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The Labyrinth:
A Quiet Journey On Saturday, November 30,2002 and Sunday, December 1, 2002, we had a chance to walk the labyrinth at St. Francis. We used a portable canvas labyrinth. And then ... On Saturday, November 29, 2003, we dedicated own permanent, outdoor labyrinth, a project lead by Emily Zeroun.
Labyrinths were originally created by 12th century Christian mystics when the Crusades made pilgrimages to the Holy Land too dangerous. Walking the labyrinth was a symbolic pilgrimage. The most famous labyrinth is in Chartres Cathedral near Paris, France (see picture at right); it was built in the late 13th century. The revival of interest in labyrinths happened right in our own backyard, in 1991, when the Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress walked a labyrinth and became convinced of its power as a form of meditation, relaxation and spiritual healing. She launched the Veriditas™ world wide labyrinth project, which has been phenomenally successful. There are now two permanent labyrinths installed at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco - one inside near the main entrance to the cathedral, and an outdoor labyrinth near the main entrance. There are more than 100 permanent labyrinths installed in the U.S. Outreach projects take portable labyrinths to prisons and hospitals. People build small labyrinths in their backyards. In the last couple of years, "finger labyrinths" have become increasingly popular meditation tools - something you can keep on your desk at work or at home. Unlike a maze, which is a form of puzzle with trick turns and dead ends, the labyrinth has a single path that leads you into the center and back out again. There's no need to worry about figuring out what turns to take. You just follow the path. For some, the labyrinth walk may be no more magical than a walk in the woods, and for others it may bring a profound feeling of peace and the sensing of the presence of God. As preparation for having the labyrinth at St. Francis, a video about the labyrinth will be available. We plan to have it available on Sunday, November 10, when the Education Ministry Day is held, and it will be available at other times. We plan to have designated times on the Advent Quiet Day (November 30) when brief presentations will be made about the labyrinth. During some periods of the day, meditative music will played, and at other times, silence will accompany you on your journey. Labyrinth "docents" will be available to assist pilgrims as needed. Meditation aids will be available, as well as clip art that you can take home to use as finger labyrinths. Links to additional resources are featured on the St. Francis web site at http://www.stfrancisepiscopalchurch.org/Labyrinth.html. Dr. Artress is the author of Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth As a Spiritual Tool, available from the Grace Cathedral Gift Shop, Amazon.com and other sources.
From http://www.lessons4living.com/labyrinth.htm: "We are all on the path... exactly where we need to be. The labyrinth is a model of that path ... a labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools." Web site links:
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