About the Labyrinth

A labyrinth is a pattern with a purpose, an ancient tool that speaks to a long forgotten part of us. Labyrinths offer a chance to take "time out" from our busy lives, to leave schedules and stress behind. Walking a labyrinth is a gift we give to our selves, leading to discovery, peacefulness, happiness, connect edness, insight, and well-being.

The intricate pattern, design, symbol, or archetype of the labyrinth is found in many spiritual and community traditions around the world. Its origins have been traced back over 3000 years. Unlike a maze which has dead ends and false passages, a labyrinth has a single path leading to the center. The same path walked in reverse leads you back out. Labyrinths may be large enough to walk or small enough to trace with a single finger.

When walking a labyrinth, a straight line is not the best way to reach the center. For this reason, the labyrinth is the epitome of inefficiency. Taking the time to follow the labyrinth's path, however, can bring calm and centeredness and take you away from "doing" and into "being." The process seems to tap into an archetypal reservoir that connect us with the universe, our ancestors, and ourselves. It provides a focal point for medita tion, prayer, and contemplation. During a walk of the labyrinth, no time or effort is wasted. If we stay the course, every step, however circuitous, takes us closer to the center.

The labyrinth, on the floor in our Church's gatheing space Is patterned after the labyrinth In the nave at Chartres Cathedral, southwest of Paris. These thirteen-circuit designs were laid Into the stone pavement of Gothic cathedrals in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and were used In sacred devotions, as substitutes for to pilgrimage to Jerusalem, for penance, etc. The earliest written record of the Charbts Iabyrinth Is from around 1235.

Walking the Labyrinth
Walking the Iabyrlnth Is a type of moving meitatlon that can support your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. There is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth. The turns of the Iabyrinth are thought to balance the two hemispheres of die brain, resulting In physical and emotional healing. Walking the Iabyrinth Is more about the journey than the destination, about being rather than doing, integrating body and mind, psyche and spirit Into one harmonious whole.

Three Stages
It may be helpful to see the walk In three stages, although people experience them In different ways at different times and places In the Iabyrinth. Do not be concerned if your journey does not occur this way. Each time you walk the labyrinth, the experience is uniquely your own, and no way is more correct than another.

As You Enter:
         Releasing: Quieting and emptying the mind; opening your head; letting go of the details of your life.

At the Center
         Illuminating: Opening to insight, finding clarity, and having new awareness.

As You Leave the Center:
         Integrating: A sense of union, wholeness, balance and connectedness.


Some Suggestions
When walking the labyrinth, thinking is not required. Be aware of your feelings and mood, and be respectful to others who may be present. Experience the freedom that lets you walk or run, be silent or sing, giggle and play, laugh or cry. Before you begin, stop for a time at the entrance to reflect and make a prayer or intention for the spiritual walk you are about to take. Clear your mind of the day's activities and become aware of your breathing.

Enter with an open mind, ready to receive whatever is there for you. Allow yourself to be surprised, and welcome what ever grace is given to you. Trust that what you receive from God is exactly what you need. As you walk, you may choose to meditate by repeating a word or phrase over and over to yourself, reading from a sacred text, or praying. Allow your self to find your own pace. Be alert to stay on the path. You may pass others or allow them to pass you. Do whatever is respectful and comfortable for you both.

When you reach the center, you may want to stay there for a while in quiet prayer or meditation. Notice your feelings, the sensations in your body, and any changes in your awareness of self, time, or your surroundings.

When you are ready, begin your way out of the labyrinth along the same path you walked to reach the center. Along the way you may notice God's presence empowering you to transform some part of your life or actions. You may begin to feel differ ently about someone or something, or be more aware of God's presence within you. You may savor the silence, notice some thing you've tried to ignore, or smile or laugh at something you'd forgotten.

The entire life of a good Christian is an exercise in holy desire. You do not see what you long foo but the very act of desiring prepares you, so that when God comes you may see and be utterly satisfied Suppose you are going to fill some holder or container, and you know you will be given a large amount Then you set about stretching your sack or wineskin or whatever it is. Why? Because you know the quantity you will have to put in it, and your eyes tell you there is not enough room. By stretching It, there fore, you Increase the capacity of the sack, and this is how God deals with us. Simply by making us wait, God increases our desire, which in turn enlarges the capacity of our soul, making it able to receive what is to be given to us. St Augustine