The Labyrinth at St. Paul’s
Located in the Chapel
About our Labyrinth
The Labyrinth at St. Paul’s
by Robyn Mixon, Member of Labyrinth Keepers
The St. Paul’s labyrinth was built as part of the floor of our Chapel. As an ancient tradition, labyrinths offer a venue for prayer and meditation as well as discernment in one’s journey through life. The Labyrinth is a path — a metaphor for life’s journey itself, which provides an option to help us actively address prayer needs, challenges and a spiritual way to find peace and serenity in our daily living.
The experience of walking the Labyrinth is a simple one. Upon entering the Chapel, you will be greeted by soft meditative music and low lighting. It is customary to take a few moments before beginning your walk to quiet your mind and pray silently. As you begin your walk, acknowledge God as you enter. The walk along the path is a time to rid yourself of the distractions and to open your heart to God and enjoy the quiet time. As you follow the path, you also decide how you wish to spend that time—in quiet contemplation, in active prayer, in pondering a question or decision, in seeking God’s guidance, or in other ways. Once at the center of the Labyrinth, you have the option to stay as long as you wish, sitting or standing in one of the rosettes. The center is a special place of meditation and is known as the part of the Labyrinth where you can receive what is there for you. You then return to the entry place, where you may feel a joining with God and the healing forces at work within your world. Walking the Labyrinth is like other forms of prayer in that repetition also brings comfort and familiarity to the experience, enabling enhanced spiritual time.
We hope you will find a special time in your day to walk the Labyrinth and enjoy the beauty of the experience and the lovely Chapel. The Labyrinth is open for walking Wednesdays (8 a.m. - 7 p.m.) We hope you will find a place for the Labyrinth in your life.
The Labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint, found in all religious traditions in various forms around the world. (The St. Paul’s Labyrinth is based on the Chartres Cathedral design, but with fewer circuits.)
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.
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.
Guidelines for Walking the Labyrinth
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Quietly enter
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Sit quietly and pray before entering.
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Walk the labyrinth at any pace that feels right to you. (there is one path, just keep walking forward!)
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You may pass anyone by stepping to the side and moving ahead. (people walk at different paces. Individuals vary their pace from walk to walk. There is no ‘correct’ pace)
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Walk to the center, the ‘rosette’, and stay as long as you wish.
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Walk out again, at whatever pace feels right for you.
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Many people like to sit quietly, contemplating their experience, before leaving.
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Walk Often!! The labyrinth is an experience in prayer.
Stages of Walking
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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.
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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.
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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.
