THE RETURNING
How Sharing Circles, Rites of Passage and Circular Design Bring Us Home.
The circle is one of humanity’s oldest and most powerful symbols—echoing unity, equality, and the rhythms of life.
In a world spinning ever faster, something ancient is calling us back – back to the circle. Sharing circles and rites of passage, rooted in Indigenous and ancestral traditions, are quietly re-emerging as powerful responses to our longing for connection, reflection, and community.
These sacred spaces invite us to slow down and be fully present. Whether supporting us through grief, life transitions, or simply offering a container to listen and be heard, the circle holds space for stories, silence, and shared humanity. It gently dissolves hierarchy, nurturing belonging, inviting us to relax into our truest selves – where every voice matters, especially our own.
Today, the circle is returning not only in practice but also in form. In wellness retreats, intentional community gatherings, and increasingly in architecture, rounded spaces echo the safety and inclusivity of the ancient hearth. Curved walls and circular structures reflect a softening—a move toward holding, rather than dividing.
This is not a fleeting trend—it’s a return. A remembering. A return to community, to ritual, and to the wisdom of gathering face to face. Sharing circles remind us of a slower, more respectful way of being together – one that listens, one that heals.
In a world longing for connection, the circle is not just a practice—but a way home.
Judy Chapman speaks to leading facilitators and visionaries at the forefront of this growing movement.
The Circle as Ceremony: Where Connection Becomes Healing
Menla, Yurt from Above
“From my very first sharing circle, it felt like coming home.”
For Lynn Schauwecker, Managing Director of Menla (www.menla.org), a wellness retreat in the Catskills, sitting in a circle creates a deep sense of belonging – a feeling of being part of a spiritual family or tribe that many long for.
“Each person becomes a mirror,” she says. “I see parts of myself in their stories.”
Over the years, Lynn has facilitated many of these gatherings—from puberty rites for teens to sweat lodges and women’s circles—witnessing firsthand how these ancient rituals rekindle something essential in us. She is especially passionate about holding rites of passage ceremonies for teens.
In these circles, boys are held by men, and girls by women—not to be taught, but to be seen and honored. They support teenagers navigating complex emotions and changing life experiences.
“This creates a grounded, sacred container where young people are celebrated and lovingly educated about the journey ahead,” Lynn explains. “I’ve witnessed the profound impact—how it helps teens feel seen, valued, and connected to something greater than themselves. They emerge with confidence, rootedness, and a sense of purpose.”
Whether marking the arrival of womanhood, mourning a death, or welcoming new life, Lynn returns again and again to the circle.
“For me, the circle represents inclusion, equality, and unity,” she says. “It’s a space where every voice matters. It dissolves the illusion of hierarchy and separation and opens the heart to shared healing.”
She recounts one circle where even the quietest elder, usually overlooked, was heard with reverence.
“In contrast to the hierarchical structures often seen in the West, Indigenous circles promote collective decision-making, empathy, and shared responsibility. I once witnessed a circle where even the quietest elders were heard with deep respect—a reminder that wisdom doesn’t always come from the loudest voice.”
Women’s sweat lodges, she notes, are especially profound. “Rooted in Indigenous traditions, they create a womb-like space for prayer, purification, and renewal. I’ve seen women speak truths they’ve never voiced before—and be met with unwavering love. These experiences ripple out to families and communities.”
“Sitting in a circle with women is one of the most sacred experiences I know,” she says.
Lynn observes a resurgence in sharing circles. “There’s an increasing need for something deeper. People are recognizing the healing that comes from intentional space. In this time of uncertainty, circles offer a path back—to self, to each other, and to the healing the world so deeply needs.”
Crossing the Threshold: Teen Rites of Passage and Transformation
Dr. Arne Rubinstein, founder of The Rites of Passage Institute has spent over 30 years developing programs that support young people through life’s critical transitions.
“After 14 intense years working as an emergency doctor, I came face-to-face with a painful truth: I was treating countless young people—teenagers, both boys and girls—who had made reckless, heartbreaking decisions,” he recalls. “They came in after car accidents, dangerous drug use, excessive drinking, and unsafe sexual encounters that would potentially affect the rest of their lives. What struck me most was the pattern: they were, in their own way, trying to create their own rites of passage.”
Sharing circles are central to the Rites of Passage Institute
Arne recognized a profound void in modern culture: a lack of healthy, guided rituals to mark the shift from childhood to adulthood.
“They were trying to mark that moment of transformation on their own—and often, the consequences were devastating. This realization changed the course of my life,” he says. “The question arose: are we going to create healthy rites of passage for them, or let them create their own—often with disastrous, long-lasting consequences?”
He founded the Rites of Passage Institute to provide structured, community-based experiences that guide teenagers and their families through this essential journey.
Central to these programs are sharing circles, where participants speak one at a time, uninterrupted. “What is shared stays confidential,” Arne explains. “Teenagers are given space to open up about their struggles, their dreams, and their questions. These circles are not only healing for the person sharing, but for everyone listening.”
“The demand for this kind of work has grown significantly over the past decade,” Arne says.
“The Rites of Passage is also a powerful antidote to technology,” he adds. “Technology is having a clinically proven, disastrous effect on our teenagers—who are now spending more time on technology than anything else, including talking to other humans. We know that the algorithms are generated to encourage them to behave in a certain way that may not be authentic nor in their best interest.”
