Labyrinth

The Labyrinth is a tool of meditation that comes to us from the cathedrals of the Middle Ages.

Grace Episcopal Cathedral in San Francisco is a focus point for those interested in learning about the Labyrinth.

Each of us, at some point in life, embarks on a journey. A quest for solace, for truth, for inner peace, for the real meaning of it all. A pilgrimage to find one's soul. Landmarks are hard to come by, and we can easily become disorientated. The labyrinth, a metaphor for one's life journey, can help show the way. The very act of walking the labyrinth encourages focus, assists in opening up the self, in creating a place deep inside where new insights and awareness can germinate, take root and grow. Each journey is unique.

A labyrinth is a path leading to a "center" or "goal." It is distinguishable from a maze because it has no tricks, no stumbling blocks, no wrong turns. But one cannot just glance at the pattern and see how it is one gets "from here to there." Labyrinth patterns of a variety of sorts have appeared in Christian worship spaces since about the 4th century.

The concept of walking a spiritual path seems to be buried deep in the human psyche, which is Greek for "soul." While we cannot perhaps explain a rationale for this, we can look at the experiences of thousands of faithful pilgrims who have walked these paths for centuries.

Christian churches used the labyrinth for prayer and meditation as early as 350. The oldest example is found in Algeria, North Africa, and is inscribed with "Santa Eclesa" (holy church) at the center, confirming its sacred use. Many European (both Continental and British Isles) cathedrals have labyrinths set in stone into their floors, dating back many, many centuries.

During Lent or Advent, the canvas labyrinth at St Gregory may be rolled out in Harris Hall for meditational walks. Speak to the Rev Debbie Self to learn more. At other times of the year, there are two permanent labyrinths at the Episcopal Duncan Center in Delray Beach. The bricks for their outdoor labyrinth were donated by St. Gregory's.

1. Please remove your shoes.
2. Walk in silence.
3. Clear your mind and become aware of your breath.
4. Allow yourself to find the pace your body wants to go.
5. You may "pass" people or let others step around you at the turns.
6. At the center you can stand or sit quietly for a time, and then follow the same path out from the center.
7. Walking the labyrinth can be as a silent meditation walk, or asking a question and seeking guidance.
8. There are three stages of the walk:
   • The first "Purgation" (until you reach the center of the labyrinth) is shedding...a releasing, a letting go of the details of your life. It quiets the mind.
   • The second, "Illumination," is when you reach the center. Stay there as long as you like. It is a place of meditation and prayer. Receive what is there for you to receive. You leave following the same path out of the center as you came in upon.
   • The third stage, "Union," leaving the center and rewalking the path is the joining with God, your Higher Power, or the healing forces at work in the world. Each time you walk the labyrinth, you become more empowered to find and do the work you feel your Soul reaching for.

The Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress, Canon at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, presented a well-received labyrinth retreat at the Duncan Center in May of 2006. She has been invited back for another retreat for late November of this year.

The labyrinth is a place to hear God, to experience the leading of the Holy Spirit, to seek answers to specific questions, to process deep emotions like fear, grief and anger, and/or simply to go apart to find one's self in God's presence.

Other Labyrinth Sites:

• The Labyrinth Locator
• Veriditas, the Voice of the Labyrinth Movement
• Walking a Sacred Path : Rediscovering the Labyrinth As a Spiritual Tool by Lauren Artress
• The Labyrinth at Grace Episcopal Cathedral
• There is an eleven-circuit labyrinth at Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 400 Seabrook Road, Tequesta, FL 33469
• There is an eleven-circuit outdoor brick labyrinth at the Episcopal Duncan Center, 15820 S. Military Trail in Delray Beach, FL, west of the Linton Blvd exit from I-95. There is a second labyrinth made of granite on the floor of their new Schofield Chapel.
• There is an eleven-circuit outdoor brick labyrinth near the Middle School at St Andrew Episcopal School, 3900 Jog Rd, Boca Raton, FL 33434 561/210-2127. It is named for Mary Ellen Cassini and is located at the north west end of the campus near NE 37 Street.
• There is the Cenacle Eleven-Circuit Labyrinth in Lantana, FL, at 1400 S Dixie. Their Annual Labyrinth Retreat is planned for October.
• There is an eleven-circuit concrete  labyrinth at the North Campus of Broward Community College, 1000 Coconut Creek Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33066. It's outdoors just west of OMNI Auditorium, Bldg. 60.

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