While on route to our picnic at Brownhill Creek reserve on Sunday, Carol and I dropped in to the Waite campus labyrinth for a location recce for our short film "Mandala Magic". I had heard a lot about the labyrinth and wanted to take a look. The labyrinth is an ancient symbol, a mandala whose twists and turns represent the cosmic dance, the universe in microcosm. Walking the circular path that twists and turns back and forth upon itself one is disoriented to the external world and drawn within the the centre of one's being, to the place where we experience wholeness. In other contexts it represents the steps of Shiva Nataraja, the Divine Transformer, Lord of the Dance. It is a symbol found in many disparate cultures throughout the world, from petroglyphs in the Americas, to Egypt and Greece and in many European cathedrals with Chartre Cathedral being a prime example.

The similarities between walking a labyrinth and colouring a mandala are remarkable, calming the mind, mentally stepping through to a subtle realm where the cognitive brain is confused into a state of flow, allowing intuition and creative mindfulness to be revealed and revealing. Carol, Gemma and myself will be recording the sequence this week.

Should you wish to walk the Urrbrae Labyrinth, I have attached directions below.

Tags: colouring circles, filmmaking, mandalas, video production