A Season on the Labyrinth

Raindrops are Fallin' on my Head.....

2009-09-15T09:35:00.000-04:00

Day 10, September 12, 2009

Well, I'd been waiting for the first rainy Labyrinth Day, and this was it! Everything looked totally different- the wet mulch paths, the rocks glistening in a new array of colors. And the rain was a pleasant one, really little more than a fat mist. I stepped onto the Labyrinth at 5:47 pm, and it was about 64 degrees.

As I walked, I kept thinking about how odd it is when our expectations are not our reality. For example, my usual rocks looked completely different when wet. Their colors were different, and their relationships with the rocks around them were different. It was like walking a new labyrinth----

Some of them looked more "at home" in the rain, and others looked, well, just wet and sort of dejected...

And in the corners, wet leaves had blown and were piling up.

      It was the first "fall" feeling rain. Kind of crept under the skin. Brrrrrrr!

     Rock of the Day: this white chunk in the very center just glowed in the rain!

     Footgear of the Day: Clogs, and thick cotton socks with, um, lobsters on them.
                                                  (you know you want some!)

Circuits of the Labyrinth: 1 Total: 12

United, We Walk

2009-09-12T20:11:00.002-04:00

Day 9, September 11th, 2009

I woke up yesterday morning, and saw that my roses, which were a mess all summer, had bloomed. So I started my September 11th meditating on this Peace rose:

The one next to it is McCartney, so I mused on it too:

Mmmmmm. Peace.

Then, I realized on my way to work that everyone else has clearly gotten the memo about Fall. Best example is the golf course I drive through on my way to work, which all summer has had pairs or foursomes or families of golfers all over it. Yesterday morning- no golfers. Only geese.

Who tells them? I keep seeing bunches of leaves and thinking it's an anomaly....

See? It's not the whole tree- just one branch. Right? RIGHT?????

The labyrinth greeted me at 8 this morning, and the sun was already slipping behind clouds----

58 degrees, hazy.

I was fascinated with the u-turns. Sometimes they are halfway around the circle, and sometimes there are only a few steps and then another.

I'm surprised that, even when I'm walking regularly, I never quite see the u-turns coming. And often, the turn goes in the "wrong" direction to where I think I'm heading. Well, if THAT isn't like life....!

I spent the walk lifting up the day, all the effects of Sept. 11, throughout the country and the world. It's so overwhelming. Walking, breathing, thinking about that day- that was the best I could do.

Then I saw the Rock of the Day: It had these leaning, Twin Towers-like stripes:

Hmmm. Footgear of the Day: Hushpuppies and hand knit socks. Wearing homemade socks is a little like carrying your blanket all day, except no one knows. (Unless you suck your thumb...!)

Day of Interconnectedness

2009-09-09T22:53:00.001-04:00

Day 8, September 9, 2009 (09/09/09)

I had heard that today was called the Day of Interconnectedness, having I guess something to do with the symmetry of the numerical date. I'm not sure I saw a lot of that happening today, though I had lunch with two good friends I met in 1983, a month or so after I got out of college, and it does my heart good to have people who knew me as a ratty 20-something to keep me honest (and laughing!).

It was 8:56 when I stepped onto the Labyrinth this morning, and it was about 58 degrees, and oddly foggy/overcast.

See how flat the light is? Almost no shadows whatsoever. Couldn't resist taking this picture either:

As I walk the labyrinth, I can hear apples dropping all around me. None seem to be close enough to fall into the labyrinth itself, but the soft thudding noise reminds me that the harvest is here....

I really just relaxed and was able to tune in to my breathing this morning, and gently push thoughts away. Whew- nice! Either I'm getting "better" at this, or I simply had nothing to think about this morning! It's true that the more one practices any spiritual discipline, like a physical one, one becomes more proficient. So I walked, and breathed, and walked.

Other than the apples, it was quiet. I was content.

Rock of the Day: Huh. This one is yellowish. How strange!

Footgear of the Day: I'm thinking I ought to go shoe shopping .... Well, at least the Rock is always different!

Circuits of the Labyrinth: 1 Total: 10

Life Breaks Out!

2009-09-08T18:50:00.001-04:00

Day 7, September 8, 2009

This morning's walk was amazing..... but wait! Perhaps you noticed I didn't post yesterday? I kept assuming I would do my walk, and the day got away from me.

