What is THAT?
It’s a symbol that Dan Brown is going to explain in his next best selling thriller of a novel. - No, that’s not the correct answer.
What is that? It’s a target that NASA astronauts use to get their bearings while circling the earth at 17,000 miles per hour. Wrong.
What in the Dickens, what the heck is that geometric circle in the churchyard? - Has anyone filled you in on the Mayan apocalyptic end of the world? On Dec. 21, 2012, the Maya's "Long Count" calendar marks the end of a 5,126-year era. On the winter solstice in 2012, the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years. This means that "whatever energy typically streams to Earth from the center of the Milky Way will be disrupted on 12/21/12 at 11:11 p.m. Universal Time" and the doomsday or moment of cosmic shifting will start in that circle right out there on Wedgewood’s property. - Not really. Erroneous.
What is that? I don’t know, but after our yoga class this past Wednesday I saw this flying saucer land on that very spot and alien beings with long necks and one huge eye got out of the ship and walked around before blasting back into the heavens. False.
What is that? It is where we put Christians who sleep during sermons. It has invisible fencing to keep the sleepers in the circle. Try to step outside the circles and you’ll get the living daylights shocked out of you. - Not true.
What is that? And the answer is: it’s a labyrinth.
When Wedgewood’s labyrinth was being built Jim Rivers was watching its construction and a person who lives on Wedgewood Drive walked up and asked the question that is now the second most asked question about Wedgewood, “What is that?” You know the most asked question, don’t you? What do you mean by "liberal"? A not so nice Christian called me, in fact, last week, to ask that question. But today we focus on the second most asked question about Wedgewood, what is that thing on the church lawn? And I repeat the answer, a labyrinth, and even after hearing the answer to the question you still look confused.
Let me take that puzzled look off your face. ---- The labyrinth is an ancient tool containing a meandering but purposeful path leading to a center and out again. People walk a labyrinth as a way to meditate, to pray, to connect with God, to deal with their life and all its details, to be healed, to be released from paralyzing fear or despair. The labyrinth is a sacred path, symbolic of life’s journey, and is meant to give those using it a chance to find wholeness, piece of mind, direction, guidance. Unlike a maze, which has dead ends, tricks and turns, a labyrinth has no dead ends and no trickery is involved. There is an entrance, there is a center, and there is an exit.
Labyrinths have been known to the human race for over four thousand years. The oldest surviving labyrinth is found in a rock carving in Luzzanas in Sardinia, and dates from 2500-2000 B.C.E. The earliest Christian labyrinth is most likely one found in a fourth-century basilica in Algeria. Church labyrinths were particularly popular during the Middle Ages.
And now Wedgewood has a labyrinth. Not many Baptist churches have labyrinths. We can count ourselves as fortunate.
At Wedgewood we speak of the Christian journey as inward and an outward journey. May our labyrinth enhance our inner journeys so we will have all the energy, strength, and courage we need to love the world as Jesus loved the world.
Some of us have never walked a labyrinth and so we may be asking, Just how does a person walk a labyrinth? What are the rules?
First of all, there is no one correct way to walk a labyrinth. Each labyrinth walk may be an entirely different experience from other labyrinth walks.
Can more than one person walk a labyrinth at a time? Yes. There is no restriction on how many people can walk at one time.
Well, what if the person in front is walking as slow as a tortoise? Be polite and considerate, but feel free to pass. People walk the labyrinth at different paces. We can all live together on and off labyrinths peacefully. Amen.
Should you talk to the other person walking the labyrinth? Typically, people like to walk the labyrinth in silence. So don’t speak to others. Of course, if no one is on the labyrinth and you are walking the labyrinth with a friend with whom you’ve prearranged being chatty Kathy’s while you walk the labyrinth together, go for it. But if others show up you’ll have to zip your lips. Personally, though, I recommend silence. God can be heard in words and noise, but our lives are filled with noise and chatter. Time in silence can be good for us.
