The Creation Mandala

The Creation Mandala contains eight circular images that symbolize crucial events in the unfolding story of the universe. These events are: The Birth of the Universe, The Birth of the Galaxies, The Birth of the Solar System, The Birth of the Earth, The Birth of Life, The Birth of the Earth Community, The Birth of Humans, and The Birth of the Ecological Age. The Creation Mandala invites you, the viewer, to enter into the story of creation and to appreciate your life as part of that unfolding process. Such a reflection facilitates a ninth Birth—The Birth of Your Story. This ninth Birth honors your journey through life as someone who is seeking a mutually enhancing relationship with the Earth community.

The Mandala also honors the Creator. In the Biblical and in the Hebrew tradition, it is customary to thank the giver by praising the gift. The Creation Mandala thanks the Creator by celebrating, through art, the gift of creation.

The illustrations here are my artistic interpretations of the nine Births of the Creation Mandala. In each illustration, I painted a woman holding a pot of fire. This fire is the love of the Spirit from which creation emerges. For each of the nine Births, I gave the woman a pair of earrings using the appropriate symbol from the Creation mandala.

The commentaries for the illustrations reflect current scientific understanding about the development of the universe. Here, I am principally indebted to the research of Tom Berry and Brian Swimme in their book, "The Universe Story" (Harper, San Francisco, 1994).

After each commentary I have written a short verse that suggests how the Creator Spirit might have evoked the nine Births. When read as one poem, these verses become a psalm-like prayer that praises the miracle of creation and places human beings within that unfolding miracle. It's a prayer befitting our walk in the garden of the universe with the Creator.

Vincent Busch SSC