Isn't it amazing how those "angels" or "demons" on our shoulders work on us? Suddenly these voices were saying that I had to do this every day or "fail"! Huh. Where does that kind of thinking come from? I started this discipline to relieve stress, not ADD to it! I would like therefore to model the sort of acceptance for myself that I extend- I hope!- to others, and simply say, "Golly. I was gonna walk yesterday, but I didn't. That's OK."

It was 8:45 AM and just 58 degrees when I stepped on the Labyrinth this morning. I had come from an early meeting, and was holding in my heart some broken people. I was hoping to send them the love vibe while I walked.

Leaves turning, air chilling, light lessening- all the signs of the end of the season, the end of the reckless abundance of summer- the signs were all around me. Yet, as I took my first steps, Life broke out everywhere. Two bright bluejays flew up from the center as I entered. A squirrel somewhere in one of the corners ran off a few paces and then chattered at me. A massive crow changed branches in the tree overhead, startling me witless.

And the labyrinth itself this morning teemed with life that was NOT THERE two days ago. Large cobwebs joined rocks together, forming tiny shelters in crevices.

Funky spittle bugs had slimed messages on leaves in at least two places.

   One rock has sprouted a lichen, or something very lichen-like....

     Isn't this just how we are? Things begin to change- seasons, patterns, life- and we rally. We cling. We build. As our climate here becomes quickly inhospitable, these tiny creatures are hunkering in, making their presence known, claiming turf- quite literally!

     Life will not be denied! Yes, we move along, and things happen, and we are tossed or broken or hurt. But if we just keep moving, keep open, keep loving, Life will bless us again. The path of the labyrinth felt like that journey today- joyful, triumphant. Keep moving, keep caring, keep praying, keep breathing, and keep your eyes open for the signs of life all around.


     I finished the walk today with a great smile on my face.


     Rock of the Day: following the theme- this one, broken right through the center. What happened? Cold? Heat? Pressure? Age? It doesn't matter, really, cause it is hanging in there.

Today's Footgear: clogs and handknit socks. Mmmm. Made the whole day happy!

Circuits of the Labyrinth: 1 Total: 9

Guest Labyrinth!

2009-09-06T22:03:00.001-04:00

Day 6, September 6, 2009

Out to dinner tonight, I realized I was not far from a friend's church, St. Barnabas, in Norwich, Vermont, and they have a lovely outdoor labyrinth. Seemed like a bonus to celebrate my first week of walks by introducing a "guest labyrinth."

It was 6:58 pm and about 57 degrees when I stepped onto the Labyrinth. St Barnabas has a wonderful Welcome box with information, books, literature and a Guest Log. Really nice!

The differences between my "home" Labyrinth and this one are stunning. This labyrinth is all grass and plants. It felt like a tropical rainforest compared to the relative dryness of my rocks and earth. The evening air carried scents of mown grass and woodsmoke.

Large rocks sit at the compass points, and the "spokes" are plantings. The walking was so soft, and the paths seemed narrow to start, but quickly became just right.

What is it about dusk that heightens spiritual experience? I suppose sunrise does the same, but my aversion to early morning means I have considerably less experience in that arena! Walking these grassy paths, breathing the chilly, smoky air, watching the slanting sun on the flowers in the plantings.... it was sheer magic.

The center was surprisingly large- roomy even- and surrounded by lavender. My favorite.

I think the Garden of Eden smelled like this. Sweet herbs, wet grass, and a wood fire burning at suppertime in the fading light. For me, these scents call forth from some deep place feelings of ... Home. Safety. Food. Warmth. Light.

There wasn't much competition for Rock of the Day:

This one looked a lot like the moon which rose on my way home.

Footgear of the Day: Hushpuppies, no socks, and- is it just me, or do my feet look further away? Perhaps this is proof that I did have an out of body experience.......

Thank you good people of St. Barnabas, Norwich, for this night!

Circuits of the Labyrinth: 1 Total: 8

Swing, Swang, Swung

2009-09-05T20:50:00.001-04:00

Day 5, September 5th, 2009

It was a fun day, beginning with tennis with my brother, an unusual event that hasn't happened in 30+ years. Then lots of other visiting and yakking with people most of the day. Then the inevitable Writing of the Sermon, and finally, the Labyrinth Walk.

It was 6:45 pm when I stepped on the Labyrinth. It was 69 degrees, and suddenly felt like it was getting dark early... a fact I hadn't noticed till this week.

Tonight I just enjoyed the movement. Swinging to the left, to the left again, then right and right. Last month I learned to spin on a "drop" spindle. Fluffy handfuls of wool, given just the right twist, become yarn. But twisted and twisted and twisted, it becomes tight and knots up on itself. Not twisted enough, it remains fluff, and your spindle drops to the floor as the would-be yarn breaks.

