The Labyrinth - Part 1

There is something about a labyrinth that appeals to me.  I know that many of my brother seminarians would disagree, but I find a mirror of our spiritual journey in a labyrinth.

Just to put us all on the same page, a labyrinth is not a maze, you cannot get lost, but you move closer to and further from the center throughout your journey.  (Here is a sample path)

Christians borrowed the labyrinth from the pagans during medieval times so that they could do pilgrimages without traveling thousands of miles.

There are probably dozens of ways of walking a labyrinth.  Here is my way.  I start with a prayer while looking at the goal.  I take seven steps, why seven?  I don't know, it just feels right. I say another prayer.  I repeat until I reach the goal.  What prayer? It depends.  I do vary it quite a bit.  I say Hail Marys, Our Fathers, Glory Be, spontaneous prayers, sometimes followed by silence to listen, sometimes not.  I pay attention to my orientation to the goal.  Sometimes closer, sometimes further away, sometimes facing the goal, sometimes turned away.  See what I mean about a spiritual journey?  Sometimes we are close to God, sometimes far away, sometimes turned to God, sometimes turned away. 

Walking  a labyrinth this way does require some time.  I've never actually times it, but I suspect it takes an hour or so to get into the center of the labyrinth.

Once in the center, I take some time to closely examine the center structure and then walk out slowly thanking God for this quiet time with Him.  A couple of final prayers just before I finish complete my walk.

Next Time -- My walk in West Hartford