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Labyrinth Walks
There are many ways to pray. And each world religion - whether it be Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist or Hindu - has slightly different variations. However, there is a common core that unites all these traditions: the mind has to quiet, the heart hopefully opens and we can listen to and respond from the deepest, inner most part of ourselves that knows Wisdom.
For many of us, the ability to quiet the mind and pray deeply from within has eluded us. Our lives are too busy, too fragmented to sit quietly and pray. This is why walking the labyinth, in whatever form you choose, has begun to catch people's attention. Labyrinths are being created in many places such as hospitals, spas, schools, churches, cathedrals, parks, prisons and playgrounds and the labyrinth movement has become one of the fastest growing spiritual movements of this day and age.
The labyrinth as a sacred symbol has been used by many cultures and religious traditions to assist us in finding peace, managing stress, making decisions, and healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually and has recently been revived as a healing and restorative tool that crosses cultural and religious boundaries.
Examples of different labyrinths have been found at ancient sites throughout the world as widely distant as Scandinavia, Great Britain, Mexico, and India.
Some are 3700 years old and their origins are still a mystery.
Labyrinths were built in many medieval cathedrals during the flowering of the Middle Ages (the 12th and 13th centuries). Originally, all the world religious traditions embraced the act of pilgrimage. The Jewish and Christians would go to Jerusalem and the Muslims would travel to Mecca for a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage. When the religious wars, the Crusades came across Europe, it made traveling dangerous and only the very rich could travel. In an effort to provide a journey of faith for the pilgrims, the Vatican appointed the pilgrimage cathedrals. Some, but not all had labyrinths. Chartres Cathedral was a major pilgrimage site. The center of the labyrinth is called "the new Jerusalem" and the path is called "Le Chemin a Jerusalem" (the road to Jerusalem).
Like all pilgrims, we have a need to search to understand ourselves in relation to the Holy. Prayer or meditation in any form is almost always helpful.
As you walk through the labyrinth you may be happy or sad, angry or bored. Anything that is in your way - even if you were not aware of an obstacle - may come to consciousness while moving through the labyrinth. Allow your mind to quiet. You may have thoughts, but you have a choice as to whether to pay attention to them. Dismiss needless chatter. However, you may also have deeper thoughts. Thoughts with which you are unfamiliar. Those thoughts you may want to pay attention to. Real, or deep thinking is sometimes called meditation.
To learn more about the Labyrinth and find out about gatherings near you, please visit the pages of the Labyrinth Society at:
To find out about Labyrinth Gatherings in New Jersey please visit the "New Jersey Labyrinth Project" at:
