Peace Bridge exploration of "mandorla" energy as it relates to peace
started soon after I joined the Bridge in July. I had discovered a comment
made by Kathy while searching through the 2006 DaFuMu dreaming section on
the WDPB website, and I was able to find and correspond with Kathy (and the
Bridge). Then for the next several weeks, spurred by the awareness of
mandorla energy, numerous posts ensued on the Bridge related to the
mandorla. The comments, insights, and relationships to mandorla energy come
from a variety of areas such as:
- Finding and dreaming peace during the escalation of violence in the Middle East
- Favorite quotations
- Relationship to the word "duende"
- Dreaming the mandorla for "work" and "play"
- Shadow elements in ourselves and the world
- Examples of mandorla energies in everyday life
- Working out Bridge issues
Kathy's original comment found on the WDPB website:
From my experience peace lies in the MIDDLE of those opposites (in
Midland), for in the MIDDLE I can hold my awareness of BOTH possibilities AT
the SAME TIME. When I do that there is peace, as from that position the
former opposites transform themselves into something much more useful and
something I can practically respond to?aware of the possibilities. My mind
is at peace and I can act more fruitfully in this area of my life.
Jennifer's response on July 18th:
Last year I was made aware of the Mandorla (the center almond-shaped area in
an ancient symbol of two circles connecting) by way of a friend who was
facilitating a peace group. I did quite a bit of research on the mandorla as
I have been using mandala imagery for quite a while. In my research I had
the epiphany that peace was not the opposite of war, as many people project,
but was rather, in the MIDDLE between collaboration and conflict. It has
never made sense to me that Peace had an opposite. To me, Peace is a center
point, a place of balance. I created a computer image from this epiphany
that is attached for you to view. Your comment so fits with what I
discovered, and I was happy to know someone else who gets it!
Here are some comments about the Mandorla I found on two websites:
"To step into the Mandorla is to move beyond 'either-or' thinking--even
beyond ideas of common ground or compromise--and stand in the tension of
opposites long enough for something new to emerge. In the realm of the
Mandorla, the whole truly yields something greater than the sum of its
parts, opening doors of possibility, discovery, and creativity."
"It demonstrates the principle of 'power with,' rather than 'power over,'
and it stands as a signpost on the path of walking between opposites."
"Relational... When any two people come together, possibilities exist for
both conflict and collaboration. Holding the idea of a Mandorla in a
relationship creates a 'container' strong enough to carry multiple
perspectives. Instead of destroying the relationship, difficulties can be
transformed into new opportunities for learning, self-expressing, and mutual
benefit."
-- Mandorla Resources International
(
http://www.mandorla.com/context/what.html)
"The circles symbolize interacting but complementary opposites. The space
within the overlap is the place in which we are called to 'remain', the
'liminal space' Richard Rohr speaks of... This is the place where you arrive
after you leave one room and have not yet entered another. In this place,
you are living on the threshold and this requires faith. All transformation
takes place in liminal space."
"The Mandorla, known in both East and West, expresses the standpoint of the
mystic. It symbolized for us the tensions of life, the tension of
complementary opposites."
http://www.kyrie.com/symbols/mandorla.htm
To elaborate a little bit more on the history and definition of mandorla,
here is an informational piece found at another website:
"The Mandorla, a symbol that is all but unknown today. It was used during
the times of medieval Christianity. It is an ancient symbol of two circles
coming together, overlapping one another to form an almond shape in the
middle. Jensen (1996) describes the Mandorla as similar to the image of two
Mandalas (Sanskrit word for circle) merging together until an almond shape
is formed in the center. Also known as the 'Vesica Piscis', symbolizing the
interactions and interdependence of opposing worlds and forces. The circles
may be taken to represent spirit and matter or heaven and earth (Baldock,
1990).
"Mandorla is the Italian word for almond. According to Biedermann (1994),
the almond is an ancient symbol for the closing up of valuable contents in a
hard, almost impenetrable shell.
