This is the main drag of our town,
State Street.
In this picture,
we are very near the northern end of downtown,
before the road takes a hard left,
and becomes something else entirely.
But here,
right here,
on the corner of Micheltorena,
you can find this beauty:
A beautiful, Gothic
brownstone church.
Trinity Episcopal Church,
to be exact.
It comes complete
with bell tower and carillon,
which plays hymns at noon.
And its large, red door
is open – all.day.long.
Like any brownstone church should,
it has it’s interesting details,
including side doors,
hidden from the front.
But this particular church has something truly
special and unique.
It has a prayer labyrinth,
after the design of the one at Chartres,
in France.
It is beautiful,
and it is completely visible to
all north and south bound traffic
on State Street,
which as I mentioned,
is the main drag in our town.
I love that.
Every year, the students at
the School for Spiritual Direction
trek down from the Mission Renewal Center
to spend some time
walking
and praying
the labyrinth.
The beige color is the pathway in (on the left)
and the pathway out (on the right).
The charcoal areas are for stepping out if someone
is walking in the opposite direction
and your paths cross.
I’ve already written in this series about
how walking has enriched my prayer life,
here, here, and here.
The labyrinth is yet another way in which
movement can be combined with
prayer, meditation and silence
to enlarge, refresh and enliven
personal prayer.
You enter the labyrinth in a spirit of quiet,
seeking to listen,
to receive,
to understand,
to discern.
Walking into the labyrinth,
you are invited to
let go
of the concerns and
worries of the day,
and all those things
which sometimes
distract from a
deepening interior journey.
When you arrive at the center flower,
you are encouraged,
in fact, invited,
to spend
time in reflection,
prayer,
thanksgiving –
taking as long as you
need, as long as you like.
As you begin the walk out,
take heart from
the time spent quietly at
the center, and prepare
to re-enter the world
of everyday responsibilities
and commitments,
refreshed and strengthened
for the journey.
The interesting part of this experience for me
is the rhythm of the walking.
Parts of the labyrinth are long
and graceful, allowing me
to move easily,
even quickly, if I wish.
But many parts are tight,
with twisting turns,
requiring concentration
and attention to navigate.
The path doubles back,
seems to repeat itself.
A lot like life.
But, in a labyrinth,
you are never lost,
no matter how convoluted
the pathway may feel
at any given moment.
There is one way in,
and one way out,
and when you leave,
you will want to come again.
This labyrinth is just across the street
from my dentist’s office.
Occasionally, when it’s time
to get my teeth cleaned,
I come early
and walk the labyrinth for twenty
minutes or so.
It’s a space of quiet beauty
and refreshment,
and I am grateful for it.
I particularly like that it
is situated on the main street of our town.
Because that’s where prayer
is so often lacking,
and where it is often most needed.
Hi Diana – that is SO cool! and so beautiful! I’m going to plan something like that for my garden (maybe dream about it more likely) Just the whole thought of the concentration, the thoughts, the quietness of the spirit, to do this is sole pleasing already. What a great way to go about praying.
God bless
Tracy
What a lovely concept! I’ve never heard of a prayer labyrinth.
Just thinking there is one way in and one way out for all of us.
That labyrinth is much prettier than the one I did, but it affected me all the same.
There are lots of different kinds, from this full-on Chartres model to ones made of rope, rocks in the dirt, or vinyl mats – and they’re all wonderful to walk. And I love that thought – that’s the same one that came to me.
You need a big area – and if you research on it on line, you can find ways to do it using rocks to outline the paths. Let me know if you do figure out how to do it – maybe put a picture on facebook?
I love the idea that you can’t get lost there.
Me, too, Glenda. Me, too.
I’ve never walked a labyrinth before. I’d like to sometime. The closest I’ve come is a corn maze. 😉 Thinking I’d prefer to do it alone, though. Is it weird to be walking with so many? Of course, I guess that’s life, too. Walking together, different speeds, paths crossing…
I do enjoy walking it alone. But when you go with a group, someone paces the entrants, so you don’t feel overly crowded. And actually, I think that’s part of the experience. Much like life, as you noted, we have to learn to adjust, make room, pursue silence in the midst of community. I walked one at a pastors’ conference that had different stations along the way and that was really cool, too. You can do interesting things with meditative prayer experiences. That particular conference had an entire large room set up with different places to stop and either light a candle, reflect on a photograph, leave a written prayer request on a mock-up of the western wall of the temple, etc. I respond really strongly to creative approaches to spiritual disciplines and I remember that one well, now six or seven years later.
They’ve been around in one form or another for centuries and are currently enjoying a resurgance in popularity. I really like them.