Mandala of Beauty: Sacred Geometry and Crochet to Recover Hope.

The Inner Gaze Toward the Stars

Crochet and reflection heal me; perhaps they heal you too. Years ago, a mandala expert—an artist who had specialized her entire body of work in them—gave me a piece made with wax crayons. It featured a circular motif showing a pupil gazing from within the body toward the stars in outer space. She gave it to me, she said, so that I would never forget that everything we have inside is also outside, and that everything is connected. That painting has accompanied me everywhere, and whenever I have let myself be hypnotized by it—in a state of meditation and reflection—it has brought me something new.

What is a Mandala? Beyond Decoration

According to Mircea Eliade, a renowned expert in philosophy and religion, mandalas are “containers of essence,” “sacred spaces,” and not merely an ornament. They are, in essence, a representation of the world or a map of the cosmos, much like the one I was gifted. Their origin in India and Buddhism lies in consecration rituals, and they also function as blueprints for the construction of temples. Sand mandalas are created with astonishing mathematical precision, only to be destroyed with a single breath, reminding us that nothing in this material world—neither fame, nor success, nor illness; absolutely nothing—remains.

The Mandala as a Psychogram: Carl Jung’s Vision

Carl Jung utilized mandalas for therapeutic purposes during deep crises. The mandala functions as a “psychogram of the state of mind.” It orders us when we are disoriented, reintegrates us, and leads us back to our own center—our inner self.

The Science of Crochet: Synchronization and the State of Flow

Through geometry and the mathematical sequence of the mandala, combined with the act of crochet, we journey inward. We train our minds to enlighten themselves, synchronizing our brain hemispheres with geometry and color. In that state of “Flow,” we lose ourselves in time, reduce our anxiety, and regulate our nervous system. It is the same feeling we experience when contemplating the Beauty of Nature.

The Cult of Beauty: "Symmetria" and "Fibonacci"

Because of this, with these two great allies—mandalas and crochet—I want to dedicate my first “Mandala Project” to Beauty.

Natural beauty exists in all things and surrounds us at all times, even if we have forgotten it. The “Symmetria” that the Greeks spoke of in classical times; the proportions and mathematical sequences of a tree, a seashell, sunflowers… the Fibonacci sequence is found in everything, even in our own bodies. Our brains have been “wired” to read and marvel at the visual frequencies and harmony that Mother Nature gifts us: a beautiful sunset, the ocean…

Both in Nature and in ourselves, there is that “state of grace” where nothing is lacking and nothing is superfluous. It is the exact center of extremes—the “Lagom” as the Swedes would say.

"We stop being beautiful when we abandon our center of equilibrium and cling to rigid internal or external structures. Ultimately, we wound ourselves by wanting to be what we are not."

Why, in our observation, have we separated thought from emotion when they are essentially the same? If we could observe again with the eyes of a child, would we see the beauty of our neighbors without focusing on their social status, ideology, or origin? Would we see the just proportions, feeling respect for others even if we don't understand or even like them?

What if, for a moment, we could observe reality with the same acceptance with which we take the thread into our hands? It is true, we are animals; we share 97% of our genetic code with the chimpanzee (and their same limitations), but… even animals marvel at Nature.

If we dedicated ourselves to the cult of Beauty, we would see that it is found in everything. Respect for Beauty might make us feel respect for everyone and everything, and the labels that separate us would fall away. We would believe, suddenly and without realizing it, in the equality of all creatures.

The Pattern: "Archaic Beauty" Mandala

This pattern uses a 12-segment base to ensure perfect flatness and impeccable sacred geometry.

Color Palette: Archaic Beauty

I have selected colors that evoke beauty that survives time (Taurus/Scorpio). These are not bright "craft store" colors; they are colors of the earth and minerals.

Round	Color	Argument for "Beauty"
1-2	Old Gold / Muted Mustard	The sun, the initial divine spark of the idea.
3-4	Ash Rose / Soft Terracotta	The beauty of the flesh, ancient ceramics; human and vulnerable.
5-6	Lichen Green / Sage	Nature claiming its own; life sprouting through ruins.
7-8	Raw Linen / Bone White	The framework of wisdom; purity and honesty of the fiber.

Technical Details

• Material: Organic cotton (3.5mm) by Hilaturas LM.

• Colors: Mustard, Makeup (Rose), Moss Green, and Ecru.

• Tools: 3.5mm hook, scissors, stitch markers.

• Abbreviations (US Terms): ch (chain), dc (double crochet), sc (single crochet), FPdc (front post double crochet), cl (cluster/piña stitch).

Step-by-Step Instructions

• R1 (Old Gold): Magic ring, ch 3 (counts as 1st dc) + 11 dc. Join with sl st. (12 dc). The primordial unity.

• R2 (Old Gold): ch 3, 2 dc in each stitch around. Join. (24 dc). The expansion of light.

• R3 (Ash Rose): [1 cl of 3 dc, skip 1, ch 2] x 12. (12 petals). Beauty that blooms.

• R4 (Ash Rose): 3 dc in each ch-2 space, ch 1. In the last space, 2 dc joined to the starting chain. (48 sts). Space and air.

• R5 (Lichen Green): 1 dc, 1 FPdc (on the center dc of the previous group), 1 dc. In the ch-1 spaces: 2 dc. (60 sts). Nerves and columns.

• R6 (Lichen Green): 1 dc in each stitch, but work 2 dc over each FPdc of the previous round. (Note: Aim for 72 sts total to ensure the piece stays flat, However, it worked for me again with 60, but you'll have to test this depending on the tension). Strengthening foundations.

• R7 (Raw Linen): [1 sc, ch 5, skip 3] around. Lightness and transparency.

• R8 (Raw Linen): In each ch-5 arch: [3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc]. 1 sc over each sc. The culmination of harmonic form.

And you? What part of nature makes you feel that balance? Let me know in the comments!