Labyrinths – An Invitation
from our Divine Companions
By Gwen Mangum
There has been a great movement and renewed interest in labyrinths over the past
decade. People from all walks of life are exploring the use, building and understanding
what labyrinths mean. Books have been written and societies have been created to explore them. But mostly, it is a deeply
personal journey. Sometimes done in community with others.
It encompasses within the within and beyond the beyond with the very physical
focus of walking the labyrinth pattern. There are also finger labyrinths and
online labyrinths for when you are unable to get away to the walking. I’ve
found the online version to require much patience to finish. It forces one to
slow down and really think about why you are doing it. Is it to ‘get to the finish line’? No, it’s not a race; it’s an inner process. To
honor the process of unfolding one’s awareness, one must not hurry. To
find the way into the timelessness of the eternal now, hurriedness must be left behind.
There are some things that can only be dealt with – by engaging your Soul
and the communion that happens when you slow down, invite the highest part of you to be with you. Divine Presence can only be experienced in the now, not one second beyond or one second behind. While we can record these experiences in writing and upon our hearts to remind ourselves
of the sweetness of this communion we can only truly, deeply experience it in the Now Moment.
Our awareness can be built and created to recognize these moments of clarity and
purpose so that we can access this Divine Strength within in times of peace and in times of effort. When I walk the labyrinth in my backyard deck as each step begins, I must balance on one foot for a moment
and concentrate where to place the next step. If I have a problem in mind when
I begin, it is mentally placed aside. I do not expect an answer, just a few moments
of concentrated peace and letting go.
Right now my labyrinth
is invisible. So one of the problems I address is what I should do about it…chalk in the actual form, paint it on the
concrete deck, create it out of tape for a temporary solution. Perhaps,
I should buy a canvas one or make my own, I do have a huge roll of canvas, but then I’d have to buy more for paintings. Well, you see the labyrinth has been calling to me to be created for a while
now and I haven’t done anything physical to create it, other than walking the invisible one that is there. This is the depth of the effect that walking it has had on me. I
can feel the invisible one with each step.
It’s sort of like
the angels have been in my life. I know they are there, but sometimes I get so
engrossed in my everyday challenges that I forget or worse ignore them. You’d
think with all the angel paintings around me that would not happen, but it does. I’m
just like everyone else in this world. I have learned that by opening myself
to the awareness of Divine Presence with there is great love and harmony for me.
But the way to open door really is on my side. Labyrinth walking has become
one of my deeply personal spiritual practices. I find peace, harmony and healing
every time my foot falls into the invisible labyrinth.
Prayer is not an old woman's idle amusement.
Properly understood and applied,
it is the most potent instrument of action.
Mohandas K. Gandhi
When touch the Divine within us, acknowledge it’s Presence
by creating the space through prayer or the walking prayer of the labyrinth we open ourselves to being a gateway for miracles,
action and harmony to manifest for ourselves and on behalf of others. It is sacred
space.
This is my ‘finger labyrinth’ – non-traditional to be sure, but it
is a great comfort to me. The infinity symbol recognizes the timelessness of
the eternal stargate of Divine Love. I make up each time how
to follow the path; there is no set right way to trace the lines of light in the painting.