"During the medieval times, the almond was interpreted as a symbol of the
embryo enclosed in the uterus. The form of the almond which suggests a
stylized vulva may have contributed to such an interpretation (Biedermann,
1994). It is also a variant of a halo which surrounds the whole body of the
holy person (Bruce-Mitford, 1996).
"According to Fontana (1994), the Mandorla symbolizes power as well as
spirituality, and is often appeared around the body of Christ to represent
the Ascension (Fontana, 1994)."
http://www.touregypt.net/mandorla.htm
July 19, Kathy dives in to utilize the mandorla energy for dealing with and
dreaming peace for the Middle East conflict:
I think we need now especially to focus our dreaming minds on the rampant
terror in the Middle East:
- On what is happening in Iraq daily
- On the terrible new escalation of violence and bombing of people in both Lebanon and Israel
- On the growing, by media and political means, blaming of Iran
- On the terrible anger and calls for retaliation
YET all of this has called forward such beautiful responses about peace as
well.
Kotaro said:
If my Anger was on the map of Israel or Arab/Muslim, I have to be ashamed of
it. I think Anger could be transformed into another kind of energy, much
deeper prayers perhaps. I mean Anger is not composed of only negative energy
but also positive one too.
I, Kathy, said:
Sadness for the horror of violence.
Sadness for the pain and suffering.
Sadness for the need to retaliate.
AND Jennifer - just at this time sends her most beautiful mandorla of peace.
Can we DaFuMu for peace - perhaps keeping in mind the horror of all those
images of death and mutilation and destruction ALONGSIDE of the gentle
beautiful thoughts of a "positive anger at it all", of a "call for peace
because of it all" of a "sadness because of it all?. IF we can we will be
holding our minds in that beautiful Middle that Jennifer has shown in her
mandorla-the Middle where there is PEACE. Once we are there we can see more
clearly how to act to create peace. Just being there ADDS to the PEACE in
the world and perhaps shifts the balance.
Who would like to join in?
July 19, Patricia shares a quote that holds mandorla energy:
Jennifer quotes Kathy: "I can hold my awareness of BOTH possibilities AT the
SAME TIME. When I do that there is peace . . . "
This is one of my favorite quotations:
"Papa's deep tolerance made us sense that everything in life might be
possible, perhaps even forgivable, but that one must answer largely for
oneself, be responsible, and yet not surprised if injustice were done. He
intimated further that we should courageously attract that which was
possibly impossible, to welcome it. The world consisted of the accessible,
real, factual, of all that was limited; but also of all that was created by
faith, all that was true and boundless. Only the 'dry-as-dust' rationalist
lived and was governed by the first; the romantic and enthusiast by the
second. But to combine the two ways, to weave them together with simple
decency, that was the aim of the whole man. What made him whole was that he
loosely controlled both the possible and impossible, reality and fantasy,
the factual and the true, the restricted and the unrestrained, the bounded
and the free--offsetting this duality by devoting all his will toward giving
them equal play."
--Monika Mann
July 19, Jody supports Kathy's call for DaFuMu dreaming:
I just spent a long time writing to all of you in response to Kathy's call
for a Saturday DAFUMU and Jennifer's beautiful evocation of a space in the
middle with the mandorla image.
Know I send you all my many thoughts and love and big yes to joining in the
space in the middle on Saturday DAFUMU for middle east and all the hottest
spots on the planet.
May cooling rains, deep waters of our dreaming refresh our spirits so we may
hold the middle space, be the middle space of peace for ourselves and
others.
July 20, Anna shows us the relationship between "duende" and mandorla:
Lately the sense of 'duende' is very much with me--that word from spanish
music and poetry that speaks of soulfulness, of how the light and dark are
mingled; if either is ignored it's to the death of both, day without night,
spring without winter--the mandorla seems to picture this in part. So, we
have to take in the horror (so easy to 'say' it) and go forward not just
FROM but WITH that--with that terrible awareness that in a part of each of
us is that capability--and "what are we gonna do about it?" The classic
question.
Everything we can from smallest to largest, most inner to most outer. From
living peace in daily life to writing, protesting, taking whatever action
comes to hand.
