Entering the Labyrinth
The portable labyrinth was a large floor covering that was a replica of the labyrinth in Chartres cathedral. The room was darkened, with candles and stones set around the edges. Labyrinth walkers were asked to remove their shoes or cover them with surgical booties. The room was quiet and soft music played. Before entering the labyrinth, the walker quiets her mind and may begin a prayer or use other centering techniques.Thoughts While Labyrinth Walking
I slowly enter the labyrinth, my feet healing from blisters from the half marathon walk the day before. It feels good to shed the shoes. The labyrinth path is narrow. The walker ahead of me is going very slowly, carefully placing one foot just ahead of the other.The Chartres labyrinth path curves back upon itself many times. Any walker in the labyrinth will meet any other walkers several times. This led me on a contemplation of how people enter and influence and leave our lives, which became my meditation in the labyrinth.
We all lead our lives at different speeds. The walker ahead of me was moving slowly and deliberately, planning her every step, experiencing each moment. My natural course in the labyrinth, as well as in life, is faster and more driven towards a goal. My life has always been more about the destination than the journey.
The labyrinth led us two walkers together and apart again. I reflected how people enter and leave your life. You may walk together for awhile, then be separated, but both be on a path that will bring you back together. Anyone your consider your enemy is likely to return to your life. I look for the good in people, knowing that today's opponent may be tomorrow's ally.
I would be led closer to the center, the goal, than the person who was actually ahead of me, who would be back near the outer edge. I reflected that you can never know where you and others are on your journey through life. Are you just beginning? Are you near the end? Have you made a powerful change in your life and are starting over? I think of the people who I worry about, or who irritate me. I can't know what lies ahead of them or what stressors are working on them.
A walker enters the labyrinth behind me. His pace is even faster than mine, and it makes me speed up. I worry about pressuring the walker ahead to go faster than she wanted. People influence your decisions on how you progress through life. You trade off pleasing one while irritating another.
There is no wrong path in a labyrinth. It is predestined that if you follow the path, you will reach the center. Even if you step off the path, at worst you end up back at the entry point and can start over. I don't believe our lives are predestined. I believe we have free will, that we can overcome even our strongest genetic and environmental programming to do what is right. If you believe that each life has a path that will lead to success and happiness, then it is comforting to believe the path is set, even if you get off course.
The walker ahead of me has reached the center. I wish I hadn't sped up because of the walker behind me, so that she could have as long at the center as possible. The center should be a place to pause, reflect, pray, listen for an answer or a deeper revelation. She probably spends less time in the center than she would without two people behind her. And I feel the pressure to spend only a moment at the center. This is the tragedy of being too goal-oriented. Often, you reach the goal, having not spent enough time enjoying the journey. And once there, you can't slow yourself down to truly appreciate the achievement.
Now we begin the return journey. We are on the same path as others who have entered behind us. At times we have to each step aside to let each other pass. Like in the labyrinth, I am in the middle of my life. I've reached many life goals. What is the ultimate goal? Are my biggest goals behind me? Is all that is really left a slow march towards the grave? Or is that the ultimate goal and reward? What am I going to do to enjoy the years I have ahead of me, even as I may experience illness and disability? That half marathon has me sore and achy!
Finally, we exit the labyrinth. There is a journal to record immediate thoughts. More people have entered the room. I have a new appreciation for the labyrinth as a tool for prayer and mediation. I found value in my musings.
Where to Find Labyrinths
The World-Wide Labyrinth Locator allows you to search by country, city, state, and zip code. The listings include descriptions, directions, open hours and photos.Learning More About Labyrinth Walking
The Labyrinth Society lists upcoming labyrinth seminars, group walks and lectures throughout the US.Book: "Walking a Sacred Path," by Dr. Lauren Artress. The author lectures widely on labyrinths and labyrinth walking. Here, she explores the history and significance of the image of the labyrinth and explains how readers can use it to lead them to new sources of wisdom, change, and renewal. (Compare Prices)
