Walking A Labyrinth

For Christians, walking a labyrinth was one way in which meditation and prayer meet with physical movement and the concept of spiritual pilgrimages. One of the most popular labyrinths is laid in the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France which dates to around 1220.

The labyrinth has only one path so there are no tricks to it and no dead ends. The path winds throughout and becomes a mirror for where we are in our lives. It touches our sorrows and releases our joys. Walk it with an open mind and an open heart.

There are three stages of the walk:

• Purgation (Releasing) ~ A releasing, a letting go of the details of your life. This is the act of shedding thoughts and distractions. A time to open the heart and quiet the mind.
• Illumination (Receiving) ~ When you reach the center, stay there as long as you like. It is a place of meditation and prayer. Receive what is there for you to receive.
• Union (Returning) ~ As you leave, following the same path out of the center as you came in, you enter the third stage, which is joining God, your Higher Power, or the healing forces at work in the world. Each time you walk the labyrinth you become more empowered to find and do the work you feel your soul reaching for.

Guidelines for the walk: Quiet your mind and become aware of your breath. Allow yourself to find the pace your body wants to go. The path is two ways. Those going in will meet those coming out. You may "pass" people or let others step around you. Do what feels natural.

If you can't walk a labyrinth in person, we hope you enjoy exploring the virtual labyrinth by clicking here.

 

Prayer Walks

 

Prayer walks can take place any time, anywhere. They can range from a few friends who are inspired to do an impromptu prayer walk incognito, to a major occasion that involves the whole Body of Christ in an area, with carefully planned route, music, amplification etc.

An ancient Christian custom is to bless the life and work of an area. In agricultural areas people may walk and stop where there are different crops and ask blessing on the seeds that have been planted. In industrial areas people may walk through the area and bless the different kinds of commerce, industry or leisure activity. In residential areas, people may walk and bless each house they pass, as well as prayer in general for those who live there.

Here is an example of an ancient prayer of blessing, which can be adapted to the situation:

 

Circle this place, Lord

Keep evil out, keep good within

Keep greed without, keep care within

Keep addiction out, keep faith within

Keep prejudice out, keep respect within

Keep injustice out, keep truth within

Keep disease without, keep wholeness within

In the name of Christ Jesus. Amen.

 

Intentional Prayer Walk Meditations

 

In places that speak or dominance: Prepare by reading Luke 18:9-14. While walking or pausing near a place that have been associated with the belittling of others, estrangement, neglect, or exclusion of others, repeat the ancient Jesus Prayer (“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me a sinner”).

In places that need a cleansing: Prepare by reading Luke 3:16, 17. Take a candle with you, a flashlight, or something that symbolizes light and the fire of the Holy Spirit. Pause near places that need God’s cleansing and purification – places where wrong attitudes cast a darkness into the world, beliefs which are contrary to the love of God maim the souls of God’s children, or practices which take life from creation. Pray and visualize the light of Christ surrounding the place.

In places that need forgiveness and reconciliation: Prepare by reading Colossians 1:15-22. Walk with a cross in our pocket, or as a pendant, or in our hand. Meditate on the cross as the place of atonement (at-one-ment) between heaven and earth; male and female; a groaning creation and the Creator; divided families, groups, nations; the land and the people; the past and the present. Pray for reconciliation and healing as you walk.

In places that that are resources for the neighborhood, such as parks, powerstations, or reservoirs: Prepare by reading John 4:13-15. Walk and meditate on the life-giving waters that come from the heart of God for healing, peace, renewal. Reflect on your baptism. Invite God’s Holy Spirit to pour out afresh upon you these gifts of healing, peace, renewal. As you wander around the area, ask the renewing Spirit to bring these gifts to others. Perhaps take a bottle of water with you to help you focus.

In places such as crematoriums, hospitals, or at a morally shady area: Prepare by Galatians 5:22,23. Walk with a rose and pray that out of thorny situations that exist, the nine fruit of the Spirit may flower. These are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control. With groups, each person may take one fruit and pray for that particular grace as the group walks near the highways and byways of the area.

In places where a church, chapel, or a gathering place for believers is located: Prepare by reading Isaiah 51:3. Pray, perhaps even sing, songs of praise. Pray that music and singing, contemplation and praise through creative arts flow in all these places. Pray and ask God’s blessing on those who worship and study there, and that they may continue to be transformed by God’s love and participate in God’s mission in the world. Perhaps even pray the prayer Jesus prayed before he was arrested, that all his disciples may be one (John 17).