Friday, November 16, 2012

The Labyrinth as a Christian Symbol

Walking a labyrinth has always been regenerative for me. I wonder why? Maybe because circular and spiral forms are visually interesting. Additionally, walking for exercise and for meditation is doubly therapeutic for me. The past several weeks I especially have been feeling the regenerative aspect of this shape as my days have been extra busy keeping up with family, the approaching liturgical seasons and preparing for a mission trip to Haiti. It's all been for good resolution but at times it's mounted to moments of almost hyperventilating. But because the path I have been following has had purpose I feel like keeping the goal in mind along with walking with the Lord through the days has had a similar regenerative activeness as walking a labyrinth does. So I wasn't actually walking the labyrinth every moment of the past weeks but the rhythm of the days felt like I was. I have moved in and out and round and round yet have maintained a path. This line of thinking has caused me to realize I put spirals, circles and labyrinths on quite a few of the stoles we create...including a new one this week. What would Freud say about this!? Here are a few:

A new Christmas design.
A stole for Communion
A labyrinth stole
                                 
I came across this quote and it seems like an appropriate ending to this post--
Solvitur ambulando... It is solved by walking... --Saint Augustine

I walk forward into that mission trip tomorrow. My daughter will be blogging about it here 
if you're interested about our journey and prayer requests.