Exploring the Labyrinth_ A Guide for Healing and Spiritual Growth - Melissa Gayle West [39]
LABYRINTH EVOLUTION
Just as seasons change, so may your labyrinth. You might find that the structure itself needs to be modified in order to make maintenance easier. Sig Lonegren originally lined his labyrinth paths with sand. Over time, and through much weeding, he decided to change the composition of the paths from sand to bark chips. He now has covered the paths with bark and—to his great delight—has found that the amount of time spent weeding has dropped significantly.
As you work with your labyrinth over time, you may want to change certain physical aspects of it for personal or aesthetic reasons. Cedar kindling originally lined the paths on the Chartres labyrinth at Harmony Hill; over the years stones brought by guests and workshop participants replaced some of the kindling and added to the richness of the circuits. I felt especially drawn to the oyster shells from the Hood Canal beach next to Harmony Hill that someone added to the circuits, both aesthetically for the white pearliness against the darkness of the charcoal gray gravel, but also for the shells symbolizing that Harmony Hill was on water renowned for its fecundity. How wonderful it would be, I thought, to have a labyrinth that honored the particular genius of this bioregion, by lining it completely with oyster shells rather than river stones.
Someone else had already brought up some shells from the canal to put in the labyrinth. I finished that bucket, went down to the beach with an armful of plastic bags to fill with more shells, and the project was born.
Groups at Harmony Hill, from women from the local women’s prison, to cancer retreats, to theological study groups, have helped with the project, bringing more oyster shells up from the beach and slowly replacing the cedar. This labyrinth is alive, not just from its connection to the particular piece of earth it graces but from the love and goodwill of all those who have cared for it and helped it evolve.
Labyrinths are not inert collections of stones, rope, or tape. You will find as you work with your labyrinth, no matter what its size or composition, that it has a certain living quality to it.
Just like a living being, the labyrinth responds to your care. After I spend time grooming a labyrinth, the air feels clearer within its circuits, the colors brighter, the energy freer. What I find, as you will as well, is that it is not just the labyrinth that benefits from this loving care. After spending time caring for the labyrinth, I too feel cleaner, lighter, more connected to my own body and soul.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Making the Labyrinth Work for You
YOU MUST BE PRESENT IN ORDER TO WIN ran an old bingo sign that I once had hanging on the wall of my office. I wish I still had the sign to show participants at the labyrinth workshops I lead.
The labyrinth invites us to show up. Our best response to this powerful invitation is mindful preparation for a walk. The more consciously we prepare for the walk, the deeper and more transformative that walk will be.
Preparation can be a simple matter of taking a moment to stand at the entrance to the labyrinth, breathing and becoming clear about our intentions for walking. Preparation may also mean several days of thoughtful rumination as we get ready for a labyrinth retreat.
THE POWER OF CONSCIOUS INTENTION
By being fully conscious of our intentions for any particular walk, we harness the power of the labyrinth. We can frame those intentions as either a question or a statement; the power of the intention is not in how it is worded but in that it is consciously chosen and walked into.
We must also be willing to hear the truth as we walk into our intention. Sig Lonegren calls the labyrinth a “hermetic tool.” He claims that Hermes, Greek messenger to the gods, is a powerful archetype for the labyrinth.