Rainer Maria Rilke
Where it's from
"I had thought that I’d failed on my spiritual path. I thought my spiritual path was a linear one, that it would go like Pilgrim’s Progress through various stages of learning to the heavenly city. [But] to “live my life in widening circles”? I said, “Oh! I can own that."
— Joanna Macy, Widening Circles Interview with Emergence Magazine
The Widening Circles poem is by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), the renowned Bohemian-Austrian poet. The poem appears in Rilke’s collection The Book of Hours (Das Stunden-Buch).
Rilke wrote this collection after his transformative visits to Russia in 1899 and 1900, where he was deeply impressed by Russian Orthodox culture and the profound devotion of the peasants. These experiences, including personal meetings with Leo Tolstoy and other devout Russian authors, inspired Rilke to explore themes of worship, spiritual seeking, and appreciation for the vast natural beauty he encountered.
Joanna Macy, the root teacher of The Work That Reconnects, discovered this poem during a pivotal moment in her own spiritual journey in the 50s. This personal revelation became foundational to her work, and the poem now serves as both inspiration and framework for the Widening Circles exercise.
Widening Circles
I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world
I may not complete this last one
But I give myself to it.
I circle around God, the primordial tower.
I have been circling for thousands of years.
And still I don’t know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song.
“Widening Circles” from Rilke’s Book of Hours: Love Poems to God. Translation by Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows
Reflection Guide
Here are some prompts you can reflect on to deepen your practice. Feel free to note down your reflections in a journal, Book of Shadows and/or any other repositories that you keep.
These prompts are also suitable for group discussion. You could perhaps start with a collective reading followed by a short moment of silence before jumping into deep sharing.
Expanding Identity and Perspective
- Were there moments when the boundaries between identities and perspectives became fluid or unclear? What was that like?
- How do you hold space in your heart for potentially contradictory truths emerging from different perspectives?
- How might embracing multiple identities (“falcon, storm, or great song”) serve your work in the world?
Spiritual Centeredness and Expansion
- How do we maintain our inner compass or "primordial tower" while engaging with difficult or challenging situations in life?
- What does it mean to be both rooted and flexible in your life and spiritual practice?
- How might this practice of “centered expansion” inform your daily interactions with people who hold different views?
Commitment to the Process
- How do you "give yourself to it" anyway despite the uncertainty?
- How might this comfort with not-knowing contribute to collective liberation efforts?
- What support do we need to continue this kind of heart-centered work?
- How might communities of practice help us stay committed to this expansive way of being?
