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Labyrinth

Springtime is a wonderful time to walk the Labyrinth! Walking a labyrinth integrates the body, mind and spirit, and gives us time to meditate on our journey with God. There will be materials available in a box at the labyrinth. All are welcome at any time.

Our Labyrinth is available for your walking meditations. Labyrinths are used world-wide as a way to quiet the mind, calm anxieties, recover balance in life, enhance creativity and encourage meditation, insight, self-reflection and stress reduction.

The labyrinth is perhaps one of the oldest, and certainly one of the most mysterious symbols known to mankind. It has been looked upon as an object of fear and hope. It has been perceived as a representation of hell and redemption, and it has even been used to symbolize far off lands and cities. Labyrinths and Mazes have a history that can be traced back some 4000 years.  The earliest examples, found carved on rocks, all have the same design – the classical labyrinth symbol. This design was taken by the Romans and new forms were created for use on mosaic floors. Further developed during medieval times, the labyrinth design then appeared on the floors of churches and cathedrals in Europe, on village greens and hilltops, on remote coastlines and islands in Scandinavia, up to the Arctic Circle and beyond.  The labyrinth symbol is also found throughout India, as far away as Sumatra and Java and in the American Southwest, although many questions remain around when it first appears and how it spread to many of these regions. During the late medieval period, the labyrinth design was adapted further, and developed into the familiar puzzle mazes of tangled hedges we know today from parks and gardens. Fashionable again in the 19th century, in the late 20th century their story takes another dramatic turn as first mazes, then labyrinths, found a new acceptance. Now in the 21st century they are more popular than at any time throughout their history.

Prehistoric labyrinth petroglyph, Mogor, Spain, photo by Jeff Saward

Labyrinths are an ancient means of meditation and prayer. The classical 7 circuit pattern of our outdoor labyrinth, dating back to circa 400 BC, is known as a “Cretan” labyrinth. The labyrinth at St. Paul’s is available all day, every day, year-round, weather permitting. All are invited to quietly enter this labyrinth’s sacred space for meditation, centering and healing.

You enter the labyrinth and follow the path as it winds its way toward the center. You pause in the center as you like, then turn and exit the labyrinth on the same path you came in, just going the opposite direction. A labyrinth is used for walking meditation. It is a single winding path from the outer edge in a circuitous way to the center. Labyrinths are used world-wide as a way to quiet the mind, calm anxieties, recover balance in life, enhance creativity and encourage meditation, insight, self-reflection and stress reduction.

How do you prepare to walk a labyrinth?
Consider a contemplative question, prayer, or favorite image to hold in your mind before you step into the labyrinth and begin walking. While walking. Just follow the path. As you concentrate on your steps, everything else can melt away.

The three R’s of walking a labyrinth are Releasing, Receiving and Returning/or Reflection.

What type of prayer is a labyrinth?
Praying with a labyrinth is a form of walking meditation, a physical expression of the interior journey towards Christ that characterizes all Christian meditation.