February. The Shape Before the Shape

February arrives quietly. The world is spinning, and time keeps moving.

Not tidy resolutions, but with a feeling. A sense. A hum beneath the surface.

In the language of the MARI Mandala, February corresponds to Stage 2 of the Great Round. This is the second month of the year, and the second stage is not yet about clarity or form. It is diffuse, impressionable, fluid. It is the realm of early sensation, instinct, and subtle knowing.

In this stage, our bodies often know before our minds do.

You may notice this as restlessness without a clear reason. Or tenderness that seems to come from nowhere. Or moments of intuition that feel true, even if you cannot explain them yet. Stage 2 is a threshold space. It can feel nourishing and renewing, or disorganizing and overwhelming, depending on the supports around us.

If you would like to revisit the foundation for this, I explore it more fully in my January blog, where I introduce the Great Round and the tone of Stage 1. You can find that reflection here: January: The Power of One

Although we move through a new stage each month, this entire year carries the imprint of Stage 1. Numerologically, 2026 reduces to the number one, aligning with beginnings, emergence, and the first spark of a cycle. January, as the first month, echoes this energy directly.

February, however, softens it.

Stage 2 does not rush the spark forward. Instead, it asks us to stay close to what is forming. To sense rather than define. To listen inwardly before taking action. This is the place of innocence and intuition, where impressions land easily and meaning has not yet hardened.

And yet, this February holds an interesting contrast.

On February 17th, we enter the Chinese New Year and step into the year of the Fire Horse. Fire Horse energy is dynamic, passionate, and catalytic. It favors movement, boldness, and momentum. This stands in sharp contrast to the watery, suggestible quality of Stage 2.

When these energies meet, many of us feel it in our bodies first.

You may feel pulled in opposite directions. A desire to leap forward paired with a need to slow down. A call to act alongside a longing to curl inward. This can create a sense of disembodiment, as if parts of us are moving faster than others can follow.

When this happens, the question becomes less about doing and more about orienting.

What feels real right now?

What feels steady enough to touch?

What helps you come back into yourself?

This is where mandala-making becomes a companion.

The mandala does not demand answers. It offers a center. Through color, shape, and movement, it invites the body back into conversation. It allows diffuse sensations to land somewhere visible. The process itself becomes a way to gather scattered parts and gently reassemble a sense of inner coherence.

Mandala-making, especially when informed by the MARI framework, gives form without forcing it. It respects the timing of emergence. It honors what is present without asking it to be different.

In a world that feels increasingly loud, fast, and polarized, this kind of creative center becomes essential. We are not meant to navigate these times alone or purely through thought. We are wired for connection, rhythm, and shared experience.

February reminds us of that.

It invites us to come together. To create alongside one another. To let images speak where words fall short. To remember that even in formlessness, there is intelligence at work.

With this in mind, I am offering an embodiment-focused mandala-making workshop later this month. This is a space to slow down, come back into the body, and explore what is asking for attention now, using simple materials and a guided, supportive process.

No art experience is needed. Just a willingness to show up as you are.

Embodiment & Mandala-Making Workshop

Sunday, February 22

12:00–2:00 pm ET

This workshop will include:

• Gentle grounding and settling practices

• Guided mandala-making informed by the MARI framework

• Time for reflection and optional sharing

• A small group container that supports presence and connection

If February has felt tender, disorienting, or full of mixed signals, you are not alone. This is an invitation to pause, create, and reconnect with your own center.

👉 Register here

I would love to sit in circle with you.

With warmth,

About the author

Mari Grande is a licensed Creative Arts Therapist, coach, and founder of Creative Healing Integration, Inc.
Through The Mandala Corner and her coaching programs, she helps people reconnect with creativity, clarity, and healing in everyday life.