The admitting of the horrors is necessary to fuel the action--thus, duende.
My recent wave of this maybe will illustrate. Feeling how much I loved my
children; being so strongly aware how I cannot keep them safe, 'make' them
happy, and then in that realizing, a taste of freedom--free to give them
their lives, and, applicable to this work here, free to do what small things
I can do to help their happiness and safety.
July 23, Jennifer has a dream with mandorla energy, finding a "peaceful"
balance between "work" and "play"
I had a very interesting dream this morning that had much anger in it, which
is unusual for me in my dream time and awake time. When I look at the dream
in relation to the intention of dreaming peace in the Middle East it makes
some sense for me. I haven't processed this dream fully yet as I only get a
vague feeling of the meaning. Actually, I am having a difficult time working
with it and getting anything down in writing. I welcome any comments. Here
is the dream...
I am at Matt's (a building contractor, and bookkeeping client of mine) home.
He and many other people are there. Feels like a party, but Matt is at his
desk trying to figure something out with regards to his business and
finances. He keeps getting distracted by all the people that are there and
they seem to not care if they are bothering him. Since I am his bookkeeper I
try to help out, but the crowd of people is also bothering me. I take a
stack of paperwork and leave to go to my office to get away from everyone.
When I get to the office, which is a building owned by Matt, there are two
couples--male/female--also just arriving there and they seem to be
interested in kayaks that are hanging from the rafters of the open-sided
building (reminds me of buildings in Hawaii). I ask them to please leave now
as I need to work. They do not respond and continue to look around. I seem
to be focused on the women as I get angry at the lack of response and
rudeness. I make several attempts to explain why they must leave but they
continue to not respond. Now I am very angry, fuming in fact, and don't know
what to do.
So, I go to the computer and turn it on, then notice that a cable has been
disconnected from the computer. I know that someone in the group of couples
has done this. Even angrier now, I take the loose cable and begin swatting
at one of the women, hitting her in the face and ranting at her at the same
time. The violence finally ends and I reconnect the cable to the computer
and it turns on in the way it is supposed to. When images come up on the
screen, one of them is the American flag.
Now there is a new woman there, someone I know, (in the dream only) and the
couples have asked her to take a picture of them. I think, "what next?" and
feel very frustrated at the whole situation. I am now feeling ashamed of my
behavior, anger, and violence and begin thinking about how I can approach
the situation in a way that the couples will respond to my request that they
leave since the anger and violence did not work. EOD
July 23, Rita H. responds to Jennifer's mandorla dream with her dream
wisdom:
Here go some of my thoughts if it were my dream:
There seems to be conflict between work and playtime? In the first scene
Matt is trying to work and there is a group of people partying around him
who do not let him do his work. Then the dreamself tries to find a place to
do work and again there are two couples who are interested in kayaking?
Maybe there is too much work being done and not enough playtime? The
disconnection of the cable from the computer may even be sabotage activity
to get me to stop working and have some fun with a physical activity?
When the cable is reconnected the American flag appears which makes me think
of American conditioned values of productivity? Then a new female character
appears who is interested in photography/ a creative outlet? And the
dreamself is just not getting the message:))and keeps getting more upset. At
the end of the dream the dreamself is trying to reframe the requests in a
more pacific way but does not seem to get the message from all these throngs
of people in her who want more fun, play, creativity and physical activity?
July 24, Anna adds her thoughts to Jennifer's dream:
A small thought following on Rita's thoughts about your dream. You say that
the anger felt through it is unusual for you in dreaming or waking life. One
understanding I have of anger is that it arises when energy is thwarted?
it's NOT the uprising energy itself, but a response to its frustration. How
else do we all feel but helpless, powerless, frustrated, and furious at
times in the face of horrors we feel but feel also unable to change?
I wonder if maybe that wise Dreaming Self was sending the message that Play
might be the way to get the Work done? There were couples interfering with
the work (real people interfering with money management?). Perhaps a sense
that it is in partnership that we best battle the disconnection that is War?