But sometimes, when you get the "flow" working for you, the spinning just seems to happen, and you suddenly notice that your "drop" spindle is no longer hitting the floor. Tonight was a "flow" night.

Tonight I felt like I was un-twisting those tightly knotted areas. My legs felt loose in their joints, swinging forward effortlessly. As I swung to the left or to the right, I could feel those tight places open up. I was walking a little faster than usual, so the turns came rhythmically one after the next.

    Every turn, I imagined the untwisting, the spinning. Not too tight, not too loose. Turn to the right, to the left, then swing wide and around half the labyrinth at once. Two circuits later, I felt as refreshed as if I'd had a two hour nap.

     Walking back to my car, I looked up and saw this:

Leaves turning. Sigh. Denial is getting harder by the day.....

Rock of the Day: This "skunk" rock (cause of the stripe-)

Today's Footgear: Hushpuppies, no socks. Hey- it's Saturday.

Driving home, the sun setting on the lake, I felt blessed to have had this time on the Labyrinth to bring my day to such a sweet close.

Circuits of the Labyrinth: 2 Total: 7

Mad Dogs and Englishmen....

2009-09-04T16:54:00.003-04:00

Day 4, September 4, 2009

... go out in the noon day sun. Or the bright afternoon, I'm thinking.

It was 3:26 when I stepped on to the Labyrinth today. Bright sun, not much shade, 78 degrees. It was a whole different sort of walk. I could feel the warmth of the day rising from the mulch, but the air still was cool enough that the sun felt good.

I tried a breathing meditation, breathing in while I took two steps, and breathing out while I took four steps. This worked for about half of the trip in, before I went off in my brain on some tangent I can't even remember now. But being "mindful" of one's breath is always dependably calming. I read somewhere once that one of the reasons why smoking is both addictive and relaxing is because smokers take deep breaths over and over again- just like in meditation! I think it was a report on the use of deep breathing to help people quit smoking. Who knew?

The rocks looked entirely different in bright sunlight. I didn't see some of my favorites at all, but others I've never noticed really jumped out. The walk felt really long, and the sounds of the afternoon seemed loud: someone mowing his lawn, the kids at recess at the day care on the corner, folks coming and going at the town offices. Town was just humming.

New London is just adorable. No traffic lights, a few blinking yellow lights at our "hot spot" intersections, and where else can you drive to the fork in the road and see

It's a fork. In the road.

So I just let the quiet ruckus of the afternoon, and the warmth of the hot sun, and my random peaceful thoughts wander the paths with me today. Delightful.

When people marvel why I would want to live here in the boonies, I smile to myself and think:

2 hours to Boston, 3 to Montreal, and we have a fork. In the road.

Rock of the Day: This funky one with a corner shaved off, and the inside of that corner was like aluminum foil-- sooo shiny!

Today's Footgear: Sorry. Ratty sandals. Not recommended for Labyrinth walking. Too much mulch slipping underfoot. ick.

Circuits of the Labyrinth: 1 Total: 6

Pagan, Pantheist, or just Rock Lover?

2009-09-03T15:37:00.005-04:00

Day 3, September 3rd, 2009

Another beautiful morning, before a busy day.

    When I stepped on the labyrinth, it was 8:20. Cool, but not as chilly as it has been, I forgot my sweater and was fine, really. I have had so many words in my head lately, today I wanted to walk as a meditation, where you clear your mind and try just to breathe and NOT think. Riiiight!

    I kept wondering, as I looked affectionately at the rocks, if my powerful attachment to the natural world makes me a pagan, or a pantheist? Our word "pagan", which is loaded with negative connotations, comes from the Latin "paganus", which means "country dweller." And that I am.

     Ooops- clear the mind. Walk. Breathe.

   My understanding- perhaps erroneous- of paganism, is that "God", or the "Sacred", or the "Divine" actually abides in items in the natural world. So instead of marvelling at a rock and feeling connected to it through some strange twist of fate because it and I both find ourselves in this place and this time in this labyrinth.... instead I might actually revere or worship it as being itself A Holy Being. Which on one hand I do think all of creation is filled with holiness.... but maybe I'm not going to actually worship these stones, if you know what I mean? Though I would agree that even the stones can sing praise to that Creating God who put us all here...

    Oh heck! Breathe! Walk! CLEAR your mind...............

