Forms of Prayer: Labyrinths

“Walking the labyrinth clears the mind and gives insight into the spiritual journey. It urges action. It calms people in the throes of life transitions. It helps them see their lives in the context of a path – a pilgrimage. They realize that they are not human beings on a spiritual path but spiritual beings on a human path”.

Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress, Veriditas

The Labyrinth

The labyrinth, an ancient prayer tool, is a large circle with a meandering but purposeful walking path that guides the participant from the outside edge to the center and back out again. Walking this path provides an opportunity to go on a metaphorical spiritual journey to the center of our being and then back out into the world, inspired by our experience. This journey is based on what Western Christianity defines as the Threefold Path. The three stages that define the sequence of the labyrinth are:

• Purgation (journeying to the center, also called the path of letting go)
• Illumination (experiencing the center or the Presence of the Divine)
• Union (journeying from the center to the outside edge – bringing the inner presence of God into the world).

The hope is that, as people travel on this threefold path, they will develop greater self-knowledge and knowledge of their relationship to the Divine. The metaphorical imagery of the labyrinth can enable us to let go of old images, illuminate new growth and empower us to move into the world with a deeper sense of God’s presence.

The labyrinth was used in Europe by medieval Christians and pilgrims to replicate the longer journey to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Historically, Christians walked a symbolic spiritual journey to and through Jerusalem following the footsteps of Jesus. By walking the labyrinth, they experienced that journey metaphorically.

Labyrinths are currently being used world-wide as a way to quiet the mind, find balance, and encourage meditation, insight and prayer.

Author: Lori G., a member of the Prayer Ministries Team at Central Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Resources

• The Labyrinth Society
• World-Wide Labyrinth Locator
• Twin Cities Labyrinth Locations
• Minnesota Labyrinths
• The Labyrinths of Grace Cathedral
• The Chartres Labyrinth
• The Labyrinth Company

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