As many of us have ventured deep into the experience and mystery of the "circle" process, it has seemed clear that this experience carries profound and universal spiritual implications.

There are many books and projects out there today -- most often led or inspired by women -- that are based on Circles. Among them certainly are Jean Shinoda Bolen's Millionth Circle project, and Christina Baldwin's book Calling the Circle: The First and Future Culture. Carolyn Anderson and Katharine Roske's book The Co-Creator's Handbook teaches something very similar, that we have explored for years here in Santa Barbara.

For me -- this circle mystery is at the core of mainline interfaith and interspirituality. The mystery of circle is not reserved for new age or women's groups only. It is invoking a universal and profoundly authentic process, that I personally believe can become the foundational building block for a transformative world movement.

Wherever two or more...

"Wherever two or more are gathered in my name -- there I AM in the midst of you....."

This is a profound and authentic thought -- and should not be dismissed as lightweight new-age fluff.

But we probably need to clarify exactly what we mean, and why it is true, and under what conditions it is true, and exactly how to bring out the full power and potential of this way of understanding...

In an emerging section of this Alliance site, I am just beginning to place a few thoughts on what I call The Spirit of the Center.

In this context, these are new ideas -- exploratory, experimental -- even if ancient and proven in some other cultures....

There is a profound conjunction awaiting clear definition.

Here is one rather astonishing and brilliant image, that many of us have seen for years. It's worth a serious moment of contemplation. There's a lot in this simple hand-drawn image...

How does this circle represent -- say -- a large communion of believers? How does it represent "the world"? How does it represent the diversity of religions? How does it represent something like "circles within circles"?

Fire Circle

That little golden/radiant circle at the very center -- that's like the council fire -- where the rising column of spirit-fire ascends. That rising column of energy -- arising at the center of the circle, fueled by the resonant energy of all participants -- is (or can or should) be linked directly to the rising spiritual energy in each of the circle participants.

This is the key to synchronization -- to getting a group into synch -- to getting an entire large-scale spiritual movement into synch.

As we continue to explore these things -- my guess is, we will work together to define a single best or simplest model of this process, that combines at least these symbols and concepts into one integral framework

• The alignment of chakras
• The staff of Hermes -- the "caduceus"
• The principle of circle
• The principle of tree -- tree and branches -- how is the rising column at the center like the trunk of the tree?
• How is the circle itself like tree -- that all the members of the circle are like its branches?
• How all of of this connects us all through Universal Spirit back to Universal Godhead and Energy...

Here is a page that just begins to look at this -- emphasizing for now the vertical alignment or "rising column of spirit" -- the "central energy channel" of the human body.

http://interspirit.net/alliance/chakras.cfm

As we grow -- reaching towards divine mystery at the center, reaching towards one another -- and reaching towards all spiritual and religious movements as our brothers and sisters, doing all we can to avoid negative judgments, and just keeping our doors and our arms open -- we can "grow a mighty tree" -- and "convene a mighty circle". These symbols begin to show us how.

This at least seems to be our potential, and the potential of the zeitgeist. My idea regarding this Alliance site is to build into this framework every tool and concept needed to make this possible....

- Bruce