The original methods of natural worship and devotion, which so many tribal people took for granted and which healed them, such as dancing and singing in a circle, have been secularized. The altar was raised high above the ground and became dominated by a male-centric way of viewing god and life.
A well functioning ceremonial circle mitigates duality and can help heal the dicotomy between spirit and matter. It can open up a world of self discovery and create a place where the concerns of the genders are the same, where both recognize their responsiblity to the earth as partners, parents and citizens. One of the great opportunities the circle provides is a space to collaborate as creative women and men. We are in the process of returning to a circular form of communion because it works.
The circle is a form that arises from nature's breath and imprints upon the culture as well as our individual cells. Each componet of our body is a miniature solar system, spinning in a circular motion. There is a song that goes, "I am a circle I and healing you, You are a circle, You are healing me," which carries a biological as well as a spiritual truth.
When people gather in a circle and their intentions are aligned it can help them drop the armoring of their personality structures. When you are struggling with an addiction, and you meet with others in a circle to discuss and feel your issues, with others as witness, it heals something inside. On the societal level it is also healing, because it is a perfect form for joining different groupings of people.
The circle contains the magic power that defies superficial boundries. If we want to bring peace between the races it is important to meet in small interracial circles; to bring peace between women and men we must create truthful circles containing both.
Ceremonial circling best expresses the egalitarian principles upon which the essence of all spiritual experience is based. The circle form of ceremony is very simple. It is available to all of us regardless of our backgrounds or experiences. The circle form can be used very effectively in many settings, lending a tone that was not there before. it can be used in a study group, an anti-nuke group, a woman's health collective, at the volunteer fire department meetings. Practice it as often as you can because circling brings life to a meeting and every group can benifit from a ceremonial focus. Circles make whatever is happening more conscious.