(Written July 2009)
I attended a workshop this afternoon about labyrinths. A labyrinth differs from a maze in that a maze has multiple paths, dead ends, and ways to get lost. A labyrinth has only one path leading from the entrance to the center, and one path leading from the center back to the beginning. A labyrinth is a walking meditation, or, as I prefer to word it, a walking prayer.
The canvas labyrinth I walked today was a smaller version of the medieval labyrinth better known as the Chartres labyrinth, after the French Chartres Cathedral:
A labyrinth walk has three stages. The first is Entering, also called Releasing, when you let go of your mind's distractions. The second is the Center, in which you stay as long as you like; this is quiet time, also called Receiving. The third stage is walking out, called Returning, where you follow the path back to the beginning, taking with you whatever you received.
Having formed a prayer question, I was the first to walk into the labyrinth. I accepted the option of choosing a word stone from a basket; my word was TRUST. Clearing my mind of everything except my question to God and the admonition to TRUST, I slowly walked to the Center where I prayerfully listened to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I had no sense of time while in the labyrinth. The lights were low, soft music was playing, and forty people were perfectly silent. We entered the labyrinth about one minute apart.
I received my answers: Trust that this situation is no surprise to God. Trust that God will give me the wisdom to behave appropriately. Trust that He will enable me to handle the stress in a more constructive manner. Trust that He will speak to those involved and lead them. Trust that God has a plan, and that that plan is not necessarily -- and probably isn't -- the plan I had.
I stepped out of the labyrinth with a peace I hadn't felt in a long time. I learned later that I was walking the labyrinth and praying about my question for about 25 minutes. I was calm and I knew that prayerfully walking the labyrinth had been a gift from God.
There are many such labyrinths to experience. To find one in your area, go to the Worldwide Labyrinth Locator at www.labyrinthlocator.com; you can search by country, state, and city. Share the healing with me.
Classical labyrinth drawn by Reed Morgan, 2009.
