“The spiral is the age-old intuitive symbol of spiritual development and our identity with the universe. It is found in cultures the world over… As ‘re-volution’ or ‘re-evolution’, the spiral progression is symbolic of the transpersonal route to that higher level of consciousness. “ (Geoff Ward - The Pattern of Existence).
Spiral shapes, basic patterns at work in the universe, are all around us in nature. It is an ancient symbol and it is not an accident that our Temple in Independence is fashioned on this fundamental design. It is a symbol that links both science and spirituality, the material and the spiritual, and our inward and outward journey as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Have you ever thought about your life and how it doesn’t travel in a straight line? Somehow we have grown up with the expectation that life is straight forward, ordered and in its place. We expect ourselves to be this way too. However, life goes up and down, back and forward, round and round. Just when you think you have learnt a lesson, the same circumstance comes around again to teach us something new.
When I was studying counselling our teacher pointed out that our life-learning is not linear, that often it feels like we are re-learning the same lesson in life over and over again. Barry Gillespie wrote “The path isn’t a straight line; it’s a spiral. You continually come back to things you thought you understood and see deeper truths.”
This can be termed ‘Spiralling Up’ - which means that you continually come back to things you thought you understood and learn something new; that while we repeat the same lessons we don’t unlearn all we have implemented before but come away with new perspectives, new challenges and new information we didn’t have the last time the lesson came into our lives.
This coming Sunday I’m going to the Open Door congregation to participate in the confirmation of Gulzar and Zarina to members of Community of Christ. It was in the 1990’s that Gulzar and Zarina first came in contact with The Centre, an innovative congregation at the time. Though I’m not going to spoil the article that Sue Palmer has planned for our next Australia Herald my mind keeps spiralling back to our first meeting and what I remember of their journey that brought them to Australia. I pray that you will get a chance to welcome them. Please rejoice with me that thirty years later they have come full circle to connect with our community again. May we be to them what God would have us be - family - woven together by God’s timeless love.
“Remember: You were not made for straight lines and stagnant living. You are wild and holy, soft and strong, circular and resilient. Shake your stiff legs, windmill your tense arms - you were made to dance, unashamed and free.” thepracticeco.com
To Contemplate: What lesson is coming up for you that you have processed before? What are you learning this time that is new?
To Listen to: Windmills of Your Mind (french version)
Anne Bonnefin
Communications Co ordinator
Community of Christ Australia