I’ve walked labyrinths many times and deeply enjoy them. They are circular mazes designed so that a person enters and travels around the circle weaving in and out sometimes closer to the center then farther away until you finally reach the center. You’ll find them at various churches and spiritual centers. It is an experience and metaphor for the experiences of life that bring us closer and farther away from our center- God, Divine Source, etc… Once you reach the center, you may rest there as in the heart of God and just enjoy it before retracing the path to exit.
Whenever I’ve walked labyrinths, I’ve been directed to do so calmly in meditation with presence and awareness. I walk feeling each step, the turns, breathing, etc…
Recently, I walked a labyrinth with my friend and his 6 year old daughter. He created the labyrinth. It’s outside, made of stones, and beautiful. They recently mowed, but left grasses and some flowers amidst the stones that formed the edges of the paths and walkways throughout it.
He began walking the labyrinth calmly. But, his daughter entered the labyrinth by skipping, smiling, and singing about the center. It was a fun adventure for her. I began walking calmly like I’d previously been taught. But, I saw how much fun she was having. I realized that she knew how to do it. So, I started skipping, smiling, and singing.
In essence, she taught me how to live.
We can hold and express the center of joy from within ourselves no matter where we are on the path or which turn or life experience seems to take us closer to or farther away from the center. The center is always there in the midst of every moment and experience whether we feel connected to it or not.
In the midst of what may seem to be the most painful moment of our lives, can we feel the center shining love beautifully from within us? That’s what spiritual commitment increasingly enables us to do. It enables us to cultivate the love and light within to live from and in connection with it every moment.
Peace,
Jon