Reflections From a Labyrinth Walk

Last Saturday we joined a group of fifteen people who gathered to walk an outdoor labyrinth at Windermere Ranch on the hills above Santa Barbara.  It was “World Labyrinth Day,” an annual occasion in which people around the globe gather at 1 PM to share in this ancient practice.  I’m guessing some of you are familiar with labyrinths and others are not. For those who are not, I’ll offer a simple explanation before sharing what came to me this time.

Labyrinths are geometric designs that people “walk” as a spiritual practice.  While they may have originated centuries before, they became well-known in the Middle Ages, and many cathedrals in Europe were designed to include them.  Here’s a common design that is inlaid in the floor at Chartres Cathedral in France:

At first glance, you may think it’s a maze.  But a maze is a design that forces you to make choices as you walk; some may lead you forward and others to a dead end.  Labyrinths have no wrong turns or dead ends.  You enter at the gateway (the open space at the bottom of the diagram) and keep within the lines marked on the ground until you get to the center and pause. Then you retrace your steps until you exit.  As you are walking, you simply focus on the way that is open in front of you.  Labyrinths vary in size – the one at Chartres measures 40 feet in diameter.  Making the journey typically takes 15 to 20 minutes.

Like many meditative activities (such as some forms of manual labor, creating art and music, etc.), keeping your practical mind busy with a simple task allows your inner self an opportunity to offer you words, images or feelings that may be meaningful.  

One thing I’ve learned is the importance of beginning with the right intention.  It is tempting to say to myself, “As I walk this labyrinth today, I sure hope I get some great spiritual insight!  If I do, it will be a prize to take home and show to others!” But that is Dear Ego speaking.  I find it better to say to myself, “I’m going to make this walk and be open to whatever might come to me. If nothing significant appears, that’s OK.  And if something does, I’ll hold it lightly.”

I have “walked” various labyrinths in the last 20 years. Sometimes I’ve been by myself, other times with my wife. Sometimes it’s been part of a class or retreat. Sometimes live music is played while people walk and other times there is silence.  This day we were led by a friend and colleague who is also a certified labyrinth facilitator and gifted cellist, Rob Hodges.

As it approached 1 PM, we lined up in silence. Rob began playing while his assistant stood at the entry point, nodding when it was time for each person to begin.  (This ensures there will be space between each person to minimize distractions.)

As I waited, I focused on Rob playing.  He was improvising the tune; there is something extraordinary about hearing the deep, rich tones of a cello singing on a hillside among oak trees.  What he played seemed to me like a mystical blend of Indian kirtan chanting and ancient Celtic tunes of longing; it captured my attention and drew me inward.

Soon it was my turn to enter.  As I walked some impressions came to me.  When I completed my time, I found a quiet place and wrote these notes:

              Tuning into the music while walking, three words emerged: “Yearning,” “Sorrow,” and “Sweetness.”  As these settled within me and I continued, I was reflecting on my ongoing journey in life and three phrases appeared: “Moving On,” “Holding On,” and “Opening.”  Towards the end of my walk, I noticed I could see people ahead of me as they exited and disappeared from the circle; I also was aware that I could not see those behind me who were continuing.

Reading over these impressions, I wondered what it all might mean.

It seems to me “Yearning-Sorrow-Sweetness” is what we feel as we savor the passing experiences of being alive.   We yearn for our life to go a certain way, and when it doesn’t, we feel sorrow.  But such sorrow arises because we love and care, and in that feeling a certain sweetness is present.

Every morning we enter a new day and are faced with the fact that the world is Moving On. We don’t want to lose what is important to us, and so we instinctively keep Holding On to what we love and cherish as best we can. Yet we also need to be Opening to new experiences and realities as they emerge, constantly seeking the best ways to incorporate them into our life.

And as I was completing my walk, the awareness of people disappearing ahead of me is what it feels like when people I care about die; I think to myself, “Where did they go?”  And the non-awareness of who is “behind” me is the sense that I don’t know who will continue living when I pass.

Yearning, Sorrow, Sweetness.  Moving On, Holding On, Opening.  People complete the journey and disappear, as I will someday.  In such moments of awareness, there is wonder.

Labyrinth overlooking the Pacific, UCSB campus.

Lead image: Labyrinth at Windermere Ranch, Santa Barbara