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Inspiration for the Spirit

A lovely place to wander for poetry and inspiration to soothe the soul

Home ▷ Mandalas ▷ Something About Circles

Something About Circles

by Patricia Petro

There is something about the Rakotzbrück in Gablenz, Germany’s Kromlauer Park that makes it special. Surrounded by verdant foliage, the delicately arched bridge was designed to be one-half of a perfect circle so that when the water it crosses is still and the light is right, the bridge creates the illusion of a complete stone circle.

The Rakotzbrücke, constructed in 1860, was called The Devil's Bridge because, at the time, it appeared so miraculous a structure, only the devil could have built it

The Rakotzbrücke in Gablenz, Germany’s Kromlauer Park

What’s special about the Rakotzbrücke is its circle. If you stare at it long enough, you can almost feel the magic.

“A circle is the longest distance to same point.” —Tom Stoppard

circlessunCircles are round geometric shapes without corners. They have no beginning, no end.

In just about every culture, circles are sacred symbols representing eternity, infinity, wholeness, balance, unity, divinity, and the universe.

Circles appear in all aspects of life—the celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon . . . the common circular objects we live with on a daily basis, like steering wheels, clock faces, and slices of round fruit . . . as well as the conceptual circles of family, friends, community, and life itself.

circlesThe Circle of Life, sometimes called ensō in Zen, represents the continuous cycle of birth, living, death, and rebirth. It is a spiritual concept, symbolic of our journey from cradle to grave, reminding us that nothing truly dies—it just takes on form in another way, continuing to exist in some capacity forever.

“Life is a circle. The end of one journey is the beginning of the next.” —Joseph M. Marshall III

With the seasons, circles also appear conceptually as recurring cycles. There is spring, summer, autumn, and winter . . . then it’s spring again, and we start over. The same is true with time—day turns into night, night turns into the next day, which turns into night again . . . as days turn into months and months turn into years. It is a constant loop. The end is always the beginning of another end.

Circles have been around since before the beginning of recorded history. The earliest civilizations used circles to convey messages and ideas. Prehistoric people made stone and timber circles—like those at Stonehenge—and circular elements are common in petroglyphs and cave paintings.

click to enlarge

Stonehenge

The ancient circular structure, Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England was constructed about 5,000 years ago

Circles exist in the rose windows of cathedrals and other forms of sacred art. They have been explored and developed to an exceptional degree in Buddhist, Tibetan, and Indian cultures, and they are widely used in Native American rituals, dreamcatchers, mandelas, and medicine wheels.

By tradition, the images are drawn, painted, modeled (as in sand sculpture) and even danced (as in the North American Hoop Dance, which represents the eternal circle of life and is used for healing).

Interesting circles found around the world

The round city of Baghdad in the 10th century, at the peak of the Abbasid Caliphate (Illustration: Jean Soutif/Science Photo Library)
Crop circles in England (Photo: Aleksy/Fotolia)
Sugi trees were planted in 1973 in Japan’s Miyazaki Prefecture to create concentric circles
The Colosseum, an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of Rome, was completed in 80 AD
The Tholos of Delphi in Greece, part of the ancient Temple of Athena Pronaia, dates back to 380-370BC
Perdana Botanical Gardens in the Heritage Park of Kuala Lumpur, Malasia (Photo: Deva Darshan/Unsplash)
Meditation maze made with rocks at the ocean shore
The Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth in historic King's Park, Winnipeg, Canada was designed for meditation, healing, and reflection (Photo: Brydon McCluskey/Unsplash)
Cathedral of the Armed Forces in Patriot Park, Kubinka, Russia (Photo: Dmitry Bogatyrev/Unsplash)
Labyrinth on the grounds of St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral on Bishop Street in Cork, Ireland (Photo: Fabrício Severo/Unsplash)
Interior dome of the Duomo di Siena in Sienna, Italy (Photo: David Siglin/Unsplash)
"Hora Haiducilor de la Bravicea" by sculptor Nicolae Vieru in Moldova depicts the traditional folk dance Hora and symbolizes the people as a nation in unity (Photo: Maria Lupan/Unsplash)
Moray—an archaeological site in Peru containing Inca ruins and consisting of several circular terraces (Photo: Willian Justen de Vasconcellos/Unsplash)
Spiral staircase of the Phare de Baleines Lighthouse on the Ile de Re island, France (Photo: Nicolas Hoizey/Unsplash)
London Eye at night (Photo: Jack B/Unsplash)
Hedge maze in Parque Juan Carlos I, Madrid, Spain (Photo: Victor/Unsplash)
The spiral hill, called Helix, in Parco Del Portello, Milan, Italy
Roundabout in Setia Ecohill Park in Semenyih, Malaysia (Photo: Firdouss Ross/Unsplash)
Kedleston Hall ceiling, Derby, UK
Situated in modern-day Turkey, Gobekli Tepe, with its 20 round dwellings, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world
The work itself has a complete circle of meaning and counterpoint. And without your involvement as a viewer, there is no story. —Anish Kapoor
Resources: Round City of Baghdad | Sugi Tree Crop Circles | Colosseum | Tholos of Delphi | Perdana Botanical Gardens | Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth | Cathedral of the Armed Forces | Labyrinth at St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral | Duomo di Siena | Moray in Peru | Phare de Baleines Lighthouse staircase | | Portello Park | Gobekli Tepe

Photos from around the world:
Perdana Botanical Gardens, Malaysia by Deva Darshan on Unsplash.
Beach maze by Ashley Batz on Unsplash.
Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth by Brydon McCluskey on Unsplash.
Cathedral of the Armed forces by Dmitry Bogatyrev on Unsplash.
Labyrinth at St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral by Fabrício Severo on Unsplash.
Duomo di Siena by David Siglin on Unsplash.
Hora Haiducilor de la Bravicea, Călărași by Maria Lupan on Unsplash.
Moray in Peru by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos on Unsplash.
Spiral staircase of the Phare de Baleines lighthouse on the Ile de Re island, France by Nicolas Hoizey on Unsplash.
London Eye by Jack B on Unsplash.
Parque Juan Carlos I Hedge maze by Victor on Unsplash.
Setia Ecohill Park Roundabout by Firdouss Ross on Unsplash.

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