Each month, “My Better Day” newsletter contains tips for your yoga practice, yoga quotes to bring yoga off the mat and into your life, affirmations to brighten your day and motivate, and more! It is my wish for your well-being that I send this newsletter to help make your day a Better Day!
In this issue: Yoga quote, Practice yoga pose, Meditation on the go, Chakrascope, Hand Mudra, Featured Card Deck and Quote, Healthy News, Featured Recipe, Favorite Yoga Music / DVD, Happenings at Better Day Yoga LLC, Final Relaxation Quote.
*By the way–this newsletter is one of the 8 part/posts newsletters. They took quite a bit of time so I began doing single post newsletters after the February/March 2014 newsletter. That being said, if you want all of the posts of one newsletter for the 8 part/posts, please hit the back button to go back to all the posts listed with the newsletter your’re reading. Hope that makes sense!
Namasté,
Sandy Krzyzanowski
Founder, Better Day Yoga LLC
“All my life’s a circle; Sunrise and sundown; Moon rolls thru the nighttime; Till the daybreak comes around..” ~ Harry Chapin
In my recent meditation workshop, I highlighted “spinning” as a moving meditation. The “Whirling Dervishes from the Sufis, such as Rumi, were known for this. Perhaps the best known dance mediation is the Whirling Dervish from the Sufis. See the Chakra Meditation book by Swami Saradananda for a “whirling meditation” to activate the solar plexus chakra. The Five Tibetans by Peter Kelder also has spinning “rite” to stimulate, or speed up, the vortexes/chakras/energy centers in the body.
(Side note for those of you that are unsure of what a “chakra” is—here’s a reprint of the opening paragraph in my “Chakrascope” section below for a quick primer: The rainbow-colored spheres within my logo are representative of the chakra system within the body.
There are seven energy centers called chakras (literally “wheels”) that store energy/life force/prana. They are along the spinal column and correlate to major nerve ganglia branching forth from the spinal column. Each has a different relationship to a gland in the body’s endocrine system. Each stimulates different organs and systems in the body. Hatha Yoga activates these energy centers releasing the energy that flows through the spine. Yoga helps these energy centers/nerve bundles to function correctly clearing blocks that may be there. Each chakra also is associated with a mental/emotional focus.)
The Five Tibetans by Peter Kelder promotes clockwise circles to stimulate the chakras/vortexes—that’s spinning from left to right. He even goes so far as to explain it one step further—“if you put a clock on the floor face up, you would turn in the same direction as the clock hands.” This is only one of the five “rites” you perform to get the energy centers (chakras) spinning normally again which is said to bring back and maintain your youthful health and vitality. The Chakra Meditation book by Swami Saradananda promotes an anticlockwise rotation of your body and focuses on using it to stimulate the solar plexus chakra—the gravitational center of your body and the center of your self worth.
I can’t explain or vouch for one direction of spin over the other except to say I have practiced the “Five Tibetans” and there was a definite effect. Let’s just say that my physical body told me something was indeed happening. That was enough for me. While I’ve read that healthy, unblocked chakras typically spin in the clockwise direction, I’ve also read that some believe the spin can change direction depending on whether you are male or female.
When I pointed the two spinning directions out as possible methods of moving meditations in my workshop, a Native American student in my class pointed out that there is “something to the direction” we take in circles. She shared that in her tribe you enter a burial ceremony walking in a counter-clockwise direction so the spirit of the recently deceased would know not to continue forward and that it was time to return to their source. It’s meant to bring peace to all.
I think modern society takes geometric shapes for granted. Had I known the rich history geometry has, I would have been a whole lot more interested in it the first time I encountered it in school! I know there is to be a “separation of church and state”, but I think it’s the magic of the spiritual that makes a subject come to life. Had they even alluded to the beginnings of geometry being “sacred geometry”, I know I would have paid more attention.
The circle, the triangle and the square “are believed to be the first symbols that were taught to man by priests over 25,000 years ago. At one level they represent sun (‘Circle and the One God’), earth (‘Square: the Earthly Mother’), and fire (‘Triangle: the Will’); at another they symbolize the base (crimson), the sacral (flame orange) and the solar (flame yellow) energy chakras. These are the chakras of the Lower (material and physical) self.” Harmony Angel Cards by Angela McGerr. (The base chakra in the second example is equal to the square, the sacral chakra is equal to the circle, and the solar (plexus) chakra is equal to the triangle.)
To encompass all the aspects of circles in our current and ancient history would be more than could be covered in a mere newsletter. This is my humble “spin”, if you will, on the magic contained within the circle.
The circle is the birthplace of all geometric shapes and patterns. The creation of the “line” was born when a second circle was made using any point on the circumference of the first as the center of the second circle. Connect the two points and you have a line. Connect the circles centers with each other and with the point above where the circles cross and you have a triangle. I could go on. You get the idea.
Literally, it is within the overlapping intersection of circles, referred to as the vesica piscis, that geometric shapes take their form. The vesica piscis is considered the “womb” within which all geometric patterns develop. The vesica piscis has had mystical and religious significance throughout history being associated with Freemasonry, some forms of the Kabbalah, and it is even referenced in the Gospel of John regarding Jesus’ miraculous catch of fish.
