circumambulation

Circumambulation—the ritual act of walking in circles around a sacred object or site—appears in diverse practices from Hinduism's pradakshina to Islam's tawaf around the Kaaba. This movement physically embodies alignment with celestial motions and reinforces the practitioner's place within cosmic order. Similarly, circular dances appear in numerous spiritual traditions, from Sufi whirling to Native American ceremonial dances, all using circular motion to induce altered states of consciousness.

sacred-geometry