Walking the Labyrinth

It was one of those spontaneous days when everything was aligned to allow me the opportunity to drive up the hill to Rancho Palos Verdes and spend some time at Mary and Joseph Retreat Center walking their spectacular outdoor labyrinth. I've been wanting to go all year and when I woke up this morning I knew in my bones today was the day.

A beautiful sunny but chilly 65 degrees. Butterflies galore, flowers blooming, birds singing, water fountains bubbling as I stepped into the labyrinth. My eyes, ears and spirit were very happy.

For those of you who don't know, labyrinths have been around thousands of years. They are used as a meditation tool...I was definitely needing a reboot (no pun intended) coming off 8 weeks of recovering from a broken ankle wearing a boot and then an ankle brace. Labyrinths can be seen as a metaphor for how we are currently walking through life and the situations confronting us.

I use the 3 fold path for walking. 1) The way in is about releasing, letting go, centering and shedding what is weighing heavily on my heart. 2) In the center I pause for a focused time of prayer talking to God, listening for guidance. 3) The way out is about returning to daily life feeling replenished, grounded, focused and empowered.

The path of the labyrinth is quite narrow and it only goes one way. Like life it has twists and turns as well as sharp corners. There were times where the path was straight and clear...and I noticed the urge to speed up...but I didn't. There was no need to hurry one moment of this experience. I could just notice the wanting to move faster but chose not to. Isn't life like that too...the urge to hurry through something just to get it done?

When the path twisted and turned I had to slow down so I could stay on it. Sometimes in life when I'm not paying attention I find myself making decisions that result in my straying from the path I was committed to. Occasionally it is a conscious choice to leave my life path for a period of time if something out of my control happens (like a broken ankle) but that was not the case today.

Every time I do a labyrinth walk I have a different experience except for one similarity. If I look too far ahead on the path, trying to see what comes next, I am no longer present to my walking and lose my rhythm and my balance. Well life is like that too...if I get too far ahead of myself focus and presence are beyond my grasp and I feel “off.”

And just like life and its sharp corners and the potential for injury, walking the labyrinth, if I didn't pay attention going around the corners I could stumble or bump my ankle on a brick and possibly hurt myself. So once again focus, going slow and presence were a priority.

Even though I'm always just a little sad leaving this beautiful sacred place I am grateful for the reboot I receive by being there. And I know I can return again and again.

I'd be so interested in hearing your experience of walking a labyrinth. And if you have an interest in going up the hill to the retreat center it's free to walk anytime. Just check in at the desk. They are grateful for any donation.