Visiting the Circle of Life

In my posting of June 30, 2013, I introduced the practices of active imagination and inner dialogue as tools for spiritual development. I have used drawings, paintings and sculpture as starting points for active imagination. In July, I used modeling clay to create a sculpture that I called “The Circle of My Family.”

Two days later, I sat naked in my cabin and put a lighted candle in the center of the sculpture.

Then I recorded my thoughts, which are transcribed below.
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When I reach the Circle of My Family I find that it has a kind of spiral shape, a loose spiral with a large phallus at one end. I see one man inside, and he is naked. And I see an arch overhead with something spiraled around that I recognize as the double helix of DNA.

I stand taking it all in and then very quickly undress and enter the circle – and something very startling happens. The energy and the circle is much stronger. For a moment I’m not sure where I am or what has happened, but this man approaches me, and he is friendly, and he smiles, and he puts his hand on my shoulders and kisses my lips gently and says. “Breathe.”

I consciously take in a deep breath. “Where am I?” I ask.

“This is the Circle of Life.”

“Yes, I feel life.”

“Your family is part of this circle, so is every family in the universe, whether it be an Earth family or a spiritual family or a family on some planet that you do not even know of.” I look up at the helix and realize that that is the source of the power. “Sit for a moment,” and he shows me a place to sit right on the edge of the circle with one leg out and one leg in, and he says “Here is your place to sit, so that you can be connected with your own personal world and with the world of life. This is the place to be,” and he shows me a small model that he has made of clay and I see this figure sitting on the edge, one leg out and one leg in; and he says, “That’s you. You need to realize that you must have one leg in time, one leg in eternity.”

I’m not sure what he means by this, but it seems right. So I let myself sit there, and he takes a cloth that’s damp and washes over my whole body, every part that he can reach; and I don’t resist him doing anything, for I trust that this is a purification; and we hear some thunder in the distance; and he says, “Do not fear. If there’s rain it will be purifying. This is rainwater that I have collected because it is the right water for washing you.”

And I suddenly sort of worry. My clothes are outside the circle there in the grass. Somehow that seems insignificant, but he seems to understand my concern. “You can leave anytime you want,” he says, “and come back anytime you want,” and I look at him. I know that this is true. So again I breathe in deeply this energy, and he helps me to stand up on the outside of the circle. I’m a little reluctant to leave but for that crazy thought of having wet clothes. So I turn away, and with my physical eyes I don’t look back, but in my mind I see him standing there inside the circle filled with that energy, and I know he is a guiding spirit, and I know I will return to him. I didn’t even ask his name, but something tells me his name is “Brother.”