Last week I had the opportunity to walk a Labyrinth with a large group of people and it was such an exquisite experience so of course I wanted to share it with you! What is a labyrinth you ask? Well, Labyrinths are a kind of archetypal design that have been in existence for hundreds of years as part of mystical and religious traditions and cultures throughout the world. 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. A Labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. The way in is the way out. There are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and out again.

At its most basic level, the Labyrinth offers a rich metaphor for how we embark on the journey of life. We step onto a path having some sense of where we think we are headed but as we walk forward, we come upon unexpected twists and turns that lead is in a direction we may not have expected. One of our greatest challenges is trusting the path and continuing to put one foot in front of the other despite how lost we may feel.

Another interesting thing for me to observe was how walking on the labyrinth with others was different from walking it alone (which I had done several times before). I watched myself allowing others people’s speed to impact my own – feeling pressured to keep up with those in front of me, speed up if I felt someone behind me, or annoyed by being slowed down by someone in front of me. When I was able to see that I always had the choice to go at my own pace, step aside and let someone pass or pass someone else, it became a metaphor for the freedom we have in every relationship and situation by being able to choose how we engage. And those moments where there was such a traffic jam that passing wasn’t an option became a metaphor for how sometimes in life the best (and possibly only) choice we have is to simply accept exactly where we are. And in that acceptance comes the choice for how we want to accept it: with frustration, fear, and resignation OR with peace, patience, and faith.

Today I invite you to consider how you are walking on your life labyrinth. Are you trusting your path even if you cannot see exactly where it is headed? Are you rushing yourself, pressuring yourself to get somewhere? Are you stepping aside or stepping forward in self-honoring ways? Are you reacting and responding to the “traffic jams” in your life with judgment or acceptance? I also encourage you to google labyrinths in your area and walk one for yourself so you can actually experience this amazing metaphor for how you walk through life.

Fondly,
Christine

“Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path… exactly where you are meant to be right now… And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love.”
Caroline Adams