while i was home, i made some time to go to grace cathedral in San Francisco (aka "the City" how those that live in the Bay area refer to SF). walked the labyrinth there. i guess it's one of those old traditions that has been getting renewed attention lately.
here's a bit of an explanation, according to the website (http://www.gracecathedral.org/labyrinth/)
Walking the Labyrinths at Grace Cathedral
The Labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint, found in all religious traditions in various forms around the world. By walking a replica of the Chartres labyrinth, laid in the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France around 1220, we are rediscovering a long-forgotten mystical tradition that is insisting to be reborn.
The labyrinth has only one path so there are no tricks to it and no dead ends. The path winds throughout and becomes a mirror for where we are in our lives. It touches our sorrows and releases our joys. Walk it with an open mind and an open heart.
There are three stages of the walk:
Purgation (Releasing) ~ A releasing, a letting go of the details of your life. This is the act of shedding thoughts and distractions. A time to open the heart and quiet the mind.
Illumination (Receiving) ~ When you reach the center, stay there as long as you like. It is a place of meditation and prayer. Receive what is there for you to receive.
Union (Returning) ~ As you leave, following the same path out of the center as you came in, you enter the third stage, which is joining God, your Higher Power, or the healing forces at work in the world. Each time you walk the labyrinth you become more empowered to find and do the work you feel your soul reaching for.
i enjoyed the experience, though my brother was waiting for me so i didn't take as much time as i would have liked to. my life has been lacking times of pause lately.
the labyrinth reflects the inward/outward journey of life. as we go inward, in ourselves, which as i have been learning in school lately, also a journey upward, a reaching out to God. this direction in spirituality then enables us to go outward in the world.
the last few years of my life have been one of inward exploration, a growing understanding of myself, and who i am in God. and in turn this growth goes outward from me to those with whom i am in relationship.
to attempt to do life without one or the other of these actions doesn't work. leads to isolation or burnout. he's the True Vine. apart from him we can do nothing, be nothing, are nothing.
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