     Ommmmmmmmmm...but wait. So a pantheist, which I used to think was someone who "saw" the Divine in everything, is actually someone who believes that "Everything" and "God" are actually the same. Equivalent. "Pan" (all) "Theism" (god). Whoops. So that label's not working for me either.

All I know is I really love rocks. They speak to me of creation, strength, of prehistory and the future, and eternity. I love them. And I don't care WHAT that makes me!

Rock of the Day: This weird thing that looked to me like a barnacle on another rock.. yet it is actually one rock.

Today's Footgear: Looks pretty tame, Hushpuppies and gray socks

Well, tame until I stretch out my foot and you see the rest....!

Doesn't wearing argyle socks just make you smile?

Circuits of the Labyrinth: 2 Total: 5

Day 2, September 2nd

2009-09-02T11:30:00.004-04:00

I woke up this morning, and already was excited to walk the labyrinth! I am not a morning person (oh, sooo not!) and I rarely feel enthusiasm for anything other than coffee before at least 10 AM, so this was unusual, to say the least.

As I drive in to work, our friendly gnu sculpture "Gnu Testament" greets me. Brainchild of our friendly, fiendish town innkeeper, Bridget LeRoy, and designed and created by local artist Leslie Penn, he starts my day with a smile. Ours for the summer, I'm sure gonna miss him when he goes to the Big Cattle Auction this fall.

It was about 54 degrees this morning- I actually broke out my down vest for the walk. Gosh- haven't had to wear it since June....! It was about 8:44 when I stepped onto the labyrinth.

People frequently ask me "how" to walk the labyrinth, or whether there is a right or wrong way to do so. This is like asking whether there is a right or wrong way to breathe, or pray, or sleep...... it's different for everyone, and varies from day to day, hour to hour.

I think the most important thing is to be intentional. This is not a walk around the block. It is meant to have spiritual nuance, and I always say slower is better. This morning, I chose one variety of walking: to walk the entire path inwards meditating on what I was carrying that morning and what I wanted to leave there, in the center. And then to walk out freed from those burdens and ready for a new day.

Today I was holding a lot of tension. Frustration about life treating friends and colleagues unkindly, that blasted desire to "fix" the unfixable in my own or others' lives.... The strangest thing about being a priest for me is wrestling with being perceived as a conduit or sign post for grace and blessing but not being the producer of these things! I don't "make" anything happen; I'm just a companion to sit with, and wait with. Or perhaps, walk with!

I stood in the center a long time this morning. I marvelled at how the paths make "spokes" that orient the center. It felt fully balanced to stand there, at the hub, as it were.

Behind me was the entrance and the cairn

I stood there, centered, and let the things I was carrying fall away, one by one. I named them, and then flexed my hands to feel them drop. This person's cancer, that friend's divorce, one after another the things I couldn't fix fell to the ground. Then I closed my eyes and, breathing deeply, began to name the early morning scents: freshly mown grass, damp apple trees, hmmmm? balsam?, and one thing more...... OMG, BACON, cooking next door at the New London Inn! No wonder most deeply spiritual people are vegetarians! How can you concentrate on anything else on the planet, especially something as nebulous as a spiritual journey, when there's bacon on the morning breeze!!!!

You can't actually see the Inn from the labyrinth, but I thought of the tourists enjoying this last breath of pre-Labor Day vacation, waking up to the gorgeous morning and looking across the green.....

Living here is like waking up in a Norman Rockwell painting, every single day.

I shook the bacon from my brain and turned around for the journey out. I asked for patience, for fresh vision, for the ability to trust those I love to the Sacred, and leave the "fixing" to another. I asked to keep the rhythm of the walking with me even as I rushed through the rest of my day. And I gave thanks for the time and opportunity to begin my day in silence and gratitude.

Rock of the Day: this extraordinary "leopard" rock!

Today's Footgear: My standard black Hushpuppies, and socks with, um, blueberries all over them. (note to self: get to the Blueberry Farm to pick some before they are all gone!)

Trust me, if you are looking for fashion tips, you have come the the wrong blog!

Circuits of the Labyrinth: 1 Total: 3

A New Beginning!

2009-09-01T21:56:00.000-04:00

Greetings from rural New Hampshire, where on this beautiful September 1st, it is chilly and sunny. Like most folks I know, I spend too much time sitting, and not enough moving, too much time thinking and do-ing, and not enough meditating and be-ing, too much time talking, and not enough time listening.

This morning, I have chosen to begin my day, and every day this season, by walking the labyrinth we have built in the side yard of the church. I hope that in