The power of circles

3 insights to inspire your thinking

Mar 07, 2024

In our last article we talked about sand, and why we love using it in art. This time we’re sharing 3 Ways To Think About Circles that inspire us.

#1: THE WORLD

Our eyes look out on the world through a circular field of vision. When we gather together, it’s often in a circle. The circle shape gives us comfort and a feeling of wholeness, for reasons described beautifully by Oglala Sioux holy man Black Elk.

The power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round . . . The sky is round and I have heard the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars…birds make their nest in circles…The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same…Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were.
from Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt

#2: THE SPIRIT

The Ancient Sanskrit Word for Circle is Mandala.

Mandalas are used in religious rituals and cultural celebrations all over the globe. Hindu rangoli, First Nation medicine wheels, the Aztec sun, Celtic knots, and rose windows are all examples of the sacred circle. Mandalas can be made of flowers, rice, stones, sand, and other natural materials, carved in stone or fused in glass.

Sand mandalas made by Tibetan monks show the pathway of the human mind to enlightenment. After many hours of construction, the mandalas are swept away to symbolize the impermanence of life.

#3: THE SELF

Carl Jung, the founder of analytic psychology, found himself drawing circles to relax. The practice reminded him of the sacred circles he had encountered around the world, and he felt that by making mandalas he was connecting not only to history but to all humankind. He said:

“I sketched every morning in a notebook a small circular drawing, a mandala, 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.”

sand art mandalas — Mandalas evoke a sense of peace and tranquility. A personal mandala can be made for relaxation and self-knowledge, and can also become a window into other cultures.

The World….The Spirit….The Self….

Because mandalas can connect us to our inner selves and to our shared history, we believe making personal mandalas can be a way for us to explore the things we have in common as well as our differences. Making and meditating on mandalas can begin to bring us into connection to ourselves, to our inner truths, and to each other.

Thanks for coming along on this journey with us. In my next article I will tell you where sand and circles meet, and exactly what we’re launching.

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