WHAT IS THE MARI?

The MARI (Mandala Assessment Research Instrument ) is a creative instrument that uses symbols and colors to reveal a picture of consciousness. It is based on the concept of the mandala , made popular by Carl Jung.

A mandala is a pencil drawn circle on a piece of paper. The directions for completing it are “Surprise yourself.” Using pastels or colored pencils, a person just fills in the space.

Art therapists have long known that drawn mandalas are “pictures” that can be read. There is a direct connection between the symbols, colors and placement one chooses in a drawn mandala and what is going on in their life at the time.

We respond intuitively to symbols and colors. Symbols predate language, culture and even time, and are so basic to our perceptions that we rarely respond to them consciously.

For example, people who are beginning or ending something, feeling a need to defend themselves, or functioning at full consciousness typically draw symbols that reflect those stages.

 

The MARI reveals at least five levels of information from one’s psyche –both conscious and other-than-conscious.

 

Each stage of the MARI equates to a developmental stage in human consciousness –both personally and collectively. Joan Kellogg was the art therapist who made the brilliant connection between drawn mandalas and the developmental stages of life. In essence, after combining her intuitive insight with years of studying mandalas from all over the world, she developed a way to systematize mandalas. Since her discovery, the fields of evolutionary biology and psychology have confirmed that her intuition and knowledge were “right on.”

 

There are three symbols at each stage -each representing a variation of that stage. For example, the three symbols at the stage of Beginnings can reveal whether or not the person is literally ‘ready to go,’ whether they need support to begin or are passively waiting to be helped. In addition,  issues around pregnancy, parenting or even a new idea will show up at the Beginning stage.

 

Color further enlivens and informs each symbol by adding additional meaning relative to the cognitive, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects to that stage.

 

The full synthesis of the interpretation is revealed in the way that all the symbols and colors relate to each other.

 

The guidance cards provide the intuitive guidance of the subject relative to an issue in his or her life. Because the intuitive guidance comes directly from the client, short-term therapy a very real and viable possibility.

 

 The MARI is vital, flexible and synergistic assessment tool that is as unlimited as the people who take it. It provides immediate and multi-leveled information about adolescent and adult clients in almost any therapeutic setting. Its non-verbal format is non-threatening, and even enjoyable for the client. It can be used by anyone who works with others or wishes to better understand themselves.

Importantly, it is the only instrument that can identify and address the deepest mystical and spiritual states.