Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Animal Wednesday: My Birth Mandala


Many of you know Marianne, wife, mother, animal lover, world traveler and the creator of exquisite mandalas. The other day a large package came to me and it was my very own birth mandala painted in oils by her. We had talked about doing a trade when I showed interest in having her paint this for me. Never did I imagine what impact it would have from the moment I opened it. I just knew it was me at first glance. I'll do my best to share its meaning with you by summarizing her explanation. She took the time to write out several pages as well as printing a couple of notecards with this design. Unbelievable!

The mandala is created from the numbers in your date of birth based on numerology. Every number has a vibration and a color. We start with the day of birth, the 7th. Then the 8th month, August. The year is 1953 ~ 07/08/1953

The reading starts from the inside of the mandala to the outside. Please enlarge it to see the beautiful detail. Here we go...


7 (purple) star with a spiral in the middle. The spiral translates into meanings of spirituality and rebirth. In terms of spirituality, the spiral symbol represents the path leading from outer consciousness to the inner soul. In terms of rebirth or growth, the spiral symbol represents the consciousness of nature beginning from the core or center and thus expanding outwardly. This is the way of all things as recognized by most mystics.


8 (violet) Lotus. The lotus flower is a symbol of rebirth, but in addition to its religious meaning, the lotus is also a symbol of all that is true, good and beautiful, representing good fortune, peace and enlightenment.


1 (red) snake. The Ouroboros "tail devouring snake," is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon swallowing its own tail and forming a circle.

The Orouboros often represents self-reflectivity especially in the sense of something re-creating itself, the eternal return, and other things perceived as cycles that begin anew as they end.


9 (rainbow colors) lotus petals. In brief, the lotus is a very important symbol in Buddhism. it refers to the purification of body, speech and mind, and the blossoming of wholesome deeds. An open blossom signifies full enlightenment, a closed blossom signifies the potential for enlightenment.


5 (sky blue) with five crows. She felt compelled to choose this animal for me!

Crows are the keepers of the sacred law, and to have a crow in your totem is very powerful. personal integrity is your watchword and your guide in life.

If you have a crow totem, your prime path is to be mindful of your opinions and actions. You must be willing to walk your talk, to speak your truth and to know your life's mission.

Crow is an omen of change. Crow lives in the void and has no sense of time, therefore, it sees past, present and future simultaneously.

Crow merges both light and dark, both inner and outer,

It is the totem of the Great Spirit and should be respected as such.

They are symbols of creation and spiritual strength.

Look for opportunities to create and manifest the magic of life.

Crows are messengers calling to us about the creation and magic that is alive in the world today and available to us.


3 (yellow golden) suns. The sun, celestial guardian of the human ego, rules Leo.

The sun is an emblem of glory and brilliance. It is also a symbol of authority. It represents happiness, life and spirituality. The rising sun is a symbol of hope.


All of these numbers added up equals 33 (3+3=6) but I keep the vibration of 33 because it's a master number. 33 is my birth number.

33 (yellow and golden) hearts. These hearts are part of a chain of golden beads and pearls. Gold, the noblest color, represents the light of the sun and was once borne only by Princes. Gold is said to gladden the heart.

Pearls are called 'teardrops of the moon.' Some believe that pearls were formed by angels passing through the clouds of heaven. Over time, the pearl has become a symbol of purity and innocence. These form a yin/yang protective chain of unconditional love with the hearts which can't be broken.

The meaning of my birth number 33...

The Compassionate~

The 33's cherish a love of beauty and balance. They feel a deep compassion for the world and have to guard against becoming a martyr. We have to be cautious of self-sacrifice for others. We are more helpful by becoming teachers by showing the way for others to follow. Te birth number 33 is very rare and will call me to leadership and responsibility. This may not always please me, but I'll have to make my peace with it.

The 33 individuals usually achieve fame through acts of kindness, tenderness and compassion that lead to the transformation of the world's consciousness. Some famous 33's are Albert Einstein, John Lennon and Meryl Streep. I'm in good company! ;)

I'm told that I'm often coming up with ideas that some people think are a bit 'out there.' If I follow my instincts then others will follow me and we'll end up with a kinder, gentler world.


And finally, my birth number added with my birth month (the 5th sign of the zodiac)=5+33=11. This is my course number, and again, another master number. This number is the course you have to follow in life in order to fulfill your destiny. It is represented by the 11 rainbow colors in the background.

Here's what marianne said about people who are 11's.

'When you practice spontaneity, you stop judging others. You see beyond past and present and overcome obstacles that would normally become impossible to transcend. Cherish adventure, life's drama and all mystical experiences.

learn to serve people unselfishly. It is important to be empathic whether you agree or not. Develop your wisdom and the ability to be impartial. This needs courage and a special way of handling resistance: not fighting, but still reaching your goal.


I know this is a lot to take in on a blog, so thanks for hanging in with me. I just felt compelled to share the beautiful work and words of Marianne , a new and cherished friend. I know we'll have that glass of wine together one day!

Thank you so much.

~Namaste~



33 comments:

  1. Oh Wow!!! That is amazingly beautiful and impeccable work! The colors are really outstanding. I would be interested in knowing the size of it. Yes, it is alot of information to take in but I caught a few descriptions that pegged you pretty much as far as I can tell. Thanks for sharing it all and the type on the post was most beautiful too! You deserve such a lovely gesture considering your own generosity. Have a blessed day.

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  2. Isn't Marianne just the best mandala maker?? She is so right on. Beautiful!

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  3. DIVINE. Oh my God. Fantastic.

    I love it Laurel. And Marianne -- Amazing.

    Laurel it must be your week for lots of love because I quoted you in my blog today.

    Love Renee xoxoxo

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  4. she does such beautiful work.

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  5. Drip say the tears.

    Kisses xxx and hugs ooo Raven sister.

    Love Renee

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  6. You are too funny and totally adorable. Blush blush.

    I almost put on the end and I love her to bits, etc etc. And then I reminded myself to get back into limbo.

    Love Renee xoxo

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  7. One word....AWESOME!!!

    ... and thank you for your reponse about my Cinder. funny thing... I knew you would stop by and I knew your comment would help heal my heart.

    Thank you Laurel...

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  8. I agree with Renee..Its just DIVINE!
    Marvellous to the core.
    You must be a Wonderful person.

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  9. Stunning!!
    And awesome!!
    Marvelous!
    Striking!
    Unbelievably beautiful!

    The crows are so YOU!!

    Marianne is a wonder!

    And so are you!!

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  10. what a wonderful gift to have, a symbol of the self, something to contemplate and learn from for years to come. Marianne is amazing and so are you.

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  11. WOW! Fabulous! A gorgeous mandala and a wonderful reading and yes I read all the way through and enlarged and studied it. I love it. You must feel deeply seen and honored. The work is incredible and VERY YOU!

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  12. YES, you are both amazing and wonderful! WOW!

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  13. omg this is amazing, i had one done for my 60th birthday and posted it on my blog. it is YOU, totally and utterly and aren't the colours fantastic. i adore marianne and i adore you! hugs and wfs for this lovely piece of work to you both!

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  14. Oh this is so amazing!1 Lucky you!!! How fun to have all that information too!! Wonderful!! Sarah

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  15. Dear Laurel,
    So proud to see my mandala for you on your beautiful blog!
    I am so happy that you feel connected with it.
    So nice to read all the sweet comments!
    I really hope it will work it´s magic for you!
    Once again, it was a pleasure making this and during the proces I learned more about you and feel closer to you now than before.

    love
    Marianne

    Happy Animal Wednesday!

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  16. fascinating. and beautiful. what a special talent and gift.

    "Take your place on the great mandela..." do you remember that peter paul and mary song, lo? it was one of my favorites.

    marianne must be able to tune into spiritual wisdom and energy. i know you love what she's created
    for you. i think it will bless you.
    :)

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  17. Stunning-simply stunning. What a wonderful gift. I enjoyed seeing that we share many of the same numbers-and wasn't surprised.

    My mom has some special visitors in her backyard-one is a piebald grackle (a relative of a crow). I've never seen a pied one before. A white dove also visits along with the other doves. Neither has visited when I have my camera, but I hope to catch them one day-they are amazing.

    Prissy is black and white, as was my Dottie, who Mom also chose. I call the grackle the Dottie bird-because I think it may be her coming to look over us.

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  18. Magnificent...(jaw still on floor agape!) Truely Magnificent!

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  19. I'm actually just responding to your comment on my blog, really fast (much as I want to linger on this INCREDIBLE mandala and your post) ...

    I've been quietly enjoying your blog for a long time, by the way ...

    ANYWAY!!! as to the SoulCollage group, you would SO love it. If I could draw anywhere close to how you do, I think I'd be drawing my own cards, too ... but yes, please do join us, I would have to do the Snoopy Dance in a BIG way!

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  20. Vary nice, Laurel ... I like!

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  21. I see I have been here today already in the form of an award.

    Sister Raven. xoxoxo

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  22. I was just thinking I hope my award always stays on top. I don't want anyone over my head. xoxo

    Limbo lasts until the end of April when I go see my oncologist.

    Love Renee

    Have a Happy Easter

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  23. Wow, I'm deeply moved by this piece. It's just stunning in beauty and meaning. I've missed you, as I was hosting (vacationing) with my mother, sis and aunt. We had a glorious time in the PNW.

    Hope you have been well and are enjoying the arrival of spring!

    peace to you ~M

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  24. I'm annoyed!
    I'm always annoyed when I'm jealous.
    I'm jealous of your mandala
    I'm jealous of the meaning of the mandala
    I'm jealous of your numbers
    I'm jealous of YOU

    Hmmmm, I wonder what my mandala would look like?

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  25. Laurel, I meant for the comment to be funny, and missed the mark I think.

    Of course It's all about you, and it should be, no such thing as getting too much of you.

    I so am jealous though.

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  26. what special care and love she takes with each one. truly a gift to be treasured!

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  27. That is awesome! What a huge amount of care and love she put into YOUR mandala. The crows look so wise...look at their eyes!

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  28. This is incredible! I feel like typing in about 788 exclamation points, but that would be just...annoying.

    so...let me put it this way:

    outstanding, astonishing, unbelievable, incredible, astounding, and exceptional!!

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  29. Indeed Lolo, such nice comments!!!

    It was wonderful to read them all.
    I have been quite busy these last few days. Been to Belgium, made the fence , planted the hedge. Had to do a bar service at the tenniscourt. Had to do the shopping as my husband couldn´t move anymore after the fence......and so on and so on.
    I hardly had time to blog.
    Today we will continue with our new curtains we bought for the 4 windows in front. I have to paint the porch one more time.
    As I said before just take your time Laurel with the ideas. I can also only work when I feel I have the time..... We already have so much we HAVE to do so let´s not add to that list
    Tomorrow I will have my Mom over and the daughter of Germain and her friend and we will have a nice lunch together. My brother will collect her later in the afternoon, so I won´t have to drive 2 more hours...

    Ok Laurel, I hope you will have a nice easter!!!!!
    Love >M<

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  30. Wow what a Mandala from a GREAT FRIEND for that she is to me.
    You can only do this beautiful things when you are beautiful inside and that she is...........
    Sorry for my english i'm a better cook:))

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  31. Wow lucky you, you must have been thrilled :-)

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  32. It is certainly interesting for me to read the post. Thanks for it. I like such topics and anything that is connected to this matter. I would like to read more on that blog soon.

    Bella Benedict

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