Labyrinth
We are all on the path… exactly where we need to be. The labyrinth is a model of that path.
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.
At its most basic level the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who you are.
Labyrinth History
The construction of the labyrinth combined the talents of the Mo-Ranch maintenance staff and dedicated volunteers. In February of 2001, Mo-Ranch was the site of a national Mariners in Mission event. Mariner volunteers took a level site, with the outer frame in place and completed the interior construction of the labyrinth in one week.
Youth groups from St. Stephens and Ridglea Presbyterian Churches, Ft. Worth, spent their 2001 Spring Break at Mo-Ranch. A part of their labor was the outlining of the paths leading to the labyrinth and the Luttig-Shelton Pavilion.
Our labyrinth is based on the design of the labyrinth found at Chartres Cathedral in France. The meandering path of the classical eleven-circuit labyrinth includes thirty-four turns. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has a single path which, if followed, leads directly in and out of the center. Our labyrinth is slightly larger than the Chartres labyrinth.
The labyrinth was dedicated on Saturday, May 5, 2001 during the Mo-Ranch Men’s Conference.
Walking the Labyrinth
Excerpted from Walking a Spiritual Path
by Dr. Lauren Artress
Used by permission
“There are many ways to walk the labyrinth. In preparing to walk the labyrinth it may be helpful to reflect on where you are in your life. This might be as simple as “I’m finishing school!” or “I have a new baby.”
Another approach is simply to quiet the mind, choosing to let all thoughts go when they present themselves in your awareness. In this form of walking the labyrinth, the task is to allow a gracious sense of attention flow through you.
You may want to focus on a question that you have been asking yourself. Questions that we take into the labyrinth should be outside the realm of yes and no answers. There is nothing magical about the labyrinth. It simply allows our consciousness to open so that deeper, and perhaps new, parts of ourselves can speak to us more directly. The questions we formulate should be as close to home as possible. They do not need to be worded articulately, but they need to be asked from the heart and soul of our being, not from everyday conscious thoughts.
Many people find it helpful to meditate by repeating a word, a mantra, or a phrase over and over to themselves as they walk. You may want to read a passage of scripture before or as you walk. Another method is simply to pray throughout the labyrinth walk.”
We hope that you will use the labyrinth to walk, to pray, to dance, to meditate, to be in silence and grow closer to God. May grace and peace be yours!
Solvitur ambulando…It is solved by walking…
Saint Augustine
