labyrinth

this picture was taken by Christina from one of our retreats on Pender.......


I love the labyrinth.
I walked for the first time in Atlanta, Georgia.  I thought it was rather strange and simple - and wondered what the big deal was when I heard people talk about it.
And then I walked.
The labyrinth is like a metaphor for life.  It is a journey into the centre and then back out again.  When you begin the walk, you assume you will go directly to the centre....and somehow you end up circling close to the centre - but you can't get in.  You have to keep following the path as it loops to the outer edges before coming back into the very centre at the end.
and then you follow this same journey back out again.
It never fails to speak to me and teach me something new.
I learned how to draw a 7 circuit labyrinth in the sand on the beaches of Florida while I visited my friend Christina Kautz.  I now can use chalk and create a labyrinth anywhere I find a smooth area of pavement.
We used this labyrinth for the retreats at Pender and it was a powerful experience for many.
The highlight for me was walking it at night by candlelight with a group of women together....all of us on our journeys - alone and yet together.
A new Christina in my life took this picture of me at the centre of the labyrinth....a place I love to create for others and a place I love to come to myself.

the labyrinth





the symbolic walk of choice & letting go

Life is funny sometimes. You have these moments of utter clarity about the next step. And so you make a choice to make that step and then suddenly it seems you are going backwards and wondering what just happened. It seems that life is full of choices, taking risks, moving forward into the unknown - a sign of personal freedom to affect the outcome of one's life.....choice. And then there is this flip side - how things just seem to happen and you find yourself belly up - or face in the dirt. How did that happen? It seems that there are situations completely beyond one's control - and that one has a choice in that moment too - to accept the reality or to fight it.
When I walk the labyrinth, I remember all these things - my choices as well as the circumstances in my life I have no control over. The labyrinth seems so symbolic of stepping forward yet at the same time experiencing going backwards while still moving towards the centre. It is an interesting experience to walk in 20 minutes what can be so symbolic of life itself.
It seems like a journey of trust - trusting to take risks and also trusting in the moments of surrender to what is beyond me.

If you get a chance - walk the labyrinth.......I'd love to hear how your expereince is!