wfn.org | Labyrinth offers sacred space from daily grind

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #6099 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

30-June-2000
GA00149

	Labyrinth offers sacred space from daily grind

	by Nancy D. Borst

LONG BEACH, June 30 - It waits in the dark cool and quiet of room 203B of
the convention center. Alone, it looks like a circular maze painted on
sailcloth. But the moment someone steps onto its edge and begins walking its
singular path to the center, the transformation to holy instrument is
complete.

	The labyrinth, an ancient symbol of spiritual pilgrimage, has found a place
in modern American culture. The person most credited with its revitalization
is the Rev. Lauren Artress of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. She traveled
to Chartres, France, and acquired the medieval labyrinth for use by
modern-day pilgrims. It was open for use in 1991. The labyrinth available at
this Assembly is a copy of the Chartres pattern. Artress' book, "Walking a
Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool" offers
guidance in using the labyrinth as a way to pray and deepen one's
spirituality.

	Labyrinth designs can be found on the stone floors of many medieval
cathedrals. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the place of
Christ's death and resurrection, was the holy destination of medieval
pilgrims. However, many could not make the journey. Cathedral patterns
became a way for ordinary believers to make their spiritual pilgrimage.

	The Rev. Rebecca Prichard, a member of the Spiritual Formation Committee of
Los Ranchos Presbytery, said approximately 200 Assembly participants had
walked the labyrinth as of late Friday afternoon. The labyrinth was
available from Wednesday through Friday.

	She said a request to use the labyrinth came from the Assembly Committee on
Local Arrangements. The presbytery has had a spiritual formation committee
for about 10 years. They purchased the 37-foot diameter labyrinth through
Grace Cathedral two years ago for about $2,800.

	Brad Kent, associate for spiritual formation in the denomination, noted
that a labyrinth is not a maze, a series of dead ends, trial and error.
Instead, it is a three-part pilgrimage. The first part is "shedding" as one
enters, leaving clutter of the mind behind and focusing on a prayer concern
or a spiritual need. Upon reaching the center, the participant reaches a
point of "illumination," open to the spirit of God. Finally comes
"unification," leaving the labyrinth in a closer walk with God and taking
God's blessing to the outside world.

	One should not be disappointed if the first few times through a labyrinth
do not yield "life-changing" experiences. Keep walking, Kent advises. And
don't rush the experience.

	"If you only have 15 minutes, don't even try (to walk) it," he said.		

	There also are "finger" labyrinths, with a "raised" path that can be traced
by one finger.

	Among comments left in a journal with the Assembly's labyrinth was a thank
you for "this quiet, peace-filled sanctuary." Another walker who had
traveled the labyrinth twice during the week wrote that it was the highlight
of her day each time.

	And another simply wrote of the experience: "Peace, be still."

	For more information about labyrinths and possibly acquiring one, go to the
following web site: thelabyrinthproject.org.

_______________________________________________
pcusaNews mailing list
pcusaNews@pcusa.org

To unsubscribe, go to this web address:
http://pcusa01.pcusa.org/mailman/listinfo/pcusanews