Here in the West we don’t like to think of cycles or circles or anything that isn’t linear or forward moving. Because we are so determined to continue to move forward we fail to see the value and the expression of cycles.
Often, in our culture, if we are not moving forward then we perceive that we must be moving “backward” and this is experienced as a failure. We like to forget our past and imagine that what has occurred in the past is behind us. We say things such as, “Oh, I am finished with that…” Personally, I don’t think that life works that way. Sometimes we have to circle back. This is not a failure but an act of courage.
Take a look at this image of algae…
Algae is round. There are circles within circles contained within even more circles. For the last 3.6 billion years simple cells, such as this algae, were the first life forms here on earth. I bring up algae because with a simple misspelling on Google, you might find yourself reading about ALGEA.
Algea (not to be too confused with Algae) are the spirits or animated energies for the ancient Greeks. The Algea were the expressions of pain and suffering- sorrow, distress and GRIEF.
The Algea (not algae) were found in the Underworld. “The most common idea of the underworld is that it lies beneath the everyday world. The passage from this world to the other may begin by descending into a cave, well, or pit. However, the distance between the two worlds is more than physical, and the spiritual journey involved often includes great peril.”