The Center of the Mandala

man·da·la n
1. A schematized representation of the cosmos, chiefly characterized by a concentric configuration of geometric shapes, each of which contains an image of a deity or an attribute of a deity.
2. (in Jungian psychology) A symbol representing the effort to reunify the self.

Life feels good. I’m on top of all the bid-ness I need to take care of. I wish I had more time for creative endeavors. It seems like every day I come up with an amazing idea that I want to write about and flush out for people. But by the end of most days I’m wiped.

I’m wonder what my little bro and sis must think. I always spin the bright side of the story for them, same as I do for myself, because we all could use more light in our lives. But many days by the end of the day, when it's time to call, I’m just wiped and don’t feel like talking.

It’s nice to know that my cup isn’t just half full anymore. It’s almost all the way full. I have so many great opportunities every single day to express myself.

I’m motivated by self-expression. Almost every action in my life is meant to be an act of self-expression and I get really hot under the collar when I feel I’m being stifled.

I took the VALS-2 Survey, which is a personality test which tests values and lifestyle (thus VALS) and is used in marketing. I’m an Experiencer/Innovator, which means I'm motivated by self-expression. It really couldn’t be any more accurate.



I like it better than the Myers-Briggs model, which I find to be too complex for my interests. Myers-Briggs is traditionally used in the professional world for examining how people work and accomplish goals to form effective teams and work together.

Myers-Briggs characterizes people according to four different aspects:

Attitude-Extroversion(E)/Introversion(I)
Information Gathering Style-Sensing(S)/Intuition(N)
Decision Making Style-Thinking(T)/Feeling(F)
Lifestyle-Judgment(J)/Perception

The other important type of personality test is the Big 5, which is often preferred by academics. It ranks people on five traits:

1. Openness to Experience- general appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, imagination curiosity and variety of experience.

2. Conscientiousness- a tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement.

3. Extroversion- characterized by positive emotions and the tendency to seek out stimulation and the company of others.

4. Agreeableness- a tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others.

5. Neuroticism- the tendency to experience negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety or depression.

We all like personality tests, don’t we? After all, we’re all a bit self centered. We are the center of the mandala after all. Here’s Terence McKenna on the subject: