Strength in the Circle
"The New People will find strength in the circle."
Wow, this statement is so powerful, and has so many meanings.
I have been finding strength in the circle for the past few years now, every day receiving more and more knowledge and power from such a simple shape.
The circle is sacred on so many levels, to so many people.
It all starts with the dot...an enclosed circle. A tiny speck in all of existence, holding all of creation within itself. Then the Creator decides it wants to experience itself so it takes a breath, inhale..... exhale.
In that breath the little dot expands and creates life. It is no longer just a small speck. In that breath it becomes a vital part to the whole.
"In the beginning there was the word."
The word is not the word until it is spoken, until the breath of life is given to it, only then does it become.
Dreamcatchers and medicine wheels decorated the walls of my home growing up. Though It's only been a few years since I really found my reverence for them. My love and awareness for the power of the circle has grown over the years. It wasn't until I learned about the mandala that I realized what the circle truly means.
Mandala means sacred circle
So what does it mean for something to be sacred?
To devote your time and energy into a specific purpose, usually defined through religion or connection to God. If we apply this to the idea of the Creator represented through the small dot and circle, we can see how the word mandala is perfect for the circle. Using the circle to represent our existence from our breath, through consciousness, and considering the word sacred... it makes sense that we are to devote our time and energy into ourselves to be connected to our highest power. That's what was meant by the statement "Know thyself.'
It all comes back to the circle.
Historically and culturally, the circle has been used all over the world with reverence. Tibetan monks create sand mandalas while they chant and meditate on specific mantras.
Jung recognized that the urge to make mandalas emerges during moments of intense personal growth.
"I sketched every morning in a notebook a small circular drawing, ... which seemed to correspond to my inner situation at the time. ... Only gradually did I discover what the mandala really is: ... the Self, the wholeness of the personality, which if all goes well is harmonious.— Carl Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections,
The more circles I make the more of myself I find. I started with sacred geometry. The flower of life is a beautiful visual to connect with this knowledge and awareness of self. Watching it unfold with each circle added to the whole is like watching life unfold.
From the flower of life, I explored symbolism and created what I felt through colors and images. Knowing that the circle was the essence of creation, I worked on meaningful mandalas to manifest my intentions.
Though somedays I just need to come back to center, so I started creating dreamcatchers. I realized in the dreamcatcher process we start from the outside circle and work our way in, whereas when creating the flower of life we start from the center and work our way out.
That is also the difference in the meditation, are we sending out our intentions to the universe to manifest our highest will, or are we reflecting inwardly to come back to our center.
I think its about a balance of doing both. Being alive is about the breath...the inhale and the exhale. The expansion as well as implosion.
Even in writing this I am finding my strength in the way of the circle.
Just remember to breathe.
<3 Gizaagin
