March, Stage Three, and the Awakening Journey of the M.A.R.I.

Staying with the M.A.R.I. theme, we now arrive in the third month of the year, which corresponds beautifully with Stage Three of the Mandala Assessment Research Instrument.

Some may wonder what the M.A.R.I. has to do with early attachment wounds, or what is often referred to as the Mother Wound. My work has long bridged these worlds. Through mandalas, education, and personal exploration, I have found that this visual and symbolic system offers profound insight into how we first learned to relate to ourselves, to others, and to life itself.

The M.A.R.I., developed by art therapist Joan Kellogg in the 1970s, works with mandalas as both an assessment and a healing tool. Mandalas reach beyond the intellect and into less conscious layers of the psyche in a powerful, gentle, and revealing way.

At its most basic level, a mandala is a circle. The circle symbolizes wholeness, holding, and containment. It is also the shape of our very first home. The womb. This is where our human journey begins, and this symbolism matters deeply when we are exploring early attachment and developmental wounds.

Within the M.A.R.I., we move through twelve developmental stages, beginning at Stage One and completing at Stage Twelve, before potentially returning again to Stage Zero. These stages mirror both psychological development and spiritual growth, offering a map of becoming rather than a fixed destination.

One of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is this. How were you taught to attend to yourself? The answer is often found in what you witnessed, what was modeled for you, and how you were treated and responded to early in life. This is where the Mother Wound often lives, not as blame, but as understanding.

March ushers us into Stage Three, the beginning of consciousness. This is the moment when energy stirs and begins to move. There is a desire to create, to explore, and to open to something new. It can feel like waking to the first signs of daylight after a long night. Along with excitement, anxiety may also be present. The journey is about to begin, and trust in the process becomes essential.

This stage is marked by movement. An inner stirring that says something wants to evolve. Stage Three invites us to notice where we place our energy and what we are ready to bring into form.

When viewed through the lens of early emotional wounds, Stage Three often carries restlessness and longing. There is an awakening and a quiet knowing that something else is possible. Something can change. This awareness may not yet have words, but it has momentum.

In the Great Round, this is the time before full consciousness emerges. Energy is gathering, preparing to break ground. It is the movement from the comfort and confinement of the underworld toward finding one’s path, initiating real change and growth.

Numerologically, the number three represents expansion, creativity, and communication. Its vibration aligns seamlessly with Stage Three of the mandala, reinforcing themes of growth, expression, and emerging selfhood.

The lines and forms of the mandala imagery of Stage Three often show lines and forms in motion. These images reflect expansion and experimentation. The psyche is stretching beyond stillness, testing its edges, and learning to move with intention. There is play, curiosity, and sometimes impatience. All of this is natural.

March, as the third month, amplifies this energy. The natural world demonstrates it clearly. Sap rises. Buds form. Winds shift. Life is no longer contained. It wants expression. This makes March a powerful time to observe how energy is moving in your own life. Where do you feel momentum? Where is something asking to begin?

From a spiritual and metaphysical perspective, Stage Three is closely connected to the awakening of vitality and will. Many traditions understand this life force as something felt in the body before it is understood by the mind. Growth does not begin with analysis. It begins with sensation, impulse, and intuitive knowing. Mandalas give visible form to these preverbal experiences. They speak the language of the soul.

When people create mandalas during Stage Three, they often encounter feelings they did not know were present. Joy, hope, frustration, excitement, restlessness. These are not problems to fix. They are signs of energy learning how to move and express itself. This is why mandala work is such a powerful tool in healing early attachment wounds. It allows what was once unrecognized or unsupported to finally be seen and held.

Stage Three also teaches us about balance. Energy without direction can scatter, yet too much structure too soon can shut growth down. This stage invites curiosity without pressure, movement without force. Nature models this perfectly in March. Nothing is rushed, yet nothing is dormant.

As you move through this month, you might sit with these reflections.

Where do I feel energy waking up in my life right now?

How do I express my vitality in ways that support my healing and growth?

What is beginning to emerge, even if it is not fully clear yet?

Stage Three reminds us that becoming is a process. We do not need to see the entire path in order to take the next step. Like March itself, it is enough to feel the pull toward light and respond with openness.

This is the quiet magic of the M.A.R.I. Healing and growth are not only intellectual achievements. They are lived experiences, guided by rhythm, symbol, and the deep intelligence within us all.

If you are interested in my MARI mandala workshops, I invite you to join my interest list. You will be the first to know about upcoming offerings, and I will keep you gently in the loop as they unfold.

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.