A Circular Life
Topic: ThisIsWhat I LearnedToday
I lay in bed unable to sleep for hours last night. My mind was on an endless train of thought, all because of these paragraphs I read in a book called Spirit Maps by Joanna Arettam.

[snip]

The path to the centre is always in full view, but most of us are too engrossed in our frenzied lives to even recognize that spiritual trail, let alone to slow down and follow it. The irony is that the spiral leading inward is the perfect antidote to a life spiralling out of control. This book invites you to "walk" the path with your eyes and heart to that quiet place within yourself where loose ends come together, chattering ceases, and a profound sense of serenity softens the boundaries between you and the rest of the universe.

[/snip]

I was just telling a friend that my life had been on a downward spiral into itself, and that last night's sleepless train of thought was part of climbing back out of the drain. I said that life has a way of getting away on you from time to time, and you have to lasso it back into some semblance of conformity, if you wish to find your balance once again. That balance is crucial for me.

This book features beautiful Mandala artworks that I find absolutely mesmerizing. It is a comfort to discover that I am not alone in my circular thinking. Here is another snippet from the book...

[snip]

The Mandala, Symbol of Oneness

Mandala in Sanskrit, the mother of all languages, (how I which I could study it) means sacred circle or container of essence. A mandala is a symbol for all that is. It is an abstraction of the cosmos, infinity made comprehensible to our finite minds. Spirals, crosses, stars, and wheels are examples of mandalas - centering images that were already ancient when Stonehenge (also a mandala) was erected. A mandala is a map to the very center of oneself - a spirit map.

Virtually every religion has a mandala somewhere in hits folds. Not all are circles, but all direct you to their visual center. Ideally, they direct you to your own spiritual center as well. Consider the Christian cross, with its center at the axis of vertical and horizontal; the Hebrew Star of David, whose upward and downward triangles mesh to form a six-pointed star with a hexagram heart; and the Taoist t’ai ch’i,(I miss doing tai chi) whose inter-locking yin-and-yang commas represent the union of opposites. The circular stained-glass window of a Gothic cathedral, such as the famous rose window in Chartres, is a mandala, its brilliance a metaphor for the illumination of the spirit; so is the cloister, with its intersecting pathways meant for walking in prayer or directed contemplation. Stand under the cupola of an Islamic mosque and look heavenward; you’ll see a mandala in mosaic. Take a bird’s-eye-view of a Sufi dervish, whirling in worship; you’ll see a mandala in motion.

Native American medicine wheels, compasses for body and soul, are constructed of stones, sticks, feathers and other objects that speak to their particular makers. They are mandalas. Tibetan tanka scrolls, with their concentric geometry, are mandalas for ritual mediation.

The lotus blossom, a Buddhist symbol for enlightenment, is a madala, as is the Dharma Wheel, symbol of the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth. The ringed Celtic cross, the crossroads of the Yoruba, Dante’s circles of heaven and hell - madalas all.

[/snip]

*sigh*

I believe the ‘timing’ of wanting to read this book once again, is perfect.

When I die, please burry me under a mountain of books... *wink*


To quote the Duke boys...

Bo: “I can’t wait to make love to it” (when talking about the General Lee)

Luke: “You mean you can’t wait to make love in it...”

Bo: “No, I mean, I wanna fuck it!”

Now how sick is it that I feel the same way about books?!! *grin*

This is surely not the first time I talk in circles, and probably won’t be the last time either.

What can I say, I’m a loopy gal that way!

Jin Shin Do

Since my doc basically told me that the only other medical option left to me would be surgery, he suggested that perhaps I should seek acupuncture, as it has been known to help with tendon problems.

Coincidently, in yesterday's local paper, there was a story about a new business in the area...an acupressurist practicing Jin Shin Do I've done some research and I think I will call her next week sometime. No harm in going for an assessment of sorts, is there?

Also, on the health front...I have started working out again. Granted I have to adapt a portion of it to meet the capacity of my right arm, but at least it's something.

I do need to keep/improve my mobility.