You mentioned particularly that the couples were m/f, which might be read as
alliance of polar energies? They were very interested in kayaks?I think of
water energies as exactly what the sharpness of war is NOT. In a 'particle'
universe we are separate, in a 'wave' universe the flow surrounds and
connects us all, and a kayak is a vehicle in which we are most allied to the
waves, as we manage its motion by shifts in out own hips!
These are just ideas though of course! It is a rich dream and I won't have
your own resonances with it. Maybe at least my guesses might give you
something to say yes! or No! to in exploring it.
Thank you for sending. Though I know I cannot read 'your' dream, it surely
does connect to images of my own and ripple out. I am convinced, for
instance, that the way to counter war is with what's been called "an army of
lovers". To powerfully nourish what is good in the nascent culture we want,
more than lop off what is rotten.
July 24, Jennifer interprets her dream, helped by Rita's (and Anna's)
wisdom:
Thank you deeply for your uncanny sense of the deeper levels of my
dreamself. What you say makes sense to me. These are the thoughts I've had
in reviewing the dream as a personal work/play dream:
Matt is a fun-loving man, one who does take time out to play with his
buddies and his young teen children. It was odd that he was having a party
but not participating.
I, on the other hand, have a serious problem with being too serious and not
playing enough. I have a hard time simply thinking of things to do that I
think would be fun.
I also think the element of him being a building contractor is an indication
that I need to build on a foundation of fun in order to move forward in a
healthy way.
The couples and the kayaks: I really enjoy kayaking and the last time I did
was with Craig in Hawaii two years ago for our 10th anniversary vacation. We
had so much fun kayaking and snorkeling in the ocean! And we kayaked in a
tandem kayak. Since my attention and anger was directed at the women, I can
see how that is my own anger at my lack of being able to pursue more fun,
and I am beating myself up about it.
The disconnected computer cable: I spend a lot of my time working at the
computer. Sometimes I have a hard time tearing myself away from it to do
something outside or creative. But I also love to work on the computer and
carry out many creative projects there as well as work. Double edged sword...
The woman taking photos: Just like Craig and I did in Hawaii, we had someone
take pictures of the two of us together, having fun. Interestingly enough, I just
visited my father and his wife on Thursday last week and the one thing I
noticed strongly was how my dad's wife took away little ways of his having
fun, shooshing him and nudging him in his side. I realize now that my
awareness of that is because I am in need of having fun and not shooshing
myself.
July 26, Jennifer talks about embracing shadow elements:
In working with shadow elements in my life, those aspects I don't want to
look at and hide away, I have found that they simply want to be acknowledged
and honored for their contribution. When they are shunned and thrown out
they will arise in my life in such a way I have to notice them, but often in
a destructive manner, like a child throwing a temper tantrum. When I
acknowledge the shadow, embrace it and love it, then a balance is achieved
and the intensity of its presence calms. I know that there are some really
big shadows in our world right now, and I am doing my best to love them just
as I love the beauty of an undisturbed natural place or the smile of a happy
child. It is the mandorla energy, the merging of opposites that helps us
find that central place of peace seen.
August 1, Jennifer shares a poem:
Mandorla...
Mystic space
Union of opposites
Living on the threshold
Standing in the tension of possibility,
discovery, creativity, transformation
A container strong enough to carry many
perspectives
A signpost on the path of walking between opposites
Mandorlas in Daily Life...
Ponder on the 'feeling' of magic during these in-between times
' Dawn/Dusk - neither day or night
' Birth/Labor - neither pregnant or mother
' Twilight Sleep - neither asleep or awake
What other mandorla times
can you think of?
Jennifer Star
Summer Solstice 2005
August 2, Anna responds to the question in Jennifer's poem:
'What other mandorla times can you think of?'
Well...there is the obvious! When two are making love, neither one nor the
other--autonomy/communion in action!
All the Rites of Passage really--between the veils as one dies, partaking of
both realms; between child and adult.
I think mandorla is the exact human condition really. The chinese say,
"between Heaven and Earth." There is power and beauty in accepting the
limits of our embodiedness, as a river runs stronger between firm banks.