Why does such mysticism surround geometric shapes? Because the ancients considered geometry as sacred. Geometric patterns and shapes represented the Universe, our Source, our Gods and Goddesses. The triangle, for example, refers to the trinities found in various religions, and even science—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Mother, Maiden, Crone; Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva; Mind, Body, Spirit; Light, Energy, and Mass. Geometry is nature expressing itself. Nature expressing itself is God expressing itself. So to say the circle is the birthplace of all geometric shapes and patterns is to say the circle represents our Source—the complete Universe. As the quotes that cap both the beginning and the end of my newsletter reflect, the circle represents the cycles of life.
Above the entrance to Plato’s academy in ancient Athens were the words “Let none ignorant of geometry enter here.” The understanding of mathematics was a prerequisite to entering the esteemed academy.
“Geometry existed before the creation” ~ Plato
“Numbers are the sources of form and energy in the world.” ~ Theon of Smyrna (Second Century A.D., Platonist mathematician)
Geometry was held with such high regard that the instruments of geometry were considered elements of the Divine—the compass, straight edge, and pencil. Geometric shapes and patterns were incorporated in art and architecture with the circle symbolizing the number “one”. The circle symbolized stability and oneness. Seated in a circle, we all have equal status, don’t we? The creation of a circle starts with a point in the center using a compass. Consider this—everything starts with a “point”—without a center, it is “pointless”; and, therefore, crumbles.
The circle is considered a sacred space:
- “The Circle Christian Symbol represents eternity. The circle symbolizes eternity as it has no beginning or end. Because of this many early Christians believed that there was something divine in circles. Early Astronomy and astrology was connected to the divine for most medieval scholars, the circular shape of the sun, moon and the planets were related to God’s act of Creation. The following image shows the use of a compass to create the perfect circle. And a bright ring, or circle, is used (halo or aureole) to surround the heads of saints and the whole bodies of other holy persons.” http://www.catholic-saints.info/catholic-symbols/circle-christian-symbol.htm
Circle in Christian Art
Image Credit: http://www.catholic-saints.info/catholic-symbols/circle-christian-symbol.htm
- “The medicine wheel is a sacred symbol used by Plains tribes and others to represent all knowledge of the universe.
The medicine wheel consists of a circle with horizontal and vertical lines drawn through the circle’s center. Sometimes, an eagle feather is attached in the wheel’s center.Design MeaningCircle -The circle represents the sacred outer boundary of the Earth often referred to as the Sun Dance Circle or the Sacred Hoop. It represents the continuous pattern of on-going life and death.Lines- The horizontal and vertical lines represent the sun and man’s sacred paths, respectively; the crossing of the two lines indicates the center of the Earth where one stands when praying.Feather -The eagle feather is a sign of Wakan Tanka’s – the Great Spirit’s – power over everything.” To read more about the medicine wheel and the colors of the four directions, go here.
Image Credit: http://www.crystalinks.com/medicinewheel.html
- “Medicine wheels, or sacred hoops, were constructed by laying stones in a particular pattern on the ground. Most medicine wheels follow the basic pattern of having a center of stone(s), and surrounding that is an outer ring of stones with “spokes”, or lines of rocks radiating from the center. Some ancient types of sacred architecture were built by laying stones on the surface of the ground in particular patterns common to aboriginal peoples.Originally, and still today, medicine wheels are stone structures constructed by certain indigenous peoples of North America for various astronomical, ritual, healing, and teaching purposes. Medicine wheels are still “opened” or inaugurated in Native American spirituality where they are more often referred to as “sacred hoops”, which is the favored English rendering by some. There are various native words to describe the ancient forms and types of rock alignments. One teaching involves the description of the four directions. More recently, syncretic, hybridized uses of medicine wheels, magic circles, and mandala sacred technology are employed in New Age, Wiccan, Pagan and other spiritual discourse throughout the World.An odd variation sometimes found in medicine wheels is the presence of a passageway, or a doorway, in the circles. The outer ring of stones will be broken, and there will be a stone path leading up to the center of the wheel.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_wheel
(See the “Meditation on the Go” Section below for more on Labyrinths.)
Bighorn medicine wheel in Wyoming
Image credit: http://www.sacredland.org/medicine-wheel/
Geometry is defined as “The mathematics of the properties, measurement, and relationships of points, lines, angles, surfaces, and solids.” As already alluded to, the ancients associated a number with each geometric shape—the circle symbolizing the number one, the line representing the number two, the triangle representing the number three, the square representing the number four, etc. In their effort to understand their Creator, our ancestors analyzed nature’s points, lines, angles, surfaces, and solids because they knew that to know the creator, we only need to look at their creation.
“If you want to understand the Creator, seek to understand created things.” ~ St. Columbanus (c. 543-615).
Pythagoras, the Greek philosopher, felt “numbers to be the ultimate elements of the universe” and established a correlation between mathematics and energy. Churches have been constructed using mystical number systems that the architects believed enhanced an experience of God while within their walls. Egyptians used magical ratios and mystical geometry to construct the pyramids. Incorporating the energy of geometric patterns into their lives was their way of worshiping their Creator—Sacred geometry indeed.
