When John and I ran a retreat house on Edisto Island ,S.C. for a year, the labyrinth was in our yard at Sea of Peace, House of Prayer. Groups would come from Charleston to walk and share their spiritual experiences.
When troubled by a seemingly impossible family situation, I would drift out and wander the path until I reached the center. Always, I received something. Even if it was just my bemusement at our yellow lab who would walk with me and stand with me in the center until I was ready to walk back out. One day, I heard this "Give her whatever she wants". Direct guidance on how to handle a division of property. I did as I was told and the matter was resolved.
In the notes that John left behind in the memories folder he writes about reading the handbook for labyrinths, "Walking a Sacred Path" by Lauren Artress. Was this where the suggestion, the whisper of a leading came from?
For 8 years I had been hesitant to take our writing group on field trips for logistical reasons. How much chaos would it involve to go on a Buddhist Poetry walk at the Wetlands, 4 miles away? I shudder. But now I was compelled to check out the nearest labyrinth and organize a walk. I called the Calvin Center and went to check the path out. Beautiful setting on a lake, a blue heron in the distance. Benches for writing but, Oh Lordy, the path was a tangle of life threatening weeds. I walked a second time, didn't trip and crash and knew I had to make this work.
The Center people cleared the path, bathrooms were near, the day was bright blue and perfect. Each walker has their own story but as I stood at the entrance I thought: "I am lost."
Then I heard: "I am here". As I slowly walked : "like the solid ground under your feet you are held," Then in a bit : "through all the twists and turns of your journey to come, you are held, you are on solid ground. And you are not alone. " The solid ground is Christ.
The rock labyrinth above is on the island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. This is the beach where St. Columba arrived and brought the faith to the Scots. As John walked that day in 2010, he felt his uniqueness. Uniqueness and so much else.
I continue on this path of sorrow and mystery, grateful for all the ways that I have been shown I am loved and never alone.
1 comment:
You write so well about "Jesus is the ground" the way we find our true self in good, bad and in-between times. I thank you for inspiring me to write about what I am going through.
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