Can I dance the labyrinth? I knew somebody was going to ask that. Of course not, this is a Baptist labyrinth. No, if you are on the labyrinth by yourself feel free to sing, dance, or read aloud some of my sermons while you walk. But if others are present, everything changes. You should not be a distraction to other labyrinth walkers.
What if nothing happens when I walk the labyrinth? What if I’m disappointed with my labyrinth walk? Well, labyrinth walking may not be for you, but I would encourage you to have intentions when you walk the labyrinth, not expectations. Expectations set us up to feel disappointed or lead us to think we didn’t walk the labyrinth correctly. Don’t put pressure on yourself. Rather, simply have an intention. Today when I walk the labyrinth my intention is to open myself, my heart, my mind to thinking about a health problem I have. Today I walk the labyrinth with the intention to get my life more in balance. I walk with the intention of praying about a conflicted relationship I am in. I walk seeking guidance. I walk to practice being thankful. I walk to be released from the power of depression. Will you still be depressed? Maybe. But what if a labyrinth walk empowered you to say, I will not be defeated by my depression. ------ Or perhaps you just walk and see where you mind goes. My intention today for this walk is to be wide open to whatever happens during the walk.
I predict all your labyrinth walks will not be ecstatic experiences. The labyrinth will not provide you with perfect bliss or a perfect life. But I also predict your time on the labyrinth will not be a waste of time, and, could very well over time provide you with moments of insight and empowerment.
Built by:
WB Design Group
Charlotte, NC
WWW.WBDESIGNGROUP.COM
“Developing pristine outdoor living spaces for the greater Charlotte area”
Please contact us:
Owner
Wade Baxely
704-891-2165
Administrative Assistant
Timothy Hutchison
704-718-4389
Synopsis of labyrinth building procedures:
WB Design Group drew upon its skill and focus for excellence to develop this meaningful and unique landmark. Once the center of the labyrinth was established, ground preparation began. We spread, leveled then smoothed a circular gravel foundation. To ensure proper spacing, we painted the labyrinth design onto the smoothed gravel. We firmly set the pathway borders into place by positioning each stone paver by hand, then nailing them down. The central petals and all curves required meticulous stone cutting and exact measurements so all pieces would beautifully fit together. After piecing together the puzzle, the final layers of gravel were spread. Then, to compliment the labyrinth, WB Design Group encircled it with dark mulch. It has become a fine addition to Wedgewood Baptist Church.
Edging - 1,362 linear feet
Crushed Concrete/Gravel (RCB) - 49 tons
"Alabama stone" - 8 tons
Brick chips - 1 ton
Mulch - 8 yards
Labyrinth information from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth
Labyrinth Society
http://www.labyrinthsociety.org/
Labyrinthos
http://www.labyrinthos.net/index.html
Labyrinthos - The Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth, one of the best known labyrinths in the world
http://www.labyrinthos.net/chartresfaq.html
Labyrinthlocator.com
Labyrinths.org - Labyrinth locator
http://www.labyrinths.org/lablocators.html
Labyrinths in North Carolina
http://www.labyrinthsinnc.com/index.html
Labyrinth Resource Group
http://www.labyrinthresourcegroup.org/
Labyrinths International
http://www.charityadvantage.com/QuadCity_Labyrinth_ProjectAYSDYT/Home.asp
Lauren Artress, The Sacred Path Companion: A Guide to Walking the Labyrinth to Heal and Transform
Lauren Artress, Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice
Gernot Candolini, Labyrinths: Walking Toward the Center
Helen Curry, The Way of the Labyrinth: A Powerful Meditation for Everyday Life
Penelope Reed Doob, The Idea of the Labyrinth from Classical Antiquity through the Middle Ages
Jill Kimberly Hartwell Geoffrion, Praying the Labyrinth: A Journal for Spiritual Exploration
Jill Kimberly Hartwell Geoffrion, Pondering the Labyrinth: Questions to Pray on the Path
Richard Kautz, A Labyrinth Year: Walking the Seasons of the Church
Hermann Kern, Through the Labyrinth
Sig Lonegren, Labyrinths: Ancient Myths and Modern Uses
W.H. Matthews, Mazes and Labyrinths: Their History and Development
Helen Raphael Sands, The Labyrinth: Pathway to Meditation and Healing
Helen Raphael Sands, The Healing Labyrinth: Finding Your Path to Inner Peace
Jeff Saward, Labyrinths and Mazes - A Complete Guide to Magical Paths of the World
Jeff Saward, Magical Paths - Labyrinths & Mazes in the 21st Century
Donna Schaper, and Carole Ann Camp, Labyrinths from the Outside In: Walking to Spiritual Insight - A Beginner's Guide
Melissa Gayle West, Exploring the Labyrinth: A Guide for Healing and Spiritual Growth
Virginia Westbury, Labyrinths: Ancient Paths of Wisdom and Peace
You may focus on only one question during your walk or you may ask different questions at various points in your labyrinth walk (i.e., at the entrance, at the center, and at the exit). Of course, you may decide to walk the labyrinth with no questions in mind too.
