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Welcome to the United Church
Labyrinth
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The Labyrinth
Why Walk the Labyrinth?
The Symbol of the Labyrinth
Walking
in Community
How
to Walk the Labyrinth
Five
Approaches to Walking
Bibliography
& Further Information
Prayers
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THE LABYRINTH
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The labyrinth is an ancient sacred pattern,
dating back over four thousand years. Almost every faith tradition
has a form of labyrinth. A well-known labyrinth is found in the
Notre Dame de Chartres Cathedral in France. This eleven-circuit
labyrinth was built in 1201, and is the pattern for the labyrinth on the
floor of the High River United Church.
We often use the word "labyrinth"
and "maze" interchangeably, yet the words are distinct. A
maze is a winding path that has choices to be made and dead ends which
cause one to backtrack. A labyrinth is a winding path that has no
choices or dead ends. There is only one way to get to and from the
centre.
WHY
WALK THE LABYRINTH?
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Each of us approach prayer in different ways. Some people like
to sit in the quiet. Some find movement helpful. The labyrinth
provides the space and pattern for walking prayer. The path we walk
on the labyrinth becomes a metaphor for our lives. As we walk the
path, we open ourselves to God's wisdom and guidance for our life
journey. The labyrinth is a tool that helps us centre our lives in
the midst of fear, doubt, grief, or anxiety. It helps us find the
still point in the midst of the chaotic world. It creates
spaciousness and clarity.
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The labyrinth is an archetype
of wholeness that helps us rediscover the depths of our
souls. We are not human beings on a spiritual path but
spiritual beings on a human path.
Canon Lauren Artress, Walking a Sacred
Path |
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"The winding path leading
to the center serves as a mirror to reflect the movement of the
Spirit in our lives."
From a sign at the entrance to the
labyrinth in Orlando, Florida at Woodlawn Memorial Park and
Funeral Home |
THE
SYMBOL OF THE LABYRINTH
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The following describes the particulars of the eleven-circuit
labyrinth but also partially relates to any labyrinth.
The Path wanders through the whole
circle, covering the four directions, representing the four seasons, all
of creation, and all of life.
The Centre is composed of six rose
petals, representing the six days or realms of creation: mineral/earth,
plant, animal, human, angel and divine. The whole centre circle
represents the mystery of God.
The Labyrs are the double-ax symbols
visible at the turns. These form a large cross within the labyrinth.
The Lunations are the partial
circles to the outer ring. There are 29 lunation points per
quadrant, the same as the lunar cycle.
WALKING
IN COMMUNITY
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When you walk the labyrinth with others . . .
| When you enter the labyrinth, allow
the person ahead of you to pass the first turn to the left before
starting.
If you are following someone who is going slower
than you wish to walk, feel free to step to the side to pass.
If you meet someone coming toward you, each of
you will step aside to pass the other.
Remember that we live with other people in real
life. Other people walking the labyrinth with you are not a
distraction, but rather form part of the metaphor of life.
Pay attention to your reactions to other people. What can
you learn about your relationship with God, with people and with
life from these labyrinth encounters? |
HOW
TO WALK THE LABYRINTH
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The first part of walking the labyrinth is often a time of letting go.
The centre is a place for prayer and meditation.
The walk out is for taking what you have received and integrating it into
life and community.
| Pause for a moment at the entrance
to the labyrinth.
Take a few deep breaths.
Invite God's Spirit to move with you in this
time.
Then begin walking. Let the Spirit move
you.
Walk slowly or quickly. Dance or skip.
Pause in places to pray or to wait quietly.
When you reach the centre, stay as long as you
wish.
In the centre, you may wish to stand in each of
the petals and acknowledge the realms of creation or you may find
yourself drawn to one particular petal.
As you walk out, pay attention to any
differences in how you walk or in images that come to mind.
When you have reached the entrance again, pause
a moment to say, "Thank you," for this time. |
FIVE
APPROACHES TO WALKING
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The Path of Image. Quiet your mind as you prepare to
enter the labyrinth. Then pay attention to any images, memories or
dream fragments that come. Pause to spend time with those images.
The Path of Silence. Quiet
your mind and continue to clear your mind as you walk in silence.
The Path of Prayer. As you
enter the labyrinth, begin to pray. Offer the thoughts and questions
in your mind and pay attention to how your prayer unfolds.
The Path of Release and Renewal.
Walk to release your feelings. As you walk toward the centre, with
sighs, with vocalization, with body movement, release all that you are
feeling. In the centre, ask for guidance, forgiveness, healing or
whatever is needed. As you walk out, pay attention to the gift that
may be offered.
The Path of the Question. You
may wish to offer a question as you begin the labyrinth. Perhaps you
are in the midst of making a decision about a job, a relationship,
etc. Perhaps you have a life or faith question that you need to work
through. Offer the question and then pay attention as you walk.
Based on Tom Harpur's Finding the Still
Point (pp. 95-96).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Lauren Artress, Walking a Sacred Path (Riverhead Books, 1995).
Helen Curry, The way of the Labyrinth
(Penguin Compass, 2000).
Jill Kimberly, Hartwell Geoffrion, Living
the Labyrinth (Pilgrim Press, 2000).
Tom Harpur, Finding the Still Point
(Northstone, 2000).
Donna Schaper, Carole Ann Camp, Labyrinths
from the Outside In (Skylight Paths, 2000).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
We invite you to contact the High River United Church office for more
information about the labyrinth and to find out about worship services
centred on the labyrinth or labyrinth workshops.
Telephone: 403-652-3168
E-mail: hruc@telus.net
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