|
|
| 00 | THE LABYRINTH What's a Labyrinth? Why Should I Walk a Labyrinth? How Do I Walk a Labyrinth? Our Labyrinth | | 00 | What's a Labyrinth? A labyrinth is a single path that has several 180 degree turns. This path leads the person walking it into the center and then back out again. At Right: David Tolzman's "Vision Quest" design for Castleton Hill Moravian's labyrinth.
|  |
A labyrinth is not a maze with dead ends, tricks or false turns. It is not an intellectual problem to solve.
Labyrinth patterns have existed for thousands of years in many different ancient cultures. Native Americans in Arizona wove labyrinth images into their baskets. Ancient labyrinth patterns have been found in India, the Ukraine, China, and Italy.
Greeks living on Crete imprinted the labyrinth on their coins three centuries before the birth of Christ.
During the medieval period, labyrinths were placed on the floors of many of the great European cathedrals. The most famous medieval labyrinth in existence today is at Chartres Cathredral. The pattern of this labyrinth is the inspiration for modern labyrinths like ours made in a contemporary medieval design.
Since the mid-1980’s, labyrinths have enjoyed a revival in North America. Parks, churches, hospitals, schools, and private homes have installed labyrinths for people of all different backgrounds and faiths to walk.
Smaller labyrinths you can hold in your lap and “walk” with your finger offer another type of labyrinth experience. | ^ Back to Top ^ | | 00 | Why Should I Walk a Labyrinth? Walking the labyrinth is a spiritual practice that helps us set aside time to pay attention to God.
Sometimes our lives seem like straight, easy paths and sometimes the twists and turns feel confusing or even exhilarating.
| Always, we believe, God is at the center. Walking the labyrinth reminds us that we are all on spiritual journeys. Walking the labyrinth with its many twists and turns teaches us to have faith in God. We can trust the path does take us to the center and back out again. |  |
When we walk the labyrinth, we engage in a physical activity that keeps our left brains occupied and releases our right brains to be more open to creative and spiritual insights.
Walking the labyrinth and simply breathing deeply in and out has health benefits. It can help reduce our stress and tension.
Walking the labyrinth helps us focus on our spiritual, emotional, or physical questions and to seek deeper understanding.
Walking the labyrinth and being self-observant can teach us many insights about ourselves.
Walking the labyrinth puts us in community with others. Since it is a spiritual tool that can be used by people of any faith tradition, it gives us an opportunity to share spiritual insights and experiences with those outside our own faith tradition.
Walking the labyrinth and making the many 180 degree turns can help people improve their balance. | ^ Back to Top ^ | | 00 | How Do I Walk a Labyrinth? Beyond the general instruction to begin at the beginning of the path and to follow it to the center and back out again, there are no right or wrong ways to walk the labyrinth. The following are just a few suggestions for walking a labyrinth.
Walk, run, skip, crawl, or dance at a pace which is comfortable for you.
 | Feel free to pass other walkers on the labyrinth, just be respectful of their space and experience. It works well when people coming out of the labyrinth step aside for people coming into the labyrinth.
You may want to breathe deeply in and out as you walk the labyrinth. You may want to take each thought that comes to you and turn it into a simple breath-long prayer.
|
Be self-observant. How do you feel physically, emotionally, spiritually? What do you notice about yourself as you walk?
Set an “intention” before you walk. What personal question or issue are you currently concerned about? You might walk with the intention to be open to new insights and God’s guidance around that particular concern.
Shed your expectations of having a particular kind of experience or receiving a particular kind of answer or insight while you walk. Whatever happens or comes to you is of value.
Just as we have many different experiences when we pray, we will all have different experiences each time we walk the labyrinth. They are all valid. | ^ Back to Top ^ | | 00 | Our Labyrinth Our labyrinth is an 8 Circuit “Vision Quest” designed by David Tolzman and installed in 2005. The design is based on the medieval labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral in France. It is made of brick pavers and is located in the courtyard between the church education wing and the playground. |  |
While people are welcome to come and walk the labyrinth at any time, it is located beside a preschool playground which gets heavy use during school hours. To learn when the courtyard is most likely to be quiet and peaceful, or surrounded by the sound of playing children, call the church office (718-442-5215). Sunday services during July and August are at 10:00 a.m. During the remaining months, services are at 11:00 a.m. and people are always welcome to come join us for worship and fellowship hour. You are welcome to walk the labyrinth anytime on the weekend including before and after church. | ^ Back to Top ^ |
|
|
|