Dear Reader,
I recently enjoyed a visit to the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in Virginia Beach, home of the Edgar Cayce Institute. For those of you who don’t know, Edgar Cayce, known as the “Sleeping Prophet,” was one of the most famous trance channels of the early twentieth century. I have written about Edgar Cayce and my own channeling elsewhere on the blog, if you’d like to learn more.
I love the energy at A.R.E. The center houses a beautiful meditation space on the third floor, looking out over the ocean. On the second floor is one of the largest libraries devoted to consciousness in the world. Also on the grounds are a beautiful healing center, spa and cafe. There are beautiful gardens and, in front of the healing center, the labyrinth.
Walking the labyrinth is one of my favorite things to do at the Edgar Cayce Institute. Although the labyrinth was created long after Cayce was gone, I have to think he would approve. Why? Because walking the labyrinth is a fantastic way to go within and connect with your deepest truth. Cayce’s work was all about encouraging that inner journey.
The Labyrinth
I am no expert, but the labyrinth is an ancient structure, dating at least to Ancient Greece, that has seen many permutations and been used by many different groups, from Christian to New Age, for thousands of years. The modern version of a labyrinth is different from a maze, in that a maze can have sidetracks and dead-ends, while a labyrinth has only one path to the center.
Even though there is one path to follow, and hence no choices to make about direction, the path is typically very winding, to the point where you lose track of direction, where you came from and where you are going – you just follow the path.
Walking the Labyrinth
My encounter with the labyrinth this year moved me deeply. In sharing a little bit of it with you, my hope is that you gain insight about your own path, and your own true self.
I always look forward to walking the labyrinth, and this year was no exception. While Louise visited the meditation space, I headed outside and stood at the entrance to the labyrinth. It looks quite ordinary, an unassuming circular path made of stone, with a pretty design at the center.
Before I took my first step, I decided to set an intention for my walk. My intention was to let go of anything within me that might be holding me back from walking my path in life, as the expressive soul that I am.
I stood for a moment and held the intention in my mind. I felt both feet firmly connected to the earth, and my whole body aligned with my intention.
Fully conscious, I took my first step into the labyrinth.
I slowly walked the path, winding, turning, then walking straight for longer than I thought possible within the design. As I walked, I remained present to my feelings, my physical sensations, and my surroundings. Other people were nearby, but out of respect for my walk, they avoided cutting across the labyrinth to get to the healing center. At one point, a monk in a bright orange robe skirted the edge of the labyrinth. As he passed, he looked at me from the corner of his eye, and smiled a knowing half-smile. I half smiled in return.
On my journey to the center, here is a portion of what I experienced:
- memories of other inner journeys I have taken
- a desire to go faster
- a desire to be further along the path than I was
- a desire to arrive at the center
- curiosity about what it would be like to arrive at the center
- a simple awareness of walking
- a feeling of being present
- a feeling of being distracted
- a feeling of peace
- a feeling of frustration
I experienced all of these things and more while walking. Sometimes I passed next to the center without actually arriving. False hope – followed by a return to walking, and being present.
Finally, I knew that I was getting very close, and saw the opening to the center ahead. Just before I stepped inside, I stopped. I stood, silent and still. I looked at the design in the center, the same design I had seen before I entered the labyrinth.
And I cried.
The center design was of two dolphins, dancing together in a blue yin yang symbol. As I took it in, somewhere deep inside I felt both an incredible fullness and a vast emptiness. I experienced those feelings not just as part of the design, but as the core of my own true nature, your true nature, and the true nature of all that is.
After stepping in and standing in the center until I felt complete, I began the journey back out. It too was filled with feeling:
- I wanted to be complete
- I didn’t want to be complete
- I wondered how long it would take
- I wondered how it would feel when I finished
- a memory of how it felt to arrive at the center
- a simple awareness of walking
- a feeling of being present
When I finally did step out of the labyrinth, the world felt and looked pretty much the same. The whole experience took less than thirty minutes. And yet, I felt like I had been on a long journey. I felt fulfilled. I felt at peace.
Insights from the labyrinth
Want my takeaways? Here are a few.
- If you are struggling to commit in your life, to focus on the important things, to prioritize, you must practice in small ways – such as walking the labyrinth – with intention.
- Any spiritual practice can be powerful – if you give yourself to it fully.
- The journey within is profound, and can feel overwhelming. Sometimes it helps to have a small-scale model to play with – such as the labyrinth.
- Trust your path, and follow it. There are no wrong turns, even when it feels like you are going nowhere, or worse, backwards.
- Don’t worry about arriving.
- Coming out of any spiritual experience, don’t expect the world to look magically different. It may, or may not. Either way, just stay present, and keep walking.
Dear reader, I hope you have enjoyed this reflection on walking the labyrinth. Is there one near you? If so, get yourself there! If not, what spiritual practice could you give yourself to instead?
Just remember that how you walk the path is just as important as walking it at all.
I honor your loving heart,
John
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