Walking a labyrinth is one of my preferred spiritual practices. Over the years there have been times when walking a labyrinth has led me to clarity about a troubling or perplexing issue. Step by step I have been led into moments of peace, wrapped in a sense of calm. A labyrinth, regardless of its location, inside the Chartres Cathedral in France or an untended weedy outdoor labyrinth in my own neighborhood, is a gift of sacred space and walking it is a chance to move deeper into contemplation and reflection.
At least that's been my experience, but that is not always the case. Just ask children.
Sunday during our congregation's education hour all ages had a chance to participate in a variety of activities to dream together about a project to renovate our sanctuary space. Walking a labyrinth was one of those activities--a chance to experience and to reflect on sacred space.
That was the intention anyway.
The kids had other ideas as they romped into the room, flung off their shoes and crashed over the labyrinth's threshold.
Instead of walking the labyrinth, why not race the labyrinth! Run the labyrinth! The labyrinth became a playground. A source of exuberant energy. "I bet I can get to the center before you do."
"I'm going to go backwards."
"Beep, beep, I am passing you."
"Wait a minute, I thought this was a maze, but I didn't get lost."
They zoomed along the circuits. Who knew a white path on the floor could be so much fun, and yet that is exactly what happened, and I loved it. Occasionally a sedate adult walked the labyrinth in the midst of the speed and the noise, but the kids had taken over and contemplation was replaced with clamor.
Fine by me!
The labyrinth is not meant to be mysterious or exclusive or confusing. Instead, this meditation tool with its single path leading into and out of a warm and spacious center is meant to be welcoming, whether one needs solace or a time-out or a reminder that we are not just mind and spirit, but body, too. The kids definitely rejoiced in their bodies on the labyrinth.
This may have been a playful time, but when I have led elementary aged children on more structured labyrinth experiences, I have seen them turn down the volume and the speed. I have seen them relax as they followed the path and then sit quietly in the center. One girl told me she liked walking it because her house was never quiet and she liked being quiet. Wow!
As they get older, thanks to this fun experience with the labyrinth, perhaps they will be drawn to the more contemplative nature of this spiritual practice. Perhaps the labyrinth will become one of their spiritual practices, an accompaniment on their own spiritual journey.
May it be so.
An Invitation
Have you walked a labyrinth? What was your experience? I would love to know?
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