The answer, he believes, lies in real, tech-free connection. “The antidote is having real, tech-free experiences: sitting in a circle, checking in, sharing our stories, and voicing where we’re struggling or what we want for our lives.”
Phones are set aside, inviting teens to reconnect with nature, with themselves, and with each other. “They quickly adapt,” Arne says. “They create games, connect deeply, and begin to find their own answers—from within—not from a screen telling them who they should be.”
“We’ve seen the profound impact of this. It helps them ask: Who am I? What do I want to do? And their answers come from within—not from the external image they’re shown that says, ‘if you don’t act like this, you’re not enough.’”
Active in over 20 countries, the Rites of Passage Institute now offers online leadership training to help parents, teachers, coaches, and community leaders bring these teachings into their own communities.
“We want as many people as possible to know about this work,” says Arne, “and to create healthy rites of passage for our families, communities, workplaces, and individuals.”
(www.ritesofpassageinstitute.org)
The Revival of Ritual: Sharing Circles for Women and Men
“Each week, we sit in a circle, share feelings, and hold space for one another. There’s no advice-giving or fixing—just listening,” says photographer Phillip Van Nostrand, who has been part of the Brooklyn Warrior Circle (www.brooklynwarriorcircle.org), for over a decade. “Over time, you see men open up, grieve, celebrate, and form lifelong bonds.”
In a world where male vulnerability is often suppressed, these circles offer a quiet revolution. They can be an antidote to disconnection and loneliness.
The Brooklyn Warrior Circle was born out of the New Warrior Training Adventure, a program run by the ManKind Project (www. mankindproject.org)—a global nonprofit dedicated to men’s personal growth. Other groups like Evryman (www.evryman.com) and All Kings (www.allkings.org) are helping men reconnect with themselves and each other in meaningful, authentic ways.
“I’ve been to their weddings, seen them through breakups, and watched them become fathers,” Phillip adds. “These are the deepest friendships of my life.”
From Bali to Brooklyn, men’s and women’s circles are reclaiming emotional depth, connection, and ceremony. These confidential spaces invite participants to be fully seen, heard, and held—without judgment or hierarchy.
For women, circles can be a return to the sacred feminine: nurturing intuition, ritual, and sisterhood. For men, they offer a long-missing permission to feel, share, and soften.
Whether for men or women, these circles are not a trend—they’re a return to something ancient and deeply human: community, reflection, and the courage to show up as we are.
Building in the Round: The Architecture of Connection
Throughout history, cultures have built in the round instinctively. Mongolian yurts, Native American tipis, Inuit igloos, and African rondavels weren’t just homes—they were communal hearths: efficient, inclusive, and shaped by the earth’s patterns.
Today, circular architecture is resurging—seen in eco-domes, Earthships, and bamboo structures—not only for sustainability, but for the emotional sense of safety and belonging they offer. These spaces do more than shelter; they help us reconnect.
Pablo Luna Studio in Bali is a sustainable architectural studio behind standout projects like Mantra Yoga Shala, Shell Spa and Restaurant in Nusa Penida, the Tiny Lead Cabins in Costa Rica, and their HQ in Ubud.
Yoga and Spa Pablo Luna
Their mission is design that restores balance—nurturing human well-being, ecological integrity, and a deep connection to place, culture, and craft.
Says spokesperson Esperanza Gebrie: “Circular forms evoke a sense of wholeness, unity, and continuity—qualities we strive to embed in every space. Curves speak a language our nervous system understands, bringing softness and a sense of refuge that people instinctively respond to.”
In wellness spaces like yoga shalas or meditation domes, circular forms help hold energy at the center—creating focus, safety, and inner connection. The absence of sharp edges makes these spaces feel more nurturing, like a refuge. People may not know why—but they feel the difference in their bodies.
Esperanza says the goal is to preserve the organic essence while ensuring functionality. “We embed systems within the curves, allowing them to follow the natural flow rather than impose on the architecture.”
Curved forms also guide airflow, soften shade transitions, and enhance passive ventilation and thermal comfort—making buildings more responsive without relying on complex systems.
Many Pablo Luna structures use bamboo. Its flexibility allows greater spans with less material. At the Shell Restaurant in Bali, curved bamboo trusses rise toward the cliffside like organic growth—creating openness, lightness, and natural flow.
At Pablo Luna, even their creative process reflects this ethos—fluid, inclusive, and united.
Says Experanza: “We operate as a community, without rigid hierarchies, much like the sense of inclusion and shared intention that circular spaces encourage. We aim for our designs—and our way of working—to feel open, fluid, and united.”
This vision is also alive at Green School Bali, founded by John and Cynthia Hardy. Challenging the conventional classroom, its campus centers around the Heart of School—a circular, open-air structure supported by three soaring bamboo towers.
Heart of School
Originally called the “central administration building,” the Heart of School evolved into a dynamic student hub. Its triple-nautilus roof spirals skyward, sheltering administration offices and high school spaces across three stories.
Now iconic, the building helped spark a global bamboo architecture movement—proving that design rooted in nature can reimagine not just education, but how we gather, connect, and build a more harmonious world.
Judy Chapman is an International Spa Designer and consults for hotel, spa and wellness brands around the world. Judy also develops white label skincare products for spas and individuals. She is the former Editor-in-Chief of Spa Asia magazine and author of several books on wellness and spas. Judy is currently based in Bali, Indonesia.
www.judychapman.com.au
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