Walking circles around a person - what does it mean?

My boyfriend said to me today when he was walking towards the hospital for an appointment an elderly lady approached him. She asked him would it be ok if she could walk some circles around himand proceeded to do so. She circled him once. Clockwise.

He then said she went back to her front porch and waited for more people. She sounded Croatian/Surbien. (Baltic)

A young boy on the other side of the street was walking past and apparently she tried to catch up with him and do the same thing.

We are wondering if this is some sort of weird ritual or maybe she is just a weird old lady.

I've tried googling it but nothing much came up.

Anyway know what it could mean?

TIA

It means control, Ol boy Gravy in my avatar did it since he was a pup.

Its a control technique.

Talking Heads the band mentions it in a lyric. I think it refers to people trying to get ahead of each other maybe?

a reply to: DaMouse

Sounds gypsie.

To get rid of bad yuu yuu.

That means that you are encircled, if this old lady is fast enough...

Dementia or alzheimers.

a reply to: DaMouse

ask if you can walk in a trainagle around her afterwards, then you will be the werid one.

a reply to: DaMouse

Didn`t know that Croatia and Serbia are located near Baltic Sea

As for the circle, it is a form of magic circle in some witchcraft traditions. Not sure if it can be performed like that though. Was she saying anything while walking around? Only potential mistake I see here is that he said it`s ok. It`s like inviting a vampire in your house, so to speak.

Maybe its a reference to a Jerico march. The children of Israel marched around Jerico and blew their horns and the walls fell down. So, it could be a prayer ritual to break the bondage of sin or addictions. There was an old lady that lived down the road and she would scream at all the kids, binding up demons over them. Scared the stuffen out of my little girl. lol But, hey she was prayed for. lol

a reply to: DaMouse
Without knowing anything about particular rituals, the thought behind it has to be some way of exercising control.
"Running rings around someone" is a proverbial expression, isn't it, meaning that you are too quick for them.
It can be done literally, lke Jeb Stuart's ride around the Union army.
Or the occasion when the Roman envoy drew the literal "circle in the sand" around Antiochus Epiphanes, telling him to make his decision before he left it.
Whether you think it matters depends on how much you believe in the power of rituals.

a reply to: DaMouse

www.vice.com...

a reply to: MOMof3

This seems more likely

a reply to: lSkrewloosel

lol I said to my BF, did U ask why she did that. He said, no I was quite stunned and taken aback by it.

Might get him to take me back there and I will have a chat to the lady.

a reply to: DaMouse

sounds interesting you should speak to her, some crazies aint as crazy as people think.

Not a clue what it could mean but keep a couple things in mind:

1. She moved in clockwise motion.

This concept made its way into some interesting practices in Indo-European cultures. Celtic Pagans would walk three times around someone they wished to give a blessing to in a clockwise motion. The blessing would honor the person, wish good success to their mental endeavors, and pray for good or a Divine touch to their soul. Each circular trip focused on one part of the Mind/Body/Spirit connection of the person being blessed.

Link

Seems to be exactly what she was doing...

2. She tried for the boy too.

No info on that but would've definitely made me feel a little better about the situation.

To each their own, I guess. I suggest your bf be thankful for the strange old lady and try to put a little positivity out as well...

Not sure what the elderly lady's intentions were, sounds like lack of medication.
As to "walking circles around you" Walking circles around a person".
This is a reference to working harder then another person, playing harder, any number of actions done better and faster then another person.

as in " Jimmy is so slow putting on shingles I walk circles around him all day long"

It goes hand in hand with another phrase...

" man it's like a dollar waiting on a dime around here"

a reply to: DaMouse

She either bound you under her control, or she was protecting you, or she was just nutty.

I used to have a co-worker that loved to walk around people chairs in a circle while he quietly farted.

He called it crop dusting.


I told him it would be called an ass whooping if he ever did it to me.

a reply to: DaMouse

At it's most basic interpretation it appears that she is just a lonely old lady who approaches visitors to the hospital for some human interaction, she probably doesn't have family or visitors.

I think it's all showing up the next guy, like living in some false reality of being better.