and they are proudly displayed at home." - Janet

Sessions are ticketed to support artists, makers and our small team. If you’re experiencing financial hardship, please reach out. We may have a generous participant who has paid it forward. We would ask that you pay the love forward by sharing online sessions with friends.