Circles

The moon is most happy

When it is full.

And the sun always looks

Like a perfectly minted gold coin

That was just Polished

And placed in flight

By God’s playful kiss.

And so many varieties of fruit

Hang plump and round

From branches that seem like a Sculptor’s hands.

I see the beautiful curve of a pregnant belly

Shaped by a soul within,

And the Earth itself,

And the planets and the Spheres –

I have gotten the hint:

There is something about circles

The Beloved likes.

Hafiz,

Within the Circle of a Perfect One

There is an Infinite Community

Of Light.

Hafiz

I love circles! As I’ve been walking around the Bield grounds I can’t help but notice how many circles there are – circular shaped stones; stones which have circle markings; the circle of the fish pond/fountain; circles that form the trunks of the Giant Redwood trees (and the concentric circles that are at the heart of these great trunks, speaking to us of their age); the ripples of circles insects set off as they glance the surface of the curling pond; the flowers, the buds, the fruits; and the list could go on. As Hafiz, the 14th century Persian poet says, “There is something about circles the Beloved likes”!

At the Bield we sit in a circle for morning and evening prayer and we read our liturgy in the round. We walk around the circles of the grass labyrinth. We enjoy our Capacitar wellness practices standing or sitting in a circle. And our meetings are always in a circle. Why? Because in a circle, there is no more important point than another, no hierarchy; because a circle speaks of community in which all are included and accepted and in which every gift offered has value and every word spoken has wisdom.

To me a circle is perfect. It is a symbol of God’s all-embracing love. To the ancient Celtic Christians, it was a sacred symbol. Perhaps this is why they prayed Caim prayers. A Caim symbolised the love and presence of God, encircling and protecting.

In these times when the only constant is change, we are invited to lean into the encircling presence of God and to invite God to encircle those we love and the people, creatures and eco-system of our broken and hurting world.

A Caim Prayer

Encircle us, O God,

Keep injustice without and healing within.

Amen.

Valerie