The moment of coming to an agreement in a fight--when the smaller tow of
each participant is seen to partake also of the larger whole that serves
both.
The moment of being highest on a swing--just as you begin the downward
swoop.
The moment when the inspiration of a poem takes flesh--loses potential,
gains actuality.
That sense of knowing that the past and future are one with me in this
moment.
What is called an "ecotone," that rich region where ecologies meet. I did
research on the intertidal zone long ago as a naturalist--wet, dry, sand,
ocean, full.
The experience that the practicing of scales lets one riff free-er.
On and on...
Mandorla, duende - it is one of the essential notions. If we can embody this
we can make peace.
August 2, Rita H. offers her wisdom:
I am reminded of not too long ago when I was having a difficult time
assimilating the difficult political information and wanted more dreams on
the bridge and I had that powerful collective dream of the Bridge that
reflected that all was well on the dream bridge, it was thriving, growing
and changing, and bringing in information about the inner and outer world
and that I needed to take care of myself as I was in the process of
grieving. That I could not return the Bridge to the first year of its life,
when all of us were actively involved in the inner dreaming world and
sharing our personal lives in depth and artistic expressions to come to
terms with the 9/11th tragedy. That the Bridge has a life of its own, a
river that flows in and out affected by all the participants at each moment
in time. That what was important is that we each speak our truth and pay
attention to what we can and let go of what does not resonate with us at the
moment or we can't handle. Yet also express those opinions to the group so
conversation is generated that acknowledges differences and we find a
collective way. That the Bridge represents true freedom of speech and is
able to handle a large diversity of opinions and grows in the process as an
individual separate entity as we grow individually by participating in what
we want to participate in and being the truth of who we are. I remember from
my complaints and dreaming at the time, a vivid conversation ensued, like
this one, and more dreams started flowing into the bridge. And I enjoyed
that.
So let each of us continue expressing exactly what and who we are--moment to
moment--bringing in our diverse opinions and allowing the Bridge to hold it
all, as a sacred container, the way Jean envisioned it when she created it.
And let each of us remember self care which is affected by who we are
individually, what we love and prefer, what we can handle and not handle,
participating in what we love and also giving ourselves the permission to
take hiatuses from it as many of us have done, over and over, gone away and
come back to this rich river of conversations that nourishes the world and
nourishes us all.
And the Mandorla is exactly about that, is it not, holding the tension of
opposites and creating a new shape and form in the process?
August 2, Anna shares an example of mandorla energy in response to
Victoria's nickname, "Mermaid":
I grew up on Mermaid Lane and have always felt very connected to her (a
mermaid). And have to say, isn't she exactly a mandorla?!
August 4, Anna responds to a post by Jennifer asking for introductions from
Peace Bridge members, and talks about the difference between "fighting" and
"hating":
...it's most natural to get to know one another in process,...a true flow.
I'll share a few things it calls up for me, as part of the process of our
knowing. One I feel strongly about is that for me, there's a big distinction
between fighting and hating! Maybe it is our definition of 'fight' that is
different though? You see this here on the Bridge--there are true, deep
disagreements, and strongly stated at times. This joins us, I believe,
rather than separating as hate does. To 'fight' as I'm using it, is to truly
see the other as real--exactly as real as oneself--and holding some of that
universal truth we all strive for. Thus I long for engagement with them!
Hatred though turns the other into less than, nothing, flat, something only
to be squashed so that my way can prevail. A fight can be hard--it calls for
deep trust, trust that there IS that larger container holding both views. I
guess my sense is that while we are all One, we are also each unique so that
even when we are most connected, there will be difference. Best to explore
and celebrate it than deny. Actually, I think you surely know this very
well, as it is you who has brought us the mandorla!
August 5, Rita H. shares where she first learned about the mandorla:
I finally found the book of Robert A. Johnson where he addressed the
Mandorla at length and where I first read about it. The name of the book is
"Owning Your Own Shadow"...
I hope you have enjoyed this journey into the liminal space of the mandorla.
If you would like to join us in discussion, just send a post to
worlddreams-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://www.worlddreamspeacebridge.org/
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