Ask questions gently. Treat yourself kindly. Rather than be judgemental toward yourself or others, be curious: curious why you and others are the way you are. Have empathy for yourself and others. Be a friend to yourself and you can make the needed changes without beating up on yourself. Relieve yourself of the daggers of unrealistic and impossible perfection. Simply walk the labyrinth, breathe in and out, and let your mind be curious with the questions. There are good reasons you and others are the way you are.
Entrance To The Labyrinth Questions
1. What were the early years of my life like?
2. What new beginning do I need in my life?
3. What new beginnings have I had in my life?
4. Am I a self-starter or do I have trouble "getting the ball rolling"? (What might I be afraid of? What are the various dynamics of my ambivalence and inability to act?)
5. What doors have been closed to you? (Why have those doors been closed?)
6. Who are the people and what are the events that have opened up a whole new world to you, a new way of understanding yourself and the world?
7. Think of when you became a Christian. How do you feel God has changed you since that first step of following Jesus?
8. Are you a parent of a young child? What are your hopes and dreams for the beginning of their life?
9. Are you in the beginning stages of a relationship? What thoughts and emotions are swimming in you as you are thinking about this relationship?
10. What is something I started but did not finish? What can my not finishing something tell me about myself? Am I ambivalent about what I started? What can I learn about myself from my ambivalence? Do I fear failure because of.....past failures, experience of a very critical parent or partner/spouse, or because I am too critical of myself? Do I tend to be passive agressive?
11) What new thing could I do to make the world a better place?
12) Is the current pace of my life too fast? [Walk the labyrinth slowly as a way of saying to yourself that you need to slow down.]
13) [For Wedgewoodians] What can I do to make Wedgewood the church it needs to be?
14) [For Wedgewoodians] What do I have to give to Wedgewood? What do I need to receive from Wedgewood?
15) How has church or spirituality been a problem for me in the past? How might church, personal involvement in mission activitity, and/or spirituality transform me?
Center of the Labyrinth Questions
1) Who or what is the center of your existence?
2) Who or what holds you together?
3) Are you distracted? Do you need to be more centered?
4) Do you find yourself getting caught in the middle of other people's conflicts? How can you keep loving each of the people in the conflict while not getting caught in the middle and taking on the stress of their relationship?
5) How long do you think you will live? Are you at the middle of your life? What do you want to do with the time you have left?
6) Are you a young person headed toward adulthood? What new responsibilities and opportunities are you seeking?
7) In some of our relationships a good bit of time may have passed and a lot of water has gone under the bridge. What have been the joys and hurts of such a relationship? What aspects of the relationship have been swept under the rug? What needs to be forgiven? What are times you've had together that remind you of how blessed you have been? What are your hopes for the future of the relationship?
[Place for exit photo.]
Exit Questions For Labyrinth Walking
1) What are some of the endings you have experienced?
2) What deaths have you mourned?
3) What are some exits you need to take in life?
4) What are some things you need to end in your life?
5) Where do you go next in your life?
6) What friends and communities do you have to help you live in the world?
7) What do you want to do before your life ends?
8) What fears do you have about the future?
May God Bless Your Labyrinth Walks!
