The Circle Teaching

Circular Worldview

This is the foundation teaching for everything on this site. The Circle is also the centerpiece for all Indigenous, Amerindian worldviews, principles, social organization, health & healing, cosmology, and spiritual science ways knowledges.

The Circle is a shape that is found repeatedly throughout the natural world. The Circle represents: completion, wholeness, community, strength,  relationship, interconnectedness, humility, and respect. It is a symbol which reminds us that true power is being in good relationship with natural law, nature, community (humans, animals, elements, land, etc), and ourselves.

Being in a circle allows us to acknowledge and experience each other and everything as equals and as relatives in the realest sense. Equals worthy of respect. In a circle everyone can clearly see each other. No one is above, below, in front of, or in back of anyone.

In the Circle, individual health and prosperity are interconnected with the wellbeing of the community, the land, and all beings (relatives). Success is not just personal or individual, but a reverberation and reflection of the prosperity of the (collective) Circle.  This contrasts with the linear, Western mindset, where success is often seen as an individual pursuit.

The Circle also reminds us that the land is not merely a resource but a sacred relative—an ancestor that nurtures and sustains us. Our first teacher. In caring for the land, we honor its role within the Circle and recognize our shared responsibility for its wellbeing. Exercising our Indigenous, Circular Worldview, we understand that our  sacred mother Earth, Tlalnantzin, does not belong to us. We belong to her.

In the Circle everyone and everything is equal in importance and value. All life is respected for it’s unique gifts. Everything has a purpose and a place, and is Connected to and Interdependent with each other.

Everyone and everything has its unique purpose, strengths and gifts. Our gifts should be acknowledged and honored but we should not make the mistake of thinking we are above or superior to the next. We also have our “weaknesses”, or the things that we are are not so skilled at. This should not be mistaken as being deficient, Different is not Deficient.

A good example of Circular Values in action is the Aztec Calendar. Even though some may mistakenly infer it, no one animal sign or symbol is superior to the other. They all play a necessary role in maintaining the structure of the circle. The Oceletotl (Jaguar) is just as valuable and necessary to the strength of the whole as is the Tochtli (Rabbit.)

 

Circular Worldview Qualities

• • Humbleness: Honor and respect your greatness and uniqueness while recognizing your interdependence on other humans, cultures, races, animals, the earth, elemental forces, and cosmic relatives. Understand that individuality is a gift within the larger Circle, not above or apart from it.

 

• • Open-Mindedness: Embrace humility, knowing that no one can understand or know everything. Remain open to learning from all beings, including nature, ancestors, and community.

 

• • Balance and Moderation: Seek harmony in all actions and relationships, avoiding extremes that disrupt the natural flow of life. Understand that balance is dynamic and requires ongoing attention to maintain.

 

• • Politeness and Respect: Practice courtesy and kindness in words and actions, treating all beings with care and consideration. See politeness as a way to honor others’ roles within the Circle.

 

• • Honoring Elders and Ancestors: Recognize elders as wisdom keepers and ancestors as guides who shape our present and future. Acknowledge the cyclical nature of time, where past, present, and future coexist and inform one another.

 

• • Appreciation for Differences: Celebrate diversity as a source of strength, knowing that each being and perspective has a unique and essential role in the Circle. Understand that differences are not deficiencies but gifts that contribute to the whole.

 

• • Equality and Interconnection: Acknowledge your own gifts and appreciate the roles and contributions of all beings in the Circle of life. Cultivate a consciousness of interconnection, recognizing that what affects one affects all.

 

• • Gratitude and Reciprocity: Express daily gratitude for the gifts you receive from others, the land, and the cosmos. Practice reciprocity by returning energy, care, or resources to maintain balance and flow in the Circle.

 

• • Relational Accountability: Take responsibility for your actions as part of the larger web of relationships. Focus on restoring harmony when harm occurs, recognizing that accountability is a form of care and respect.

 

• • Sacred Silence and Listening: Value silence as a space for reflection, connection, and respect for other voices. Prioritize listening deeply to nature, community, and inner wisdom as an essential part of relational harmony.

 

• • Lifelong Learning: View learning as a lifelong process that happens through lived experience, nature, and community, not just formal education. Understand that wisdom is found everywhere and in all beings.

 

• • Karmic Awareness: Live with the understanding that what you put out—whether energy, actions, or intentions—will return to you in some form. Recognize that energy moves in cycles and strive to contribute positively to the flow.

 

• • Ritual and Routine as Sacred: Approach routines and rituals as opportunities to affirm your connection to nature, the cosmos, and the community. Honor the sacred in daily actions, grounding yourself in the present moment.

 

• Harmony with Nature: Act with respect and care for the natural world, seeing yourself as part of it rather than separate or superior to it. Align your actions with the rhythms and cycles of the earth.

---

 

Linear (Western) Worldview

Compare the Circle ⭕️ , to the Line ⎯

In a line there is a front, back, first, last, up, and down. People cannot see each other without some struggle. While this is a physical example of how the Circular value compares to the Linear, it should also be understood in a conceptual way. 