Movement, Spirals, and Spin
The rotation along the circle also mesmerized our ancestors. Going in a clockwise direction, historically, has been considered flowing with the Wheel, or circle, of Life. It was considered the natural flow.
The movement of the sun had significant influence in ancient cultures. The sun’s energy was vital to all life. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west—clockwise. Anything that flowed opposite to this movement was considered negative or unlucky. There are many stories in folklore about counterclockwise movement bringing chaos and loss of power.
Perhaps this is why there is some evidence that traveling west to east (counterclockwise) is more disruptive for most? Or perhaps this is why UPS drivers find more efficiency by using right turns exclusively in all of their deliveries? We can only speculate. I’ve read that Native Americans both enter and exit the sweat lodge in a clockwise/”sunwise” direction.
But don’t discount counter-clockwise yet! The Cherokee fire and stomp dance ceremony is done in a counterclockwise direction to keep the heart toward the fire. The earth rotates on its axis in a counterclockwise direction and it is the direction it circles around the sun. Likewise, the moon moves around the earth in a counterclockwise direction as does our solar system in the Milky Way. Our Milky Way is another type of circle, the spiral.
“The Spiral is known as an ancient symbol of evolution. One of the oldest symbols of human spirituality in existence, the spiral has been found carved into cave dwellings, rocks and tombs all over the world. It is said to symbolize the evolution of the universe, the never-ending cycles of growth, change and eternal life as well as the cycles of the seasons.
The spiral seems to tell a story about the labyrinthine journey of life and death and speaks of the possibility of rebirth. Each loop of the spiral progresses us to a higher level, yet always returns us to the same place. It demonstrates life renewal by returning to the source.
Spirals are seen in all forms of nature. Shells, plants, galaxies and even human fingertips are just a few of the places that this simple design appears.” (Original quote from above is from a now inactive website. I found similar wording here.)
“The Celts and other ancient peoples are thought to have used spirals as symbols of the sun, source of all life. (The spiral) reflects the undying energy of the universe—as well as the progress of the soul.” Meditating with Mandalas, by David Fontana.
The spiral can be an analogy for your spiritual path in life. Journeying inward along the spiral, you find your own unique center—your “point” for being in this world at this time. While journeying outward, you experience your life lessons. Just when you think you have mastered one lesson, the spiral teaches you that there is always a next and a next around the bend. We are always journeying, always learning. The journey inward parallels your journey outward. Your progress in one direction fosters the progress in the other direction. It is through life’s lessons that you come to accumulate your inner wisdom. It is through your accumulated inner wisdom that you are better able to understand life’s lessons. This analogy echoes the dual spirals of our DNA containing the traits which make each of us unique.
The structure of part of a DNA double helix
Image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA
Clockwise or counterclockwise? Is one really better, or more natural, than the other? Does one really represent a negative aspect and the other a positive one? I believe it depends on your purpose, and as always, your focus. Both directions have their “best purpose”. Yin/yang; cold/hot; male, female; light, dark—you can’t have one without the other. You can’t have the inhale without the exhale. Polar opposites define each other. Neither is better nor best.
Even if you might associate the right as “positive” and the left as “negative”, consider that we turn jar tops and other containers to the right (clockwise) to “close” and to the left (counterclockwise) to “open”. Do you associate “closing” as a positive or negative? How about “opening”? They are polar opposites. Both are required for the lids to function as intended. Neither is “good” or “bad”.
When I wrote about using my “singing Tibetan bowls” to clear the chakras, I referenced using the clockwise direction to align the chakras and the counterclockwise direction to clear any blocks. This is similar to the Reiki (energy work) spiral symbol, known as Cho Ku Rei. The counterclockwise spin decreases and disperses energy, removing blocks; and the clockwise direction increases energy. Both directions have their positive aspects. It’s all in how you define it.
“For every action there is an equal but opposite reaction.” ~ Sir Issac Newton
Wish you could retake your high school geometry class now? I didn’t think so, but it’s my hope that perhaps you’ll look twice at nature’s designs and ponder along with your ancestors.
“Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back to where they were. The life of a man is in a circle from childhood to childhood and so it is in everything where power moves. Our teepees were round like the nests of birds, and these were always set in a circle, the nation’s hoop.” ~ Black Elk.
“All my life’s a circle;
Sunrise and sundown;
Moon rolls thru the nighttime;
Till the daybreak comes around.
All my life’s a circle;
But I can’t tell you why;
Season’s spinning round again;
The years keep rollin’ by.
It seems like I’ve been here before;
I can’t remember when;
But I have this funny feeling;
That we’ll all be together again.
No straight lines make up my life;
And all my roads have bends;
There’s no clear-cut beginnings;
And so far no dead-ends.
Chorus:
I found you a thousand times;
I guess you done the same;
But then we lose each other;
It’s like a children’s game;
As I find you here again;
A thought runs through my mind;
Our love is like a circle;
Let’s go ’round one more time.
Chorus ”
Lyrics From The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com
(This is my favorite version of this absolutely beautiful song by one of my favorite songwriters, Harry Chapin.)
