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Commitment to a dream opens doors that otherwise might remain shut. Commitment to a dream or a goal, just as in commitment to an intimate relationship, allows depths to unfold and synchronicities to occur. Often life begins to move dreamward only after a firm heart commitment has been made.

Making a commitment to a dream will flush out any inner blocks to its realization so that you can deal with them consciously rather than have them drive you at an unconscious level. You can use the labyrinth as a way of affirming your commitment to your heart’s desire and releasing any internal roadblocks you carry to realizing your dreams.

To begin the “commitment walk,” first take some time to reflect on what you are committing to, and why. Explore how realizing this dream will not only make you a better person but help others around you as well. When you are ready, stand at the entrance to the labyrinth and ask for help in making a heart commitment to your dream. As you walk toward the center, imagine walking with your dream. Notice feelings, images, thoughts that arise as you walk. Breathe through them all.

When you reach the center, commit either out loud or in silence to your dream. Make it clear what you’re committing to, and why. Feel the depth of commitment in your body and soul. Walk out in celebration.

Occasionally the internal flutters you feel on walking into a commitment may turn into earthquakes. If you are being shaken as you walk with a tide of objections, stop walking. When serious internal resistance comes up to making a commitment, it’s necessary to discern whether those objections are about fears and anxieties that need to be honored and worked with before making the commitment or whether the resistance is information about the necessity of changing your dream.

If you’re not sure which way your resistance is directing you, you can simply finish the walk asking for discernment. If you discover that your dream needs to be modified to fit you better, walk the labyrinth for help in figuring out how to do that.

If you find that your dream is still true but your internal resistance needs to be dealt with, walk with your resistance, your fear, your anxiety. Notice where you carry it as you walk to the center. Ask it if it has any gifts for you. Discover how the resistance has been, in some way, an ally for you. Walk into your own heart, finding some way that this obstacle has been a blessing for you, something you can be grateful for.

When you reach the center, name the obstacle. Thank the obstacle for its gift or blessing. Then release it, surrendering it to Spirit. You can even make some gesture of release: Imagine throwing the obstacle into the air to be carried away by angels; reach down, touch the earth, and imagine sending its energy deep into the ground to be recycled. Thank Spirit for helping you release it and for carrying it away.

Walk out of the labyrinth feeling the weight of this obstacle gone.

Be aware that although the labyrinth is very powerful, it is not magic. Some obstacles may indeed be released in one walk. Others, particularly ones we have carried for a very long time, may need to be walked with many times, and surrendered many times, at the center before they are truly released from your heart and soul.

The more we can foster both creativity and intuition in the labyrinth, the freer we shall be to inhabit our highest and finest dreams for our lives.

CHAPTER TEN

Healing the Heart, Healing the Soul

Andrea came to me in the midst of a painful divorce and fearful of losing her job due to restructuring. She was angry, frightened, and confused. “I knew I needed help when I started and couldn’t stop screaming at the kids,” she told me when she began therapy.

Over a period of months she worked through her divorce and job loss issues. On the other side, with a new job and new life as a single parent, Andrea was ready to terminate therapy. I asked her what she had found most helpful in the work we did together.

“The labyrinth,” she told me. “Therapy helped with