The Circle

The circle symbolizes our original state of undifferentiated oneness. It is a state of innocence and purity, wholeness and harmony. The Garden of Eden is a another representation and symbol of this place of comfort, contentment, and security. Ideally, the womb is also such a place. Infants who do not yet differentiate between themselves and mother experience this state of oneness or unity. In this state we feel at one with nature and the universe. We often long to return to it, and throughout history there have been attempts to return to or bring back this state of bliss. The expressionist painter Gauguin succumbed to it and moved to the South Seas in quest of what was termed the Noble Savage. A more recent expression of it was the Back-to-the-Land movement, as well as much of what has been called the New Age. It also shows its presence in our use of the word "natural."

The circle represents our origins – our mother, the sea, the earth, the universe. This phase is essential for our development, for it prepares a foundation for what is to come. If it is cut short, the next phase of tension and conflict may be too difficult to bear. Many of today's youth have had their childhood curtailed, and the consequences of this are evident. In the other extreme, i.e. of having an over-extended childhood, a person may get stuck in the circle stage. On the one hand, we always need to stay connected with our origins; on the other, we need to gain our independence from it. The tension between these two tendencies stays with us throughout our lives. Our success in maintaining this balance has been referred to as constancy.

While this original state is often like paradise to us, it also has a shadow side. It is a state where consciousness is identified with its content – a state of oneness makes no allowances for self-consciousness or freedom. Since there is only the One, there can be no stepping back to get a perspective on what is perceived or heard. A child who is going to become aware of mother will have to separate from her. A state of oneness implies complete dependence – the child can do little for him or herself. The inner urge to be an individual sooner or later overcomes this dependence, and when this happens the child leaves the Garden of Eden and enters the "real" world. This is the world of objective consciousness and is represented by the cross.

---

Feedback or comments welcome.
Dirk Kelder
May 30, 2010.

www.polaritydynamics.com/tc1.htm