Walking the Labyrinth
Overhead View of the Labyrinth
Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has only one path which leads to the center. A labyrinth has no wrong turns or tricks. The choices presented by the labyrinth are internal: what thoughts to pay attention to, how fast to walk.
You may stay in the center, or anywhere else, for as long as you are called. Exit by following the path back out from the center.
Clear your mind and become aware of your breath. Allow yourself to find the pace your body wants to go. If there are others on the labyrinth at the same time, you may “pass” people or let others step around you, whichever is easier, at the turns. The path is two-way: those going in will meet those going out. Do what feels natural when this happens.
Some people use the labyrinth for “process meditation” and follow their thoughts and images. Others use it for “listening prayer”. Others use it for “quiet time”. Others use it for “centering”, or “cleaning the bugs off the windshield.”
You might think of walking the labyrinth in three stages:
* Purgation: releasing, letting go of the details of your life. This is an act of shedding thoughts and emotions. It quiets and empties the mind as you walk into the labyrinth.
* Illumination: may occur in the center, or anywhere along the path. Stay as long as you like. It is a place of meditation and prayer. Receive what is there for you to receive.
* Union: Each time you walk out of the labyrinth, you become more empowered to find and do the work you feel your soul reaching to do.
In walking the labyrinth, we seek to know God’s presence in our lives.
“Solvitar ambulando.”
It is solved by walking.
St. Augustine
354 – 430 A.D.
