Spiritual Sparks: The Circle Game

Originally published in Spiritual Sparks on May 14, 2026.

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In 1985, four legendary musicians, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson recorded a haunting song called _Highwayman_. The song tells the story of a single soul moving through different lives across different generations: a highway robber, a sailor, a dam builder, and finally, a starship captain "across the universe divide."

Each man dies. Yet somehow, each man is "living still."

There's something captivating about the song. It touches a question many quietly wrestle with: Are we simply going in circles? The seasons return. We find ourselves facing old challenges once again. At times, it can seem as though life is one long circle game.

Perhaps time is more like a spiral: returning us to familiar places, yet never in quite the same way. Each time we come back around, we carry new wisdom, deeper understanding, and a new opportunity to grow.

✨3 Ideas

1. Life moves in spirals, not circles

Some view time as circular. But life is more than a circle; life is a spiral. The seasons return, yet we may have become different.

A spiral presents the potential for transcendence if we choose to build upon the wisdom and spiritual growth gained from the last time we journeyed through this season of life.

The soul revisits familiar moments, relationships and opportunities, with each return carrying the possibility of greater purpose and deeper meaning.

2. Time passes; growth is optional

Too often, people drift into what one modern thinker calls "accidental living" -- moving through life without reflecting on how those experiences are shaping the soul.

Someone once proudly told a wise teacher, "I've gone through a great work of wisdom." The teacher responded, "That's fine, but how much of it has gone through you?"

The same question can be asked about time itself. We all pass through the spiral of the seasons of life, but we must choose to grow within them.

3. Every season offers a new opportunity to rise

Some seasons call upon us to begin again, while others invite us to deepen qualities such as gratitude, compassion, resilience, wisdom, or hope.

Lasting transformation rarely comes through dramatic breakthroughs; more often, it emerges through small, consistent choices that gradually shape the soul.

One imperfect step forward becomes another building block of spiritual growth. As we move through the spiral of time with greater awareness and intention, life becomes deeper, richer, and more meaningful.

📜2 Quotes

"Teach us to number our days, that we may acquire a heart of wisdom." — _Psalms 90:12_

"There'll be new dreams maybe better dreams aplenty / Before the last revolving year is through / And the seasons they go round and round / And the painted ponies go up and down / We're captive on the carousel of time." — _The Circle Game, Joni Mitchell _

❓1 Question

What season of life are you moving through right now, and how is it inviting you to grow?

We return to the haunting message of _Highwayman_. Each man dies, yet somehow each man is "living still." At first glance, the song seems to describe an endless cycle of repetition. But perhaps it points to something deeper. We are not simply repeating our lives; we carry the wisdom of our past experiences into each new season of life.

Time is not a circle that returns us to the exact same place. It is a spiral that invites us to rise higher with every return. And perhaps that is why the song ends with the promise that "he will remain" and "be back again." Every ending contains within it the possibility of a new beginning, and every season offers the soul another opportunity to grow.

Until next time, Wishing you the awareness to grow through life's seasons, and to rise higher with each return,

Rabbi Ze'ev Smason

P.S. Is there a particular season of the year that feels spiritually meaningful or renewing to you? I'd love to hear.

P.P.S. If this message resonated with you, perhaps share it with someone journeying through an important season of life.