Everyday Labyrinth: A rest ritual for the year
“Nurturing ourselves spiritually is not an easy thing to do in a culture that disconnects us from our depths. The simple act of walking the labyrinth invites us back into the center of our being.”
What would it be like to walk the labyrinth throughout the year as a form of self-care?
I was introduced to the labyrinth 22 years ago - after a cancer diagnosis. Since then, this ancient design has been a constant presence, winding itself throughout my life.
I've walked labyrinths in parks, churches, beaches, lavender fields, and hospitals. I've made labyrinths out of flower petals, stones, shells, snow and even bull kelp. I've doodled labyrinths in boring meetings, and I dream of walking the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France. Two years ago, I became a Veriditas-trained Labyrinth Facilitator.
To put it simply, I love labyrinths. And this year I want to share that love with you.
In 2009, I began a blog called Everyday Labyrinth. It was my account of a year spent walking the labyrinth almost every day.
The inspiration came from a quiet, dialed down family holiday. I wanted to know if I could create this peace & quiet within each day by taking the time to walk the labyrinth. I was curious to know if this daily practice would affect my life in any way.
I didn't have easy access to a labyrinth that I could walk on a regular basis, so I used a hand-held labyrinth; these are smaller, portable labyrinths where you use a finger to trace the labyrinth's path to the centre and back out again.
This past New Year's Eve, I re-discovered my Everyday Labyrinth blog. I drank in my words, getting a precious taste of who I was 14 years ago.
I feel inspired to commit to this Everyday Labyrinth experience again but this time to invite a community of people - like you - to join me.
What’s a labyrinth?
Labyrinths are universal patterns, ancient symbols of wholeness that are found throughout the world. A labyrinth has only one path that leads from the outer edge into the center.
Labyrinths are used today as a walking meditation and as a tool for self-care, stress reduction, and relaxation. Unlike a maze, there are no tricks or dead ends or choices to make - just space to quiet the mind, connect with your body, and open yourself to the journey.
The point of a maze is to find its centre.
The point of a labyrinth is to find your centre.
The Everyday Labyrinth Experience
Join me in walking the labyrinth this year - every day or a few times a week.
Let’s discover how regularly walking the labyrinth impacts our bodies, our hearts, our stress levels, and our lives.
The Everyday Labyrinth experience is meant to be grounding, centering, and insightful. It will take you less than 15 minutes to complete - depending on how long you spend walking the labyrinth.
I have created a free guide for you to download that includes:
Information on labyrinths
Details on how the Everyday Labyrinth experience works
Two handheld labyrinths for you to choose from each month.
There are two parts to Everyday Labyrinth:
Walk the labyrinth: Use the labyrinth as a daily or weekly rest practice. Because Everyday Labyrinth includes handheld labyrinths, you can walk the labyrinth anywhere you are.
Journal in the labyrinth: Enrich the labyrinth with your insights. This means you can write, draw, or colour in the labyrinth's path - a little each day or week. The end result is a labyrinth infused with your wisdom and insight.
I will also be holding Full Moon Labyrinth Walks online each month so that you can join a community of labyrinth walkers.
At the end of 2023, you will have a collection of labyrinths that are full of your wisdom and insights from the year.
References
Artress, L. (1995). Walking a Sacred Path. New York: Riverhead Books
Harris, N. (2002) Effective Short Term Therapy: Utilizing Finger Labyrinths to Promote Brain Synchrony. Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association: September/October 2002.
Sands, H. (2000). Labyrinth: Pathway to Meditation and Healing. London: Gaia Books.
Senensky, S. (2018). Healing and Empowering the Feminine: A Labyrinth Journey. Asheville: Chiron Publications.
