The Eight Elements of the Mandala

The mandala archetype held a profound significance for Jung, appearing in his clients' and his own dreams, not least his so-called Liverpool dream. This article considers Jung’s reflections on the mandala as well as various cultural manifestations of the mandala, such as Navajo sand painting and Tibetan sand mandalas. The author considers how the sandtray can be seen as being equivalent to the mandala. The Sanskrit word Manda, meaning 'container' and the suffix La meaning 'essence', reveal the word Manda-La to signify 'a container of essence', which aptly defines the sandtray. The paper sets out to identify eight key elements that the author, an art therapist, has found to be essential to the structural nature of the mandala archetype. It describes these eight elements, which are comprised of: centre, temple, gateway, pathway, four directions, regions, periphery, and that which is beyond the mandala. The author explores how these structural elements can be used as an imaginative tool for observing the figures and their relationships within the process of sandplay creation. Examples are brought from clients' work, both children and adults, drawing parallels between the mandala and the sandtray as a safe and protected space in which the reconciliation of opposites and a journey towards wholeness can arise.