circles, ovals and infinity
Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace.
I remember, as a child, a little game in which we all held hands in a circle, sang a little song as we stepped sideways and around and we then all fell to the ground and laughed! Sometime we would get up and do it again, adding a little bit of speed to the singing and the movement. It was a lot of fun and we always seemed to erupt into lots of laughter and giggles!
Thinking about that the other day, I started to reflect on the meaning of a circle. Then I looked out the window and right in front of me was an oval, encircled with trees and bordered by a sidewalk, with lots of grass in the middle. It is a circle that has been stretched…just a bit. I always enjoy watching dogs and their owners playing there, and I occasionally see a couple of folks sitting on a blanket, enjoying a picnic and playing guitar. It is a lovely little place that feels like a small oasis in the midst of my community.
Then, I remembered the figure eight. It is one circle, stretched into an oval, I thought, and then one side flipped over…never breaking the circle. That is the sign for infinity ♾️. Infinity was described to me, years ago and in a spiritual context, as the symbol for the ongoing existence of a soul; the middle of the symbol – a doorway. One side of the symbol represents our human experience. The doorway is where we shed our human body and our soul continues into the Great Beyond or Universe or home to God, or whatever you prefer. Of course that same doorway is an opening to entering (or re-entering, if you will) as a human. It is a never ending process, beautifully depicted in that symbol – as it was described to me. It is an image that I find to be both powerful and comforting.
Life is a full circle, widening until it joins the circle motions of the infinite.
All of this is to say, that these – the circle, the oval and the infinity symbol are much softer than a square or rectangle. And yet as we observe our world, we can clearly see the edges, the divisions, the lines – drawn between.
Circles create an opportunity for us to see. We can see each other – everyone. There are no corners in which one can hide. When I think of the world, of community, I always think of a circle. Today I see so many places where the edginess of fear, anger, hate and other such divisive emotions are acted upon. And I wonder…what might happen if we put a circle where that square is.
The sun is round, the moon is round. What might we learn from the energetic power they have? How might we see how the sun is a life giving force for our human existence? When will we wake up to what is possible, rather than allowing ourselves to remain mired in the despair of a seeming loss of control (as if we had any control to begin with)?
All things from eternity are of like forms and come round in circle.
Thank you for this Carrie. I will sit with circles, Infinity signs and spirals. Perhaps it’s the curve that helps us see more clearly what is here. 💕
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Beautifully said, Val. I believe you’re right. The curve makes the difference. 💕
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Such profound and elegantly layered reflections, Carrie! 💜
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Thank you, Carol. 💜
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Beautiful post and reminder Carrie. I love the circle of life and all it teaches us. 🙂
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Thank you, Karen. I love the circle of life as well. Amazing and beautiful power…the imagery. 🙂🙏🏻
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You are right. We never had control to begin with.
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I think that’s why I like drawing mandalas so much. The circle has so much meaning. Thank you for this beautiful post, important questions, and the explanation of the infinity symbol. ❤
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Robin, thank YOU. Circles are such a powerful symbol! Mandalas, and as Karen mentioned, the Circle of Life. I love to color mandalas with pencils. It is such a peaceful, mindful experience…and you draw them! Very cool! I appreciated the explanation of the infinity symbol. It opened something in me that I knew and didn’t fully understand at the time. I’m glad you found it useful. ❤️
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Wonderful thoughts. You are right, in fact, I think this circle is what we are missing right now. Most of our systems have a dead end. We have to make it flow in a healthy way.
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Thank you for reading and commenting. I agree with you, and I like your concepts (from your latest post) of regeneration over sustainable. Very thoughtful…and real.
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Carrie,
First of all, I really like the new look for your website. Lovely.
Secondly, I appreciate the idea you shared here of an oval as a stretched circle. We are stronger than we realize. We can stretch our circle and keep a connection at the same time. I can see this as my individual circle and as the circle of all life.
Thirdly, replacing a square with a circle is a powerful shift from a model of hierarchy to one of equality. Squares have a top and bottom, circles don’t show up on the page in the same way.
Your words are encouragement for awakening into love.
I miss writing with you and I know that we will write again in the future.
Have a most beautiful day.
Ali
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Thank you, dear Ali…for all of this! I look forward to writing with you again, my friend.
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