![]() Organiverse#3 of 100 Mandalas
|
Questions & AnswersOrganiverse: Art, Meditation Ecology Set“The Organiverse Experience” ©
|
Purchase
the Organiverse Set
|
Q. What is the Organiverse Set?
The Organiverse Meditation set is a Kasina or an aide to meditation. At the heart of the set is the beautiful artwork of artist Henri van Bentum, the one hundred Organiverse mandalas. [Organiverse = “organic” + “universe”.] One definition of mandala is “mind expansion tool”. These 100 spheres were painted in the technique of pointillism (“atom by atom”, dot by dot). Each sphere is 3 inches (7.6 cm) in diameter. The original artwork was created while van Bentum was living in Morocco and on the island of Madeira in 1972. Q. What is Pointillism?Pontillism is a painting technique using tiny dots formed together to make a picture. When two colors are next to each other, your eye mixes them and that is called optical mixing. Using optical mixing instead of physically mixing can make a brighter picture. Q. Who is Henri van Bentum?Henri van Bentum is a senior artist and colorist with over 250 works in public and private collections. He has exhibited and traveled worldwide. van Bentum has forty years of meditation experience, and applies his art and creative exploration “towards a vehicle to unfold.” You are welcome to visit Henri van Bentum’s website http://www.vanBentum.org. Q. What is recovered Westcoast wood? The Organiverse set comes with a handsome wood holder made from recovered
Westcoast wood. Each holder is made individually from fallen trees on
Vancouver Island. You can learn more about the Wood Recovery Project at The concept of the unique wood holder was conceived by poet Richard Rudhyar who is also the producer of the Organiverse project. Q. How do I work with the Organiverse handset?
You may rotate the images on daily or intermittent basis. The daily rotation is simple and straightforward:
When you are ready to conclude your observation take a deep in-breath, and step back quietly into your daily activities. Q. Are there different ways of exploring the Organiverse set?Certainly. Each individual is unique and you can create your own variations on the basic 24-hour rotation. For example, rotate the mandalas once in the morning and once in the evening, reflecting on the rhythm of the day. This speeds up the passage of the image cards, and also now you have introduced two points of "receptive attention" into your daily experience.
As an experiment, build into your daily habit and routine the rotation of the spheres. Allow the rotation to complete five times, and following this, ask yourself: has this been beneficial? If so, you may choose to continue and add this dimension to your ongoing everyday experience. Q. “Why should I use the Organiverse Meditation set?” Once a commitment is made to rotate the image-cards on a daily basis, the reasons will gradually become self-evident. The rhythm of the daily cycle becomes habitual, and given some time and consistency can serve as additional dimension in living. That is to say, that the rest of our lives may continue on its (often) reactive course, but there is a point of time during the day when the focus of attention is on the rotation of the mandalas.
It becomes readily apparent that there is little point in over-reacting to any particular card-image (or situation) because they are transient and will not last. If we simply wait and allow time to pass, a new situation, and image card, will surface and become the new focus of our attention. If we develop the habit of equilibrium in relation to the individual image cards, this may lead to corresponding growth in other areas of our lives. Q. How much time does it take to use the meditation set?
Q. Is the Organiverse meditation set “magical”?It has been suggested by some that the Organiverse series is "magical" and will produce immediate changes in perception and experience. We are always quick to correct this view. If there is any magic involved, it is located within the practitioner, not the image set. The Organiverse creator, artist Henri van Bentum says, “We are the microscope and the telescope”, and Organiverse reflects the magic of life here on Earth even in our everyday lives. We have observed that the proper and sustained practice of systematically observing the image sequence may act as a “key” that can unlock new ways of thinking and understanding. However, as noted above these qualities already exist in potential form within the practitioner. Q. Do I have to be an experienced meditator to use this Kasina?No, it is not necessary to have direct experience in formal meditation to make use of the Organiverse Meditation set. The daily return to the "receptive mode” of image appreciation may begin as a cornerstone to a dimension of living that may be expanded further. In this way the Organiverse image rotation can act as a bridge or a starting point towards further exploration, or as Henri van Bentum says, “a vehicle to unfold”. Q. I already have considerable experience with meditation; what types of new information will I learn from this practice?The Organiverse mandala series is a Kasina; an aide to meditation. It is non-denominational and supplements your ongoing practice. And it is helpful to remember the artist who created Organiverse, Henri van Bentum, has over forty years of experience as a meditator.
"We wish you all Good Health and Harmony!” |