Circularity is everywhere in our life. Understanding and harnessing the circular energetic power of life is life transforming.
Motor in the Sprague Electric Company building at MASS MoCA. Photo: Joan Hoeberichts
A circle is a transcendent, ancient symbol representing wholeness, unity, infinity, original perfection, the life cycle (circle) and the universe. The word mandala comes from Sanskrit, with meanings of “magic circle” and “from the essence.” Tibetan monks create elaborate mandalas with colored sand and now many have discovered the stress-reducing benefits of mandala coloring books. Electricity runs in a circuit – a circle. Wedding rings are circles. We sit in circles, hold hands, link arms and are connected as a whole, no one first or last.
The Earth circles around the sun and we have days and nights and changing seasons, each traveling back to the place they were before. Breathing in and breathing out is a continual circular action necessary for the circle of life. As Joni Mitchell puts it, “We’re captive on the carousel of time.”
Energetic circularity manifests in many forms. When we mindfully connect to our tasks and others, we create a powerful circular energetic connection. We experience the flow of both giving and getting, producing a sustainable way to navigate our hectic schedules and input-laden lives.
We all know the feeling of being frazzled and distracted. As we attempt a task, we are thinking about the million other things pressing against us like a rowdy gang of toddlers begging for attention.
When we are with someone who is constantly checking their phone, we assume they haven’t heard a word we are saying. The energetic connection is to the device, not the person in front of them.
Mandala drawn by a Sri Lankan counselor during a training, following the devastating tsunami.
Every action in our demanding lives, from important pursuits to mundane tasks, provides opportunities for tuning into circular energetic connections and becoming conscious of how we are always both giving and receiving. With this revised interpretation and fresh awareness, we are not depleted but stimulated and nourished at the end of the day. Everyone can work with his or her energetic connection.
Visualize energy flowing in and out as you breathe. Connect to both earth energy and star energy. Focus moment-by-moment on each and every action. Feel the in and the out, the giving and the getting. In that basic circular energetic connection, feel the life force in you and around you, connecting you to both what you do and to the other sentient beings in your life.
Ideally, our lives would have that sanctified feel where we are conscious and connected at all times. But if we find ourselves hydroplaning, overwhelmed and distracted, then it’s time to give ourselves a loving dose of self-compassion and gently, step-by-step, guide our awareness back to the circular energetic connection that links our inner energy to the energy of others, to the tasks at hand, and to our dear Mother Earth.
