SINCERITY
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In Zen Buddhism, ensō (円相 , “circle”)
is a circle
that is hand-drawn
in one or two uninhibited brushstrokes
to express a moment when
the mind is free to let the body create.
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The ensō symbolizes
absolute enlightenment,
strength,
elegance,
the universe,
and
mu (the void).
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Ensō is characterized by a minimalism
born of Japanese aesthetics
and
Zen Buddhism’s disciplined meditation.
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“The circle is a symbol of the Self.
It expresses the totality of the psyche in all its aspects,
including the relationship between man and the whole of nature.”
Carl Jung
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11 July 2017 St. Paul, Minnesota Photo credit: ME!
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Halo: CIRCLE Catherine L. Johnson 2007
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https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2015/08/13/halo-circle-2007-catherine-l-johnson-empathy-exhibition-instinct-art-gallery-21-november-2015-15-january-2016/
https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2012/01/07/sonic-artists-create-music-not-music-boxes/
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BODY&SOUL Catherine L. Johnson 2011
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https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/elementsperiodic-table-of-a-super-hero-and-the-sacredprofane-body-and-soul-of-humanity/
https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/23-august-8twenty-third-august-23/
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HEAVENINMYMOUTH Catherine L. Johnson 2012
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https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/heaveninmymouth-20128-januarysilver-circlesindigo/
https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2013/10/30/a-great-teacher-living-like-water-waterfall-portfolio-2004-catherine-l-johnson-water-is-a-great-teacher-that-shows-us-how-to-move-through-the-world-with-grace-ease-determination-and-humility/
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PRIVATE RHYTHM: MYTHROATSINGINGYOU Catherine L. Johnson 2009
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https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/private-rhythm-beautiful-fortitude-urgent-rhythmic-songs-that-resound-with-the-elixir-of-desire-wonder-awe-profound-moments-of-discovering-love-touching-what-could-not-be-touched-what-can-o/
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GRACE #7 Catherine L. Johnson 2017
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https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2017/06/15/737-grace-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-2017-catherine-l-johnson-pablo-neruda-of-everything-i-have-seen-what-am-i-to-do-love-loved-one/
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The most common first scribbles of children are circles and crosses,
basic symbols of wholeness and spirit.
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Concentric circles, or circles within circles,
have a long historical association that depicts the cosmos and its spheres
as a microcosm within a macrocosm.
These early shapes are imprinted deeply in the soul,
emerging through expressive art forms
and
within dreams-spontaneously.
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TANTRA PAINTINGS FOR MEDITATION
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/17th-century-modernism/
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The circle embodies a spiritual energy.
Consider the circle symbol meaning with the Native American medicine wheels
-the integration of energy and matter – spirit and humans,
combining for the purpose of greater spiritual understanding and evolution.
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The most sacred learning/teaching dynamic, I BELIEVE,
is a
a testament of a bone/heart/soul/blood education
that recognizes and incorporates
the principle of cycles within cycles
-that is, deeper levels of meaning
are found in every learning/teaching process,
and
presents something for everyone to learn,
at every stage of life
acknowledging the levels of maturity.
The willingness, capability and readiness
TO learn
is GRACE and the unfolding inquisitiveness of the learner’s
(not paralleling with the Western educational model with a temporal sequence)
developmental capabilities and processes.
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The best teacher is an open mind
and
is embodied by the teacher/individual
who is a tender and fierce gardener of the student’s soul.
ORGANIC, not ONLY academic!
The teacher is a vehicle, a vibrational conduit.
The teacher is NOT “I am the MASTER”
and you, the student, serve me (!)
-that is a rigid POWER OVER stance demonstrating hubris, insecurity
and toxic displaced arrogance.
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Learning is call and response,
a gospel song of exploration; humility; experimentation;
redemption and improvisation
that breaks open uncharted earth, waters, fires and skies
with awe and wonder.
GRACE.
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Concentric rings are among the most complex symbols
in Native American ways of knowing
because they represent relationships between
all symbols in the system as well as all processes.
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The Native American Medicine Wheel suggests, by its very structure,
a relativistic approach to human experience.
There are four directions, an inner circle and an outer one.
Things appear differently depending upon your position,
where you are on the wheel of life.
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It is possible to capture the meaning of concentric circles
in the below bulleted list,
yet, the list runs the risk of being reductive.
In general, concentric circles represent:
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processes,
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interrelationships,
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wholeness,
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systemic view of nature and universe,
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usually physically represented as a place or location
from which stories and experience emanated
and to which the people and stories are historically tied,
and layers of meaning.
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“Every myth has its concentric rings of meaning
and is told and retold in this way.
The telling of a myth begins with a simple version for children,
then moves to a slightly more complicated version for adolescents,
to a deeper version for initiates,
and
to a still deeper version for the fully mature”.
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Circles were protective emblems to the Celtic mind.
Circles were often drawn as protective boundaries,
not to be crossed by enemy or evil.
Circles were also Celtic symbols of the cosmos
– noting, in symbol, the intangible procession of time.
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In Chinese macrocosmic symbology,
the circle expresses the shape of heaven,
with earth signified by a square.
When we see a square inside a circle in Chinese art,
it represents the union between heaven and earth.
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The deeply significant yin yang symbol is circular,
and speaks to us of encompassing
the whole of duality
with intent for unified balance.
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The Traditional Chinese characters 陰 and 陽
for the words yīn and yáng
are both classified as radical-phonetic characters,
combining the semantically significant
“mound; hill” radical 阝 or 阜
with the phonetic indicators yīn 侌 and yáng 昜.
The first phonetic yīn 侌 “cloudy” ideographically combines jīn 今 “now;
present” and yún 云 “cloud”,
denoting the “今 presence of 云 clouds”.
The second phonetic yáng 昜 “bright”
originally pictured 日 the “sun” with 勿 “rays coming down”.
This phonetic is expanded
with the “sun” radical into yáng 暘 “rising sun; sunshine”.
The “mound; hill” radical 阝full forms
semantically specify yīn 陰 “shady/dark side of a hill”
and
yáng 陽 “sunny/light side of a hill”.
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The Simplified Chinese characters 阴 and 阳 for yīn and yáng
combine the same “hill” radical 阝
with the non-phonetic yuè 月 “moon” and rì 日 “sun”,
graphically denoting “shady side of a hill”
and
“sunny side of a hill”.
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An extremely rare early Ming blue and white ‘Dragon and Phoenix’ brushwasher, Yongle period (1403-1424).
Dragon=yin. Phoenix=yang.
CATHERINE L. JOHNSON 
Played by Joe Zawinul & the Cannonball Adderley Quintet during a live studio performance.