“A gracious approach is the key that unlocks the treasure  of the encounter.  When we walk on earth with reverence, beauty will decide to trust us.  The rushed heart lacks the gentleness and patience to enter that embrace.”   --John O’Donohue

Brochures are available here and at the labyrinth.

A labyrinth is an ancient spiritual tool. It is a winding path that leads to the center.  Unlike a maze that is filled with dead ends and wrong turns, the labyrinth has a continuous path to the center, and the same path usually returns the walker to the beginning.

How can the labyrinth be used for spiritual growth?

We live in a world that clutters our lives with non-essentials. We can feel off center, and our sense of God can feel removed from our daily lives. The labyrinth is one of many spiritual tools that can help us find the center again. The simple act of walking and breathing and making space enables the seeker to pray, to reflect, or to search for an answer to a perplexing question.

Walking the Labyrinth

There is no right or wrong way to walk the labyrinth. Move at your own pace. You may pause at any place where a delay feels right. You may pass others who are moving at a slower rate. The path is two ways—those going in will meet those coming out.

Release: Let go so that the mind and soul are ready and receptive, making space for God.

Receive: Notice what comes as you walk. You may want to repeat a word or phrase to keep you centered. When you reach the center you may sit, kneel, stand, meditate, face several directions. Stay as long as you like. It is a place for clarity and insight—a place of letting go of the things held too tightly. Receive what is there for you.

Return: Walking out of the labyrinth is a time for integration and gratitude for the gifts received—bringing back a renewed vision or a refreshed spirit.

Enter with a Question

Take a few moments to center yourself and identify what the questions are in your life or where your attention is focused at the moment; a new job, marriage, grief, parenthood, the need for new direction, a troubled relationship. Walk the labyrinth seeking new insights or guidance.

Where we meet God

Suspend judgment.  Reflect. Be receptive. Experiment.  Enjoy yourself. Each walk of the Labyrinth is unique. Like life itself, there is only one way to experience the Labyrinth, to choose to walk it.  In doing so, the mysterious winding path becomes a way to self-knowledge, providing solace and insight into the next steps on the spiritual journey. It is a metaphor for where we are in our own lives and our relationships together and to God.

“When you search for me,

you will find me;

If you seek me

with all your heart,

I will let you

find me,

says the Lord.”

Jeremiah 29: 13-14

Go as the Spirit moves you, and may you find blessings on this path.

Take some time after your walk to remain in the area for further reflection and meditation.

Resources:

Dr. Lauren Artress, Walking A Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool, Riverhead Books: New York, 1995.

Veriditas.org      Labyrinthos.net