In today’s dominant society certain people and things are mistakenly considered to be better than others. If you can imagine a vertical list with the top position being “better” or the bottom position being “not good”.

• A person with lots of money (at the top) would be considered to be more worthy of respect than a person of low-income (at the bottom.)
• A person who went to college would be considered “smarter” ( at the top) than a person oriented in experiential knowledge (bottom)
• A person who wears the most colorful feathers and does the more acrobatic moves (top) would be considered a “better” Aztec dancer than someone with less colorful feathers and simpler moves (bottom).
• A person society considers more physically attractive (top) is considered more “beautiful” than someone who does not fit those aesthetic standards ( bottom)
•  

These are just a few examples. I’m sure you can think of many more  examples of how we have being domesticated or conditioned to place people and things in a  linear worldview. What other examples can you think of? Write them down.

 

Negative Effects of Linear Worldview

What happens with the Linear Mentality/worldview is that one who perceives themselves to be on the “bottom,” strives to be “on top.” This behavior initiates and promotes an unhealthy competition and lack of respect toward others. Everyone is trying to one-up another. Trying to be better than, more correct than, more knowledgeable than, more spiritual than, more Indigenous than, etc.

These qualities can help identify a linear mentality:

• • Arrogance: A belief in personal or cultural superiority that leads to domination over others and nature. This manifests in exploitative practices, excessive pride, and an inability to acknowledge one’s dependence on others or the environment.
    Examples: Colonization, environmental degradation, and policies that prioritize profits over people.

• • Closed-Mindedness: A rigid adherence to one’s own beliefs or worldview, rejecting alternative perspectives or the possibility of being wrong. This limits growth and fosters intolerance.
    Examples: Dismissing Indigenous knowledge systems as “primitive” or invalid because they do not fit Western scientific frameworks.

• • Excessive/Extravagant: Overconsumption and driven by materialism and the desire for social status, rather than practical or necessary use. This disrupts the balance of resources and social equity.
    Examples: Consumer culture, environmental overexploitation, and wealth inequality.

• • Judgmental Evaluation: Placing value on individuals or groups based on external metrics (e.g., wealth, education, or achievements) rather than inherent worth. This fosters unhealthy competition and social stratification.
    Examples: Meritocratic systems that undervalue community contributions, or judging someone’s worth by their income or possessions.

• • Competition Over Cooperation: Prioritizing individual success over collective wellbeing, often at the expense of relationships and community harmony. This creates divisiveness and perpetuates a “winner-takes-all” mentality.
    Examples: Corporate hierarchies, sports cultures that emphasize rivalry over teamwork, and the pursuit of individual wealth at the expense of community health.

• • Majority Rule Over Consensus: Decision-making that prioritizes efficiency and the preferences of the majority, often marginalizing minority voices. This approach disregards relational accountability and fosters exclusion.
    Examples: Electoral systems, workplace hierarchies, or policies that dismiss Indigenous land rights.

• • Land as Property: Viewing land as a resource to be owned, exploited, or controlled, rather than as a sacred relative or communal inheritance. This mindset leads to environmental destruction and social injustice.
    Examples: Land privatization, deforestation, and urban development without consideration of ecological impact.

• • Youth-Centric Culture: Valuing novelty, innovation, and youth over the wisdom of elders. This creates a disconnect from tradition and a loss of ancestral knowledge.
    Examples: Disregard for elder voices in decision-making or dismissing traditional ecological practices as outdated.

• • Noise and Over-Communication: Prioritizing constant activity, verbal expression, and technological connectivity over silence, reflection, and listening. This leads to burnout and shallow relationships.
    Examples: Social media culture, fast-paced work environments, and the devaluation of reflective practices.

• • Formal Education as Authority: Elevating academic credentials and institutional learning as the primary sources of knowledge, while dismissing lived experiences, intuitive wisdom, and Indigenous teachings.
    Examples: Gatekeeping in professional fields, or devaluing Indigenous science because it isn’t “peer-reviewed.”

• • Routine as Productivity: Viewing routines as a means to achieve efficiency and results, disconnected from spiritual or relational purpose. This fosters a sense of monotony and dehumanization.
    Examples: Work schedules that prioritize output over employee wellbeing, or valuing time management over personal fulfillment.

• • Entitlement and Expectation: A mindset that assumes access to resources, success, or recognition without considering the effort or interdependence required. This disrupts balance and fosters selfishness.
    Examples: Exploitative industries, or individuals expecting success without contributing to communal or ecological health.

• • Responsibility as Obligation: Viewing responsibility as a burden or duty, disconnected from relationships or care for the community. This fosters resentment and disengagement.
    Examples: Legal systems that focus on punishment rather than restoration, or workplaces that demand output without providing support.

• • Personal Wellbeing as Private: Seeing health and happiness as individual pursuits, separate from the community and environment. This creates isolation and neglect of broader relational impacts.
    Examples: Individualistic health trends that ignore community health disparities, or industries profiting from privatized healthcare.
  • Punitive Justice: A justice system focused on punishment and retribution, rather than restoration and healing. This perpetuates harm and marginalization.
    Examples: Incarceration systems, zero-tolerance policies, and retributive legal frameworks.