Coming Full Circle.

The Hidden Meanings of the Circle.

Of all the symbols and basic geometric shapes the circle is the most rich in meaning. Not only in the geometry and physics, but also as a Big Player in humanity’s collective social and cultural evolution.

Let’s look at the pure form to start: “A circle is a line that is curved such that its ends meet and every point on the line is equidistant from the center.” That bit about every point being the same distance from the middle is rich in metaphorical meaning, isn’t it? For those of us philosophically inclined, we could stop right there and contemplate the profundity for some time…

But moving on, still in the realm of math and science, the little circle is the shape denoting “zero”. The discovery of the concept of no-thing, the zero value, caused a tremendously huge and significant revolution in mathematics 300 BC. Its full impact on the field however, wasn’t realized the fifth century, in India. A shrine was erected to commemorate the discovery. Good thing, because that little zero circle gave us not only the wheel, to start off human culture, but also the computer, that icing on the cake of our civilization.

Here’s a question you might find on a Mensa quiz: “Why is a manhole cover always perfectly round?” Oh, go ahead, put down this paper or screen for a few seconds and see if you can’t intuit the answer. (The only shape that can’t fall in the hole it covers, thus preventing potentially fatal accidents.)

But let’s jump off the geometry on to the social and cultural significance. Because the circle, again, is uniformly curved and has no corners or apexes, it is the most egalitarian formation for a group of people. None in the circle occupies a special, or different place of power or privilege. It’s also the most practical because everyone can see everyone else. And as a bonus, you can put someone or something in the middle, creating a focus.

Indeed, this is the most likely origin of human circles: sitting around the fire, that powerful source of heat, light and protection from predators. If the wheel (another circle!) and fire were the necessary and sufficient elements to begin the journey from animal to human, the circle as a group formation fostered that evolution to eventual larger and multifunctional communities.

It is important to remember too, that the universe shows us repeating patterns that form spontaneously at all levels of scale. For example, from the subatomic to the molecular structures we see spheres –which is a 3 dimensional circle—and we see the planets and stars organize as spheres. For early humans the Great Gods were those 2 main circles in the sky: the Sun and the Moon.

The circle then, was regarded as both sacred and quintessentially practical from our very early beginnings. And as such, our very DNA houses a deep structure resonance with and attraction toward circles and spheres. Whenever, and wherever people begin to move chairs or mats so that everyone present can sit in a circle, there is a, mostly unconscious, recognition that what is about to happen is important; significant.

When NASA personnel beamed photos of our earth taken from space back to us we got to see the 3rd great circle, the “pale blue dot” that is our home, as Carl Sagan put it at the time. Joseph Campbell asserted that the arrival of that image into our mainstream media heralded a new epoch for our species, a new world mythology.

When we at WisdomPie.Love first conceived of creating a web based source for wisdom and growth seekers and lovers we believed that it should be tasty somehow.

And we felt that there’d be no better theme or format than that universally loved circle of deliciousness. A playful, yet elegantly meaningful way of shaping and serving our content. And yes, there’s the Pi connection too, for we do love a good pun now and then.

Carl Jung, the great student and master of world symbology deemed the circle to be the perfect symbol for the Self. Well, that’s when we say, “I’ll have a slice of that, please!”

I think we’ve come full circle now. Welcome, and pick a slice of your favorite pie.