In the past couple of days I’ve walked three labyrinths here
on Maui. Two of them in a beautiful
setting at The Sacred Garden (www.sacredgardenmaui.com)on the lush, tropical
side of the island and the third on a magnificent, wild and windy headland
jutting out into the ocean on the west coast.
Labyrinths are an ancient and sacred symbolic manifestation
of the journey of life, the spiritual journey, the journey within. They wind slowly and methodically back and
forth, sometimes appearing to lead one close to the center only to be led away
again back to the very edge of the circle.
Eventually, after meandering through its lengthy pathways one arrives in
the center. After spending as much time
as feels comfortable in the center of the imaginary cocoon, one turns to
retrace one’s steps back to the beginning.
What a metaphor for our life’s journey!
As I walked the labyrinths many things came to my mind. As I slowed my pace and became aware of each
time I placed my foot on the ground, I began to wonder why I was not always this
mindful in my everyday life? My usual
modus operandi is to get up in my head thinking of this and that, having ideas,
wondering how I will carry them out.
When I do this, I am definitely not thinking about where my feet are in
relation to the rest of me. The result
is that often I trip or bump into furniture or other people. Walking and thinking at the same time are
clearly a challenge for me!
The gentle wandering of the pathways seemed to mimic the
wandering of my mind. Often I think of
one thing and, a few minutes later I find that my mind has wandered many miles
off its path. Now something else has
grabbed my attention and the original thought – or deed – is left
incomplete. I felt almost as if the
labyrinth itself was mocking me and gently prodding me to look at my
ridiculousness and laugh at myself.
Reaching the center of the labyrinth brought me a feeling of
peace and calm. I had slowed down and
relaxed on the journey and now reaching this place of balance and serenity gave
me a fresh perspective on what it means to be on the journey of life. I am not meant to be racing into the future
in competition with everyone else and even with time itself. My life journey is meant to be calm and
measured. I am meant to breathe easy at
all times and not be affected by what is going on outside. My calm comes from my center where I am
always at peace.
Retracing my steps in the opposite direction reminded me
that there is nothing new in this world.
Everything has been done before.
Therefore I need not worry that I will be alone or unsupported. If I reach out for help, if I ask, someone
will have been there before me and can give me encouragement to walk my own
path.
I was fortunate enough to have been able to build two
labyrinths outside of my previous home.
Now in a new home with a much smaller outside space, I am considering
how to create a labyrinth type walk in my backyard. Although I cannot construct a full size
labyrinth out there I am beginning to see that I can make a walkway that
meanders around and through the yard coming to a central space and then
returning to where it began. Strolling
mindfully around this on a daily basis will keep me connected to all that I
learned walking the labyrinths in Maui.
The Labyrinth Society (www.labyrinthsociety.org) has much
information about labyrinths and you can locate them worldwide through their
search function. I intend to seek out
labyrinths whenever I travel from now on and to check out those in my own neck
of the woods. Won’t you join me?
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