March 29: This is a Labyrinth. Unlike a maze which may have multiple entrances and exits, dead ends, no center, and branches requiring decision making; a labyrinth has one center, one entrance which is also the exit, and one non-branching path. A maze is confusing, a labyrinth is purposeful.
Last month my Great Round of Mandala course encouraged me to experience the fluidness of self development and this led me to float therapy. This month’s stage is Labyrinth, the theme of which is to turn towards the journey. The labyrinth is an ancient symbol of a journey to and from our center, it is a symbol of wholeness.
While working through the course material I stumbled on a labyrinth locator website. This site catalogs labyrinths all over the world. It turns out labyrinths are a big deal, seen by many as a very spiritual journey. And there are a lot of them. There are 26 within a 25 mile radius of my house, the closest less than 5 miles away at a Unity church I pass several times a week. The journey I’m turning towards is becoming as much about discovering what’s in my neighborhood as it is about discovering what’s in me. There are also labyrinth facilitators who teach people how to walk a labyrinth to absorb its transformative powers.
I feel spiritually connected in nature so I chose to investigate the labyrinth in a park 15 miles from my house. I didn’t really expect the walk to be transformative or to feel like anything other than a walk, so I was surprised at what I noticed. What should be obvious wasn’t until I walked it. Even drawing a labyrinth and tracing my finger along the path didn’t illuminate these features.
You are closer to the center upon entry than you are after a few turns. The path of life is not always direct, sometimes you must step back to see what is in front of you. You can feel far away from your center and then suddenly find yourself there. Your center is closer than you think. Sometimes there are obstacles, in this case an overgrown bush, that require a slight detour, yet the detour still keeps you on the path. There are always distractions vying for your attention — the wildflowers along the exterior border of the labyrinth, a bird, or the need to stop and take a photo for this blog which required me to back track a few steps to include the entrance in the shot and afterwards leaving me slightly disoriented as I tried to recollect the direction from which I’d come. It’s easy to get turned around, to lose your sense of direction, when you’re not paying attention.
I have stories that fit every one of these scenarios as do you. I think that’s the point. You walk the labyrinth thinking about these moments in your life, arriving at your center with the wisdom of your experiences to say a prayer of gratitude – I am here, I am whole — and you take that knowledge, that centered self, back out into the world with you. I know nothing about the spirituality of a labyrinth, but I have to imagine it’s a journey that can be taken many times throughout one’s life, each time being as unique as the experiences of your minute by minute life. Every arrival at the center a form of grounding, an honoring of connection with whatever source you define as your own. The labyrinth indicates there is only one path to your center, implying more divine guidance than free will.
The journey did not end when I exited the labyrinth. There were other surprises to be had. Upon completing the nature walk, of which the labyrinth is a part, I stopped to chat with an employee. It turns out we’re neighbors. Not as in we live in neighboring cities. As in she lives around the corner from me in the same style of house as mine, which is how my neighbors identify one another. It’s kind of like a code word for a secret club. Anyway, I know it’s not labyrinth related, but still it’s more than just coincidence.
This labyrinth resulted in many moments of gratitude. I am grateful for synchronous events. Many have dictated the journey I’m turning towards. I am so fortunate to live in a county that preserves and lovingly tends its open spaces. I am fortunate to have so many of those beautiful spaces within easy driving distance of my house. I am grateful for the way in which this mandala course is connecting me to my community, for the opportunity to learn more about what’s nearby, and to discover there is so much more than I ever imagined. And I am grateful for the insight the labyrinth walk provided. Next time, instead of thinking about the metaphor, I’ll have to think about the actual stories.
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