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Origins
Walking the labyrinth puts us in touch with a sacred
tradition that dates back thousands of years and has
roots in diverse cultures around the world. Labyrinths
have been traced to nearly every continent and to most
major cultures and religions. On a small scale,
labyrinth patterns have been found carved in stone,
engraved on Roman coins, painted on clay, depicted in
ancient manuscripts, and woven into Native American
baskets. Remnants of large-scale labyrinths suggest
usage from the time of the Roman Empire, through the
Crusades and during the medieval period, the
Renaissance, and beyond.
More recently, labyrinths are regaining
interest as tools for reflection, meditation, prayer,
and self-therapy. Designed for indoor or outdoor use,
they are appearing in churches, patient care facilities,
medical centers, retreats and public parks. Labyrinths
are also found at universities, prisons, and memorial
gardens. They can be created with sand, brick or tile;
cut into turf or hedges; outlined with string or chalk;
or painted on a floor or canvas. On a smaller scale,
mosaic wall labyrinths and finger labyrinths provide a
tactile experience for those who are unable to access a
walking model.
User Friendly
Walking the labyrinth is a metaphor for our spiritual
journey and represents steps on our path of life. The
circular pattern of the labyrinth relates to unity and
wholeness, guiding walkers on an inward and outward
journey. Gentle movement along the path is a way to
quiet the mind and open the soul. Each walk is an
individual experience. How and why we walk, as well as
what we might receive or communicate, differs with each
walk and with each walker. Some choose to step along the
path to clear the mind and re-center. Others enter the
labyrinth with a question or a concern. Still others
seek emotional release and comfort. A walk can be a
truly profound experience or simply a pleasant stroll.
Puzzled?
A labyrinth is not a maze. There are no false trails or
dead-ends to confuse or distract the walker. A single
path weaves around and into the center (rosetta), and
then back out again. The entrance is also the exit.
Should you lose your way, the path will either return
you to the center or lead you back to the entrance/exit.
Our 11-circuit design has a total of 68 turns to the
center and back out. The distance walked is one-third of
a mile. The average walk takes about half an hour,
though walkers move and pause at their own pace.
Schedule
The labyrinth is a sacred and safe place where you can
allow yourself to enter, to be nourished and to discover
your inner spiritual place. No matter where you are in
your personal journey, you are invited to walk the path.
Other special occasions will be posted on the labyrinth
easel in the narthex. Newcomers and all faiths are
welcome to participate.
Resources
Finger Labyrinth (available by permission for hospital,
home, or convalescent ministry)
Parish Library:
Walking a Sacred Path, Lauren Artress.
Through the Labyrinth: Designs and Meanings, Hermann
Kern.
Prayers for the Path (or for any time)
Prayer cards and reflection/meditation cards are
available at the labyrinth table to use as you walk. The
following additional prayers may also hold special
significance for our lives today.
Prayer for Protection
The light of God surrounds me.
The love of God enfolds me.
The power of God protects me.
The presence of God watches over me.
Wherever I am, God is!
Prayer for Pause
In the name of Jesus Christ, who was never in a hurry,
we pray, O God, that
You will slow us down, for we know that we live too
fast. With all of
eternity before us, make us take time to live--time to
get acquainted with
You, time to enjoy Your blessings, and time to know each
other.
Peter Marshall
Prayer for Receiving
Do not turn to prayer hoping to enjoy spiritual
delights; rather come to
prayer totally content to receive nothing or to receive
great blessing from
God's hand, whichever should be your heavenly Father's
will for you at that
Time. Madame Jeanne Guyon 1648-1717
Prayers for the Path
Christ be with me, Christ within me; Christ behind me,
Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me; Christ to comfort
and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me; Christ in quiet,
Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all who love me; Christ in mouth of
friend and stranger.
— St. Patrick
We pray, O God, that You will slow us down, for we know
that we live too fast. With all of eternity before us,
make us take time to live, time to get acquainted with
You, time to enjoy your blessings, and time to know each
other.
Dear Lord, help me to live this day — quietly, easily;
To lean upon Thy great strength — trustfully, restfully;
To wait for the unfolding of Thy will — patiently,
serenely;
To meet others — peacefully, joyously;
To face tomorrow — confidently, courageously.
— Anonymous
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