Yantras have been used in Hindi rituals and ceromonies  for centuries.   Yantras are hightly structured geometric forms that represent a particular diety and are known as "dwellings of the dieties."  They are used in conjunction with Mantras, very specific chants that correspond with the deity represented in the Yantra.

I was first introduced to Yantras through a yoga class  in 1990's, at the Crossroads Learning Center in Seattle, Washington.  Our instructor  was empowered to initiate us into the Hindu practice for Dhaneshwari, a left hand Goddess of Prosperity.   Part of the practice entailed working with yantras that had been etched on a copper plate, like the one to the left.  As the group metalsmith, I was asked to generate  copper yantras in a language  we could read. I found the whole process of working with the yantras to be very powerful, from making  them, to the ceremony to initiate us to connect with the yantras, to working with the yantras in private and then with a group of practitioners with intention.  

How the Medallions are made:  I made all  the medallions that are for sale  with a torch and a centrifuge  using the lost wax method.  They are not stamped like most coins or medallions, so are thicker,  more substantial and feel great in the hand.  Similarly, all the grinding and polishing is done in my studio,  located in Seattle, Washington,  in the Pacific Northwest of the USA where many religions merge and grow.

*The Dhaneshwari Copper Yantra has the number sequence etched into the plate for working with the yantra .

Yantra/Mantra Medallions came into being through the group practice related to our Dhaneshwari initiation, an organic group  process, to be precise.  One part of the practice entailed giving the Goddess Dhaneshwari and the priest a coin as an offering for a culmination fire ceremony called a homa.  After working with the square copper Yantras and Mantras and experiencing their potential,  we came up with the notion of a coin as an offering, with the yantra on one side and the mantra on the other.  We all thought it  would be an excellent offering and ritual object.   I set out to make the medallions.

Since then, the medallions have gone through various incarnations, some seen here to the right,  as I refine the process. Thus far I have made Mantra/Yantra Medallions for Dhaneshwari, Ganesha and Tara.    I also have copper plate Yantras for Dhaneshwari and Kali, most of which are available for purchase below.  Out of respect to the spiritual origin of the coin idea, I have opted to refer to the Mantra/Yantra coins as Medallions.  They are not intended for use as currency, rather they are to help focus the current of energy the yantra represents. 

To learn more about Yantras and their uses, I recommend the Yantra book below (left), which is considered one of the best books on Yantras available in English, by Madhu Khanna.