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Walking the Labyrinth

As a coach it is important to find ways to practice mindfulness and to have tools to help our clients find ways to be present with others.  I suggest you try walking the labyrinth and see what you think. Here is my story of how I became a labyrinth walk devotee.

My labyrinth walking partner, Cheryl.

As often as possible, on Monday afternoon, I travel from my urban home to the country to walk a labyrinth, a spiraling symbol embedded in the earth most often used for spiritual contemplation.  I go with a friend and my dogs comes along, too. The journey to the center of the spiral and back is a ritual of walking in quiet meditation. The intent is to open both mind and heart.

I accidentally happened upon the ancient practice of walking into the center and out again while visiting Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. This first experience of walking the labyrinth left me with blissful feelings similar to those one has after meditation. Since then it has become my Monday afternoon ritual. In times of uncertainty and change this is a practice that demands nothing of me. With little effort, walking the labyrinth provides an opportunity to feel more whole. I enter as a body looking for my spirit and I exit as a spirit walking in my body.

Peanut on the Labyrinth

Labyrinths come in several forms. When I am in Cincinnati, I visit Grailville Retreat Center’s two outdoor labyrinths. The smaller labyrinth, in the Chartres design, is made of bricks inlaid in the ground and is nestled near a pine grove. I prefer to walk the large one, which is a narrow path cut in the grass, surrounded by countryside. It is a 200 foot diameter Cretan labyrinth, the most universally used labyrinth pattern.  Cretan labyrinths are named for the Greek island of Crete and the labyrinth found there in the palace of Knossos dates back to the 1st century AD. The Cretan pattern was chosen as Grailville’s first labyrinth because it has traditionally symbolized feminine spirituality and the universality of all religions.

When I travel, I find myself longing for my Monday ritual and often search out a local labyrinth to walk. Exploring the spiral of an unfamiliar labyrinth in an unknown setting is much like going to a new continent for the first time.  I get the heightened sense of being on Planet Earth, comfortingly similar, yet quite different from my homeland. Walking a labyrinth for the first time is a wonderful experience.

While working in San Diego last year a friend and I drove up to Escondido and the Lavender Fields. There we walked a unique labyrinth, a purple path drawn upon the earth with spiraling lavender plants. I delighted in the serenity induced by the beauty and calming fragrance of lavender.  I was captivated by the act of walking next to a field of llamas, who live on the farm and stare at the labyrinth travelers in amused detachment.  The llamas seem to have reached the realm I seek; a plane where serenity, mindfulness and delight reside.

In her book, Walking a Sacred Path, Dr. Lauren Artress, describes labyrinths as “divine imprints.” Dr. Artress established the Veriditas: The World-Wide Labyrinth Project, dedicated to solving spiritual hunger. Both this website and The Grace Cathedral websiteprovide a wealth of information on the history of labyrinths; the stages of the walk: releasing, receiving and returning; guidelines for the walk, as well as The Labyrinth Locator; and, an online their interactive labyrinth.

There are many ways of walking the labyrinth, but there is no “right” way. My Monday afternoon walk begins with my friend and I drawing a card out of Angeles Arrien’s tarot deck and reading it’s meaning in The Tarot Handbook: Practical Applications of Ancient Visual Symbols (1997). Next, we choose a card from the Labyrinth Inspiration Cards . We use the cards to give direction and inspiration for our practice. During the walk I meditate on the cards and reflect on their meaning in my life. Important insights emerge and on the drive home my friend and I share our discoveries. Our way of walking the labyrinth is just that; our way, our practice, our path. And it never fails because there can be no failure in the process of self-discovery. There are numerous books and websites to help you to craft a labyrinth walk of your own.