The mandala is one of the most universal spiritual symbols of any religion. Coincidentally, most symbolize the universe, consciousness, and the self, all reconciled within one image.

Mandalas, as most know them, stem primarily from Hinduism and Buddhism, but religious and spiritual scholars have identified mandala-type symbols in a variety of other religions, primarily Christianity. They are rapidly increasing in popularity as a tattoo idea for the boldness of their designs and are part of the top 50+ best tattoo ideas in 2020.

In general, they comprise intricate patterns and details confined within a circle. Subsequent circles have subsequent meanings, and specific meanings differ between regions, sects, religions, and the media by which they are created.

The mandala was introduced to and popularized in western society by psychologist Carl Jung, a student and colleague of Sigmund Freud. The first mandalas Jung discovered were those he created.

“I sketched every morning in a notebook a small circular drawing,” Jung wrote in his book Memories, Dreams, Reflections, “… which seemed to correspond to my inner situation at the time. … Only gradually did I discover what the mandala really is: … the Self, the wholeness of the personality, which if all goes well is harmonious.” Jung then related them to the similar spiritual images of Hinduism and Buddhism. He was the first to categorize these images as “mandala,” a word he took from an Indian dialect.

While the specifics of each intricate mandala design differ, Jung believed they touch on a universal reality shared by all people. He summed them up by writing, “The mandala serves a conservative purpose, namely, to restore a previously existing order. But it also serves the creative purpose of giving expression and form to something that does not yet exist, something new and unique. … The process is that of the ascending spiral, which grows upward while simultaneously returning again and again to the same point.”