Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life. ~ Rumi
Middlebury Collaborative Art Project on Gratitude
As we approach a time of reflection, togetherness, and thanks, I want to take a moment to express my own gratitude for your support of the vision of Wonder Wander. Together we are building our sense of wonder for people and our planet, which in turn, I believe, will build a kinder, wiser, more compassionate world.
Share the Weekly Wonder with friends and family who you believe will enjoy it. I write it weekly for you, of course, but there is no more effort that needs to be expended for others to benefit from it, too. Even a little wonder in our week can improve our mindset and our personal impact on our community!
Again, I am grateful for your readership and support! -Shannon
Say
I’m curious, why do YOU read the Weekly Wonder?
Do
Take a moment to create a Gratitude Mandala.
Gratitude Mandala, Sara Roizen
Gratitude Mandalas
Creating gratitude mandalas takes the practice of gratitude to another beautiful level. All you need is a pen or pencil and a piece of paper. The mandala in this post was created with white paint pens on black paper. If you want more color, grab some colored pencils or watercolor paint and a fine brush. You can trace a circle or draw one freehand. If it helps, find the center of the circle and mark it in a way that serves as a visual centering point. Next, take some deep breaths and focus on relaxing your mind and body. Then, begin to write down anything that you feel gratitude for within the circle. Experiment with the direction of the writing, the size of the words, and the way they flow.
Instead of using words, I silently meditated on the things that I am grateful for as I began to draw. The mandala is a visual representation of the gratitude I felt that day. This is an example of creating art while holding a specific intention of gratitude. To me, this mandala looks like it is expanding outwards – which is exactly how my heart felt while I was creating it. Check out Sara’s site, Art Therapy Spot.
Explore the practice of gratitude more:
Gratefulness.org
A beautiful and inspiring site entirely devoted to cultivating and practicing gratitude.
NY Times Article: Choose To Be Grateful: It Will Make You Happier
This article really resonated with me and hopefully with you too!
Greater Good Berkeley – A collection of articles about gratitude
A nice listing of various articles related to gratitude.
Positive Art Therapy: Art Therapist Janet McLeod
This is Janet McLeod’s art therapy site, and it is full of interesting interviews with other art therapists. The focus is on the integration of Positive Psychology & Art Therapy, and there are many posts pertaining to weaving gratefulness into art therapy practice.
Please share your reflections with me by replying to this post and tagging my Wonder Wander Facebook or Instagram pages!
