Spiraling Across the Universe

I have always been fascinated by circles and spirals. I choose them as design motifs unconsciously (or consciously, one might argue) in my art and in my home.

I remember a visit to the planetarium at Griffith Park in Los Angeles long ago. Inside the lobby there were many exhibits. One exhibit centered around a metal ball that came shooting out of a small opening into a cone-shaped container. When it first entered the chamber at its widest point, the ball circled very slowly, around and around, but as it spiraled down it seemed to pick up speed as the circumference grew smaller and smaller, faster and faster, until it made a loud exit down and out. Bang.

As I stood there watching this display of gravity and force and my perception of what was happening, it occured to me that this was how my life felt, my birth and death. I was at that age--around 30, I believe--when you begin to notice how fast the years are speeding by, unlike our childhoods when each year is like an epoch. So I determined that my life would go that way--spiraling and spiraling, faster and faster, until poof--I'd disappear out a mysterious exit--my very own black hole--into the vast unknown that exists without time. And yes, the years still feel as though they are spinning faster and faster, but it all feels quite natural.

I found this Web site that explores our connection to spirals. If you find the music as annoying as I do, turn your speakers off. But it's worth a read. Fascinating stuff. And then look at this recent crop circle. Very interesting. Reminds me of that exhibit I saw at the planetarium.