Savio Rodrigues SJ

A mandela helps to bring all scattered emotions to a focus. Mandela refers to the centre. The mandela reveals the natural urge to grow out of our natural self... to grow into the fullness, which makes us unique individuals. A mandela reveals who we are at THIS moment. It often reveals the conflicting areas within oneself. Once this conflict surfaces and is objectified, it gets healed.

To begin this exercise in prayer, take a sheet of blank paper and draw a circle. Divide the circle into four equal parts. Then start colouring it. Avoid consciously drawing images or figures. After using this form of prayer for some time, one may be encouraged to draw any image that may seem to be craving to appear on paper. Use colours without trying to ascribe a reason for your choice of a particular colour. Just pick up the colour that catches your eye. It is not an artistic venture that you are engaged in.

After you feel you are done with the painting, and are satisfied or dissatisfied with it, keep your brush or crayons down and begin to gaze at the picture from some distance. When gazing at your art, try and come to a decision as to which side should be the TOP and which the BOTTOM end of the painting.

Check what colour or colours you have used for painting, and against each colour write what that colour means to you. For example, red means anger or fire, blue means calm, a mixture of colours means I am undecided or disturbed. You will have your own interpretation for each colour, and that is valid for YOU here and NOW.

Next try and search for the various types of shapes, designs, figures, etc. that seem to emerge from your drawing. For example, consider circles, triangles, squares, etc. What are these designs saying to you? These may not make sense, but a meaning gradually begins to emerge.

The colour in the centre is what is most important NOW. What does that colour say to you?

The colour that is predominant is what has your attention right now. Many colours mean that your attention is scattered on many issues.

The colour that you have used on the outer rim of the circle describes your EGO boundary. That is what you show to the world.

The top half represents your conscious self. The bottom half represents the unconscious self. If there is no top or bottom half, because you feel you can hold the mandela in any position, it means you are a well integrated person, whose conscious and unconscious are well integrated. If most of the activities or feelings are close to the centre line (equator) it means you are moving from the unconscious to the conscious.

Heavy lines indicate that you underscore your powerful emotions. Light colours depict grief, tiredness or self-doubt, fatigue, sickness.

Women usually draw curved lines, which signify the non-rational way of handling emotions. Straight lines are rational and manly.

If the outside of the mandela is heavily defined, it indicates a defensive position or deep introspection (positive). If the boundary line is pale or nonexistent, it signifies an openness to others, sensitivity to the elements or defused sense of personal identity.

Stay with the point at which you need to discover the unconscious and keep praying by talking to this area.

The Prayer Method on this page has been provided with permission from the book Pray: How? by Savio Rodrigues SJ