About
USER EXPERIENCE MANDALA
I’ve decided to start this website because there is a lack of contemporary writing in the the occult/magickal sphere that addresses the intersection of modern technology and spiritual practices. While there is plenty of content discussing esoteric techniques, few consider how our contemporary digital age—smartphones, blockchain, the Internet of Things, and surveillance capitalism—affects our spiritual/magickal practices, our connection to nature, and our inner harmony.
In this era, we must become aware of how much technology impacts our brains, the constant media barrage we’re exposed to, and how this collective experience is affecting everyone’s mental health. This dissonance is one of the reasons our society feels like it’s breaking down: our ability to make thoughtful, conscious decisions is compromised because our brain chemistry is being disrupted.
Another challenge we face today is the lack of a significant counterculture. Our culture has been conditioned to use the internet in very specific ways—posting content on social media and consuming content designed to extract valuable data. This hijacking of the internet has stifled the development of any meaningful resistance or alternative ideas. The very platforms that were once spaces for free expression have become vehicles for corporate interests and surveillance, you work is being fed to AI or being used in moodboards to sell product.
I grew up in a time when sharing information was peer-to-peer, and social platforms were about self-expression rather than data extraction. From early message boards like BBC, to LiveJournal, Xanga, and Blogspot, there were spaces designed for connection and authentic sharing. Now, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter have turned those spaces into dopamine-driven feedback loops.
We live in a new form of digital feudalism where individuals are discouraged from creating their own platforms, building their own websites, or publishing their work independently. The primary channel of expression is social media, controlled by third parties that profit from your data, often selling it to corporations or governments that don’t have your best interests in mind and definitely do not have any interest in compensating you for your time or work.,
I aim to build this website with the intention of eventually templating it out and publishing it, making it open-source. I want to allow others to customize and use it to publish their own work, thoughts, and ideas— modelled after the way people used to use blogspot. My hope is to empower people to create and share independently, outside of the confines of corporate-controlled platforms.
What is UX Design?
UX Design is about making sure things like websites, apps, or tools are easy and enjoyable to use. It focuses on solving problems and making sure people have a smooth experience. UX design is actually super thorough process done through extensive research— it’s scientific with tests to measure metrics and results.
UI Design is about how these things look, like the colors, buttons, and layout, to make them clear, attractive, and easy to navigate.
What is a mandala?
A mandala is a geometric design or pattern that represents the universe in many spiritual traditions, especially in Hinduism and Buddhism. It often features a circular shape with intricate, symmetrical designs radiating from the center.
Mandalas are used for meditation, spiritual growth, and as a tool to focus the mind. They can also symbolize harmony, balance, and the interconnectedness of life.
Carl Jung saw mandalas as symbolic representations of the self and used them extensively in his psychological work. He believed that mandalas appeared in dreams, art, and culture as expressions of the psyche’s innate drive for balance, unity, and wholeness.
I find that applications and websites are designed to be portals, very much the way mandala’s are intended to be viewed and used. UX/UI design is very much about designing Mandala’s that are capturing your attention and your essence, separating you from your natural thought processes and modifying it at the whim of corporations with inventives for profit margins.
My intention is to reverse the damage these companies have done and help people maintain better cognitive liberty in this day and age, being aware of their own User Experience Mandala.