Circle

A circle, which has no beginning and no ending, calls to mind eternity. Joseph Smith once referred to the ring he wore and taught that it had no beginning and no ending; he then spoke of “one eternal round.”53 One eternal round is also a scriptural phrase that refers to the Lord’s divine course; “Wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round” (1 Ne. 10:19; see also Alma 7:20; 37:12; D&C 3:2; 35:1).

Many temples feature circles in symbolic settings—in sacred ceremony, architectural designs and structures, appurtenances, including circular designs on exterior and interior walls, floors, steeples, furniture, or in garden spaces, windows, and more. Many of these circles are designed to remind worshippers of eternal things—things without beginning and without end, like Joseph Smith’s ring.

Stained-glass window with geometric symbols, including prominently placed circles, Albuquerque New Mexico Temple.

Examples of the use of circles in our temples include:

Baptismal font: The font itself, which rests upon the backs of twelve oxen, sometimes forms a circle. The twelve oxen face outward to the four cardinal directions—east, south, west, and north—which form a square; thus the circle exists upon the square.

Prayer circle: Several things come together in this sacred setting—men and women worshipping together form a circle, in a holy space, gathered around an altar, praying together (see “Prayer Circle, Ancient and Modern”).

Holy of Holies, Salt Lake Temple: Elder James E. Talmage described the Holy of Holies: “The room is of circular outline, 18 feet in diameter. . . . The ceiling is a dome in which are set circular and semi-circular windows of jeweled glass.”54 Thus, the holiest space in the Salt Lake Temple comprises a circle; it also has a circular dome, and several round windows exist in the dome.

Temple architecture: Dozens of temples feature circles on both interior and exterior parts. The Washington D.C. Temple has a five-pointed star set within a larger, ten-pointed star, with rays of light, all set within a circle, which is also set within a square. The Nauvoo Illinois Temple depicts a five-pointed star (with a deep crimson middle and deep blue color surrounding the star), which is set in a circle. The Albuquerque New Mexico Temple presents a stained-glass window with a thirty-two-pointed star, which is set in concentric circles. And the St. Louis Missouri Temple presents a stained-glass window with a six-pointed star. Phases of the moon are set in each of the six points; the star itself is set in concentric circles. A circle exists in the center of the star, with a square inside of the circle. And there are vertical and horizontal lines through the square that create four equal quadrants within the circle.