"At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless; Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is, But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity, Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards, Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point, There can be no dance, and there is only the dance. I can say, there we have been: but I cannot say where. And I cannot say, how long, for that is to place it in time.” --T.S. Eliot from Four Quartets
Eliot’s image of the wheel accesses mystical imagery from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity (and probably others, as the wheel is an archetype): the center of the wheel (or maze) represents eternal, immutable concepts, while the further out on the wheel you go, the more transitory and mutable desires reside. Hunger, sexual appetites, fatigue all are on the outer parts of the wheel, while eternal concepts, like love, anchor the center.
I feel the tug of the centripetal force moving me outward, and it takes effort and intentionality to move inward.
For it is only when I move further toward the still point of the circle that I have the balance, energy, and freedom to make a positive difference further out on the wheel.
How will you dance in the still point of the center today?
