Going in Circles

My good friend Jessica sent me a ring for Christmas (in April! – or was it May?).  Anyways, I haven’t really taken it off since.  There was an instant appeal and internal joke.  The appeal was my love for all things spiral.  The internal joke was the feeling of going in circles.  And with it being a ring, the feeling of going in circles in my dating life.

Now, mind you, my dating life is OK.  I have been with a wonderful gentleman for over a year, but there are still the normal questions and ponderings inherent to any dating relationship.

In my day job, I speak often about the power of our words and the power of images to create the reality of our lives – perceived or otherwise.  And here I wear a spiral ring upon my finger and speak about going in circles.  NOT the thing I really want to be doing or the direction I really want to be heading!

So, I decided to do some research on the symbolism of the spiral.  Spirals are everywhere: shells, ferns, pinecones, the universe, art, religion.  Obviously, they have power.

What else can a spiral mean?  Growth and evolution for one.  As we pass by a given point again and again (think time) we aren’t in the same place, but a different one, further out (or further in depending on our direction).

It can also mean spiritual centeredness.  Circling ever closer to the center of yourself, the center of your thoughts, the center of your being.  This is why a spiral can be so meditative and is often used in labrynths.

Combine the two and you really have the journey of life.  As we circle inward to the center of ourselves and who we truly are, we grow ever outward in our experience of life.  As we answer the inner questions, the outer problems become solved.  The center is both the place where we journey from and the place where we long to return.

So, my ring is no longer a symbol of confusion and lack of decision, but rather a symbol of my journey in life.  A symbol of growth  – both inner and outer.  And, always, a symbol of my friendship with Jessica who gave me the ring in the first place!  Who knew it would be such a catalyst of thought and growth!  Thanks, Jess!