I recently had the great fortune to walk a beautiful “signature” labyrinth at a lovely private home with a group of spiritual (and spirited) women. It was such a peaceful and reflective experience that I wanted to share it with you…and use this opportunity of writing about it for further reflection.
(How many times do wonderful opportunities for learning and reflection whiz past and so quickly get lost in the busy-ness of everyday life.)
First, what is the difference between a labyrinth and a maze? I wondered that myself.
A maze is a puzzle you’re trying to solve, or a situation you’re trying to find a way out of. ;->
A labyrinth is special place to deliberately slow down and meander. A place to be contemplative. A place to heighten our awareness of ourselves and our appreciation of nature and our surroundings.
Labyrinth walking is a “focused walking meditation.”
[This photo is not the labyrinth I experienced, but this is a more traditional labyrinth with the path marked by stones.]
We each wrote on a piece of paper something we were really ready to let go of. Then, one by one, we held our paper over a flame until it ignited and set it down to burn on the ground as we stepped onto the threshold of the labyrinth entrance–a colorful square tile set in the ground.
And, one by one, we entered this open-air sacred space, each going at our own pace, following a gentle spiral path set amid tall trees and natural undergrowth.
The path was beautifully and lovingly enhanced by dozens of special touches, gems and inspirations. A lovely mosaic bench under a tree. An a-frame wooden bird house. The word PEACE. Chimes tinkling gently in the breeze. A flowering azalea. A large fountain. And, at the very center of the labyrinth, a 7-foot statue of a female angel with wings.
Before we entered, our host had thoughtfully given us each a small, stapled packet of paper, each sheet (there were over a dozen) containing a phrase or question to enhance our contemplation as we walked. “Is your perception of the world peaceful?” “All needs are met.” “Can you find peace within the suffering?” “Shine your light into the darkness.”
As I meandered, lost in my own thoughts and feeling a deep and easy connection to what I consider divine, I encountered my fellow labyrinth walkers in similar meditation. Our respectful silence felt inclusive–we were sharing that large space of silence, not trying to keep each other out. I felt a unified and cumulative spiritual power that I had never experienced before.
What I liked most about the labyrinth was that the only way out was going back the same way I came in. That offered the exquisite opportunity to see again all that I had first encountered … but now from an entirely different perspective. I found many more little treasures and special touches that I had not noticed on my first pass. Some things were indeed only visible from this new point of view.
As I approached the threshold tile and prepared to exit the labyrinth, I turned around for one last look. What I saw was yet another perspective on all that I had seen. This view was more “mature” as I re-viewed the path I had already taken, recalling my journey to and back from the very “heart” of this experience. I breathed in deeply and felt a smile of, dare I say, “wisdom” light my face as I turned and stepped out of the labyrinth.
That feeling of “wisdom” came from an analogy that occurred to me in that moment: how our life experience is so similar to a labyrinth walking experience.
How later in life, after we’ve been around the bend once or twice, we see and appreciate things that we didn’t (or even couldn’t) see when we were younger. How the first part of our life journey is often about getting “to” somewhere or something. After we’ve gotten there, the journey changes. Our perspective changes. Things delight us now that we hadn’t noticed before.
How it’s possible to race through life with blinders on, excluding those around us. Or, we can meander, contemplate, and bask whenever we choose. How we don’t have to talk or even make eye contact with others to include them in our experience in a deep and meaningful way. How when we take time to reflect, appreciate and learn, our experience is greatly enhanced. How like-minded individuals generate an awesome collective power.
How looking back on our life from any point gives us a grander view of the whole journey. How the unwinding of life can be as stimulating and enjoyable (though in a different way) as the initial exploration. How thoughtful, caring touches can add so much to others’ experience.
How a clear vision and deep desire to serve others can turn a patch of trees and underbrush into a sacred and transformative space. How a deliberate meditative experience can slow us down enough to notice the true gems in life. The gems are, after all is said and done, what we’ll remember most. Not the twists and turns. Not the struggles to reach our destinations. But the small (and large) delights along the way.
Thank you for sharing these few moments of reflection with me. If they have been half as valuable to you as they have been to me, then we have both spent our time well.
Warmly,
Evelyn
P.S. Research from Harvard Medical School shows that focused walking meditations are highly effective at reducing anxiety and they promote many long term health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, reducing chronic pain, resolving insomnia, and improving fertility. Labyrinth walking is a simple form of focused walking meditation, and hundreds of hospitals, health care facilities, hospices, spas, and even some schools have installed labyrinths in recent years.
To learn more, please visit http://www.lessons4living.com/labyrinth.htm
P.P.S. Special thanks to Reverend BJ for sharing her gorgeous labyrinth with us.
Evelyn, you have captured the night, the walk, the labyrinth! Thank you for taking the time to express this so that those of us that attended can savor that night forever. And even better, we can share this blog with our friends who were not able to attend that magical night, and allow them to benefit and enjoy what we experienced. Thank you, thank you!