My First Labyrinth Walk

I first walked a labyrinth on the Summer Solstice in 1997. It was a large Cretan labyrinth mown into a hayfield located on womyn's land south of Winnipeg, Manitoba. About 20 women attended the event, many of whom I knew from the local Goddess, feminist and lesbian communities.

It was a perfect prairie summer day -- hot and sunny, with an endless blue sky and only a few fluffy white clouds. We could hear the meadowlarks singing and smell the beautiful scent of clover all around us. We danced our way into the labyrinth, holding the hand of the woman ahead of us and behind us, taking two steps forward and one step back. The dance of life!

While we were spiraling toward the centre, the sky suddenly grew dark and the wind picked up considerably. Out of nowhere, menacing clouds appeared. Then the heavens opened and poured cold, cold rain on us. There was thunder and lightning in the distance. But we kept dancing, two steps forward and one step back.

At the centre, we had a (shortened) guided meditation and the rain finally stopped. We each walked out of the labyrinth at our own pace, alone or with others as desired. As we did so, the wind and clouds disappeared and the glorious summer day returned. It was hot and sunny again by the end of our labyrinth walk.

That particular summer was a real crossroads in my life. I was single, turning 40 and newly unemployed due to government down-sizing. Who knew what the future held? Things seemed very uncertain. Yet within a month or two of my first labyrinth walk, my life changed completely -- a new relationship, a new job, a move to a new city in a new province.

I was definitely on a new path!

[Unfortunately, I have no photos of that long ago hayfield labyrinth. These pictures come from the internet but are reminiscent of what the experience was like.]

Walking Meditation

There are many ways to walk a labyrinth. You can meditate on a specific topic or issue as you walk, asking for clarity or guidance. Or you can walk with nothing in mind and just see where your thoughts take you. Sometimes it's nice just to practice mindfulness and use all five senses to notice what surrounds you.

Some walk the labyrinth quickly, some slowly. I've even seen one young woman walk with her eyes closed, feeling her way with a bare foot. Some people stop to pray at certain points in the labyrinth. When you meet someone on the path, you just briefly step aside for them and then resume your place on the circuit.

Walking a labyrinth is always an introverted activity. You turn and look inward. No one can walk a labyrinth for you, just as no one can make your spiritual journey for you. Silence is the norm, although some labyrinth spaces may feature soft instrumental music in the background.

A labyrinth is, of course, a beautiful metaphor for our relationship with the Divine and for our spiritual journey through life. At times, you find yourself walking close to the centre, to the source. Then the next thing you know, you are far away from the centre on the outskirts of the labyrinth. You turn and turn on the unicursal path, wandering but never lost. And then, when you least expect it, you suddenly arrive at the centre. After a few minutes of prayer or contemplation, you're back on the path, spiraling outwards this time, assimilating what you have learned or experienced.

I like to walk a labyrinth at least three times per visit. I find that it takes a couple of completed walks just for my mind and pace to slow down in order to achieve a more leisurely, contemplative stroll. So I usually plan to spend at least an hour or so for each labyrinth visit. And I always like to finish my visit with a final "gratitude walk" to express my thanks to the Divine for all the good things in my life.

Guess what?

And tomorrow I'll resume my labyrinth series.

Yeah, what He said . . .

. . . but when I say that I'll "be right back," I mean in just a couple of weeks, not in a couple of thousand years (and counting).

So I'll see you later this month, okay? Just taking a little break from the blogosphere . . . .

And hey, here's the real reason Jesus is so tardy about returning:

Just One More! It's My Fave!

In all honesty, I quite like Keanu Reeves. I think he's actually a good actor, although I know it's fashionable to deride him for allegedly having only a single facial expression. And you know, I doubt if he really was sad, dejected or depressed while sitting on that bench and eating his sandwich. Keanu Reeves has always struck me as a thoughtful, introverted man. He was probably pondering something, mulling it over. I think he's a lot deeper than he's given credit for. Then again, I watched him on Jay Leno once and he seemed like a complete doofus. But there you go.

Part of my soft spot for Keanu Reeves is that in 1995 he turned down some lucrative movie work in order to come to Winnipeg (my old home town) to play Hamlet on the stage of the Manitoba Theatre Centre. He chose to try and stretch himself as an actor rather than just make more easy moolah by filming Speed 2. You gotta respect that.

And also, the coolest film sequence in history is Neo's final battle with Agent Smith in The Matrix. Oh yeah.

No, Keanu, NOOOOO!!

It is NEVER appropriate to vomit on cute little bunny rabbits, Keanu, even if you DO barf rainbows and twinkly stars.

Did that never-ending sandwich finally upset your stomach, poor Sad Keanu?

You may have started off dejectedly eating that sandwich on your lonely park bench but it ended up taking you to many exciting places, didn't it?

Want to see more photos of the Sad Keanu meme? Click here!

Christian Labyrinths

In medieval Europe, one of the greatest acts of devotion which a Christian could perform was to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But such a pilgrimage became impossible when the Crusades turned the Middle East into a bloody war zone. So (it is said) a special labyrinth was designed as a substitute for that pilgrimage. If a Christian traveled to a far-off cathedral and walked its labyrinth, that act of devotion was considered equivalent to going to Jerusalem.

The most famous of these Christian labyrinths is found in the French cathedral of Chartres. Inlaid on the cathedral floor in 1201, it eventually fell into disuse once the Crusades were over and labyrinth walking was no longer popular. At one time, rows of chairs were bolted (!) to the precious labyrinth floor but have since been removed, now that labyrinths are popular again. However, as you can see in this photo, moveable chairs are still assembled on the labyrinth when needed.

Despite its Christian origins, the Chartres labyrinth retains many characteristics which are distinctly reminiscent of traditional worship of the Divine Feminine. All Christian labyrinths are devoted to the Virgin Mary, for instance. Because of this, the labyrinth's centre is always represented as a multi-petaled rose, the traditional symbol of Mary.

The Chartres labyrinth's centre recalls the magnificent "rose windows" often found in cathedrals and which are sacred to Mary as well.

Like labyrinths sacred to the Goddess, the Chartres labyrinth is also circular in shape, the symbol of the Divine Feminine. Notice as well that when one rounded turn meets another in the Chartres labyrinth, a special black space is created (there are a total of ten). Christians call this black space a "labrys." But this is in fact a very ancient Minoan term from the island of Crete. It is the name of the Goddess's sacred double-headed axe used in ritual worship. Clearly it forms the basis for the name "labyrinth" as well.

While Christians continue to use the pagan term "labrys," the characterization of the rounded turns as "the breasts of the Goddess" has disappeared. Guess it came a bit too close to acknowledging the true nature of She who is really being honoured by the labyrinth!