The Dance of Circles
The Art of Balancing Ritual Circles in Our Personal and Spiritual Journeys
Introduction
As a performer and practitioner of ritual, I find myself frequently contemplating tools, artefacts, and the concept of circles that encompass the various aspects of my work and life. Circles serve as a metaphor for the interconnectedness and fluidity of our experiences. In this post, I will delve deeper into the nature of these circles, examining their transformation, interaction, and the impact of our awareness on our ritual practices and existence.
The Nature of Circles: Intricacies and Transformations
Each ritual, relationship, or experience in our lives has its own circle, which may be contained within a larger circle that I would describe as the ritual of existence in this realm. These circles are not static; rather, they are in a constant state of motion, influenced by our actions and the world around us. The area of activity within my ritual practice is often nebulous and formless because, both outside and inside of public ritual performances, I have always found it more powerful to observe how the circles grow, shift, and transform. The beauty of this approach lies in the adaptability and resilience of these circles, mirroring the ever-changing nature of our lives.
Understanding the intricacies and transformations of these circles allows us to appreciate the complex web of connections that shape our existence. By exploring the various aspects of our lives that form these circles, we gain a deeper understanding of how our actions and choices influence the dance of circles in our rituals and existence.
Merging and Collapsing Circles: A Delicate Dance
As I explore the nature of these circles, I recognize that my perspective might be considered a mistake or failure by some. A great deal of Western esotericism and magic aims to convince us of the importance of containment, promoting the idea that our circles should be clearly defined and separate. However, in a journey as long and strange as mine has been, the circles of the rituals we enact begin to merge, overlap, and collapse into one another due to wisdom, neglect, success, failure, and everything in between.
This dance of merging and collapsing circles can be both beautiful and chaotic, revealing the complexities of our personal journeys and the intricate web of connections that shape our lives. Embracing this dance requires a delicate balance between control and surrender, as we navigate the ever-changing landscape of our circles. By acknowledging the beauty of merged and collapsed circles, we can appreciate the ways in which our lives are shaped by both the harmonious and discordant aspects of existence.
Balancing Awareness and Flow: Walking the Edge
How we view the collapse of ritual space is crucial; should we welcome it, or should we continually be aware of the edge? I believe the answer lies in the actual practice. When we are engaged in the performance of the ritual, in unison with the divine, we are aware of the flow of the circles we are dancing between. Ceasing activity is like resetting the sand in a Japanese meditation garden, akin to a tractor clearing a beach of debris. This act of resetting can be both helpful and disruptive, depending on the context and the intentions of the performers.
The challenge, then, is to walk the edge between awareness and flow, allowing our circles to interact and transform while remaining mindful of their boundaries and the potential consequences of their collapse. By finding this balance, we can enrich our ritual practices and foster a deeper connection with the divine.
Context Matters: Navigating the Complexity of Circles
In the intricate dance of circles, context is everything. I am often asked for a definitive answer on best practices, but such questions are akin to asking, "how long is a piece of string?" The important skill is to be able to see all activity and all circles, developing sight beyond sight, feeling the actions behind you, above you, and below you. This heightened awareness allows us to navigate the complexity of our circles more effectively, making informed decisions about when to merge, separate, or transform them. This skill is developed over time and it is deeply connected to our intuition and held in connection to how we experience faith.
Sacred Magic and the Fluidity of Ritual
Perhaps this is how Sacred Magic supersedes the formal structures of Western Ceremonial Magic. When ceremony becomes set and rigid, it restricts wonder, beauty, love, and truth from flowing out across each of the circle of our story. By embracing fluidity and interconnectedness in our rituals, we can cultivate a deeper connection with the divine and allow our experiences to transcend the limitations of formal structures.
Returning to the Ritual of Writing.
This week, after many months of stalling, I returned to the ritual of working on the book I've been writing for the last five years. I am aware it has taken too long, and I am conscious that this is where divinity is calling me to focus my attention within the ritual spheres of the performance of my existence. I have paid a high price for the neglect of this knowledge.
It is one thing to feel lost to your path; it is an entirely different form of sin to know intuitively and instinctively the circle you are being called to create and perform within and then feel unable to move forward. A call to action becomes insalubrious when it is ignored or neglected. Although I am working on the second draft of the book, I know that the delays and pauses that have occurred are linked to the prime circle that the story of my life is held within.
A ritual can include an intentional break between the witness/audience and the performer if that is in loyalty to the story it is communicating, but can it just stop? Pause? Placing the audience/performer into stasis reflects out across all the other circles, affecting and displacing all other actions in all other spaces. My return to the ritual of writing has become a new circle in the dance of my existence, challenging me to find the balance between the many circles that make up my life and work.
Embracing the Eternal Dance of Circles in Ritual and Existence
The dance of circles in our ritual practices and existence offers a profound metaphor for the interconnectedness, fluidity, and complexity of our lives. By delving deeper into the nature of these circles and the delicate balance between awareness and flow, we can better navigate our personal journeys and understand the intricate web of connections that shape our existence.
As we move through our lives, we must strive to maintain a balance between awareness and flow, honouring the circles that surround us while remaining open to their transformation and interaction. Let us seek to make sense of the circles we create and perform within, and embrace the eternal dance that connects us all.
John Harrigan
Thank you! Powerful and mind-opening! It arrived just in time :)