Moonstone & Ruby
Eco Sterling Silver
 
Mandala images have appeared cross-culturally and throughout the expanse of human history. They seem to emerge, in some form, in every religious tradition and are often explained as a representation of the unified whole at the centre of existence or, in the Tibetan tradition, as visual representations of divine abodes that can be navigated in the meditative state.

Interestingly, Carl Jung noted that many of his psychiatric patients would spontaneously draw mandala-like images without ever having had any exposure to Eastern religious art.  He began to incorporate this artistic expression into his therapeutic model. He came to believe that the mandala was a representation of the unified self.
 
He noted that often it was patients who were experiencing chaotic inner states who would create an image of a more ordered and unified version of the self in the form of the mandala.

This necklace was a representation of a unified Jungian vision of the self. At the centre lies a shining Moonstone representing the radiant, integrated self. The four quadrants represent:

The Shadow - The repressed aspects of ourselves that are hidden, often early in life, to allow us to integrate with family and wider society. These must be recognised and reintegrated in a healthy way in adulthood in the process of reconnecting with ourselves.

The Anima/Animus – Jung believed we all had held in our psyche an image of our gendered opposite. For example, men with a traditional masculine expression also contain an internal image of the feminine, termed the anima, which they must recognise and embrace to form a unified whole.

The Persona – The mask that we wear that allows us to participate in society. It often contains aspects of who we truly are but is a compromise that hides elements of the authentic self.

The Collective Unconscious – The shared instincts and archetypes that live within our collective ancestry and evolutionary past. Much of our mythology and symbolism emerges from this place.
 
The rubies between each quadrant represent the beauty that emerges when these aspects of the self are balanced and integrated.

Ultimately, mandalas provide us with a symbolic map of wholeness. They provide a way of visualising our higher self and are a reminder of the journey towards a more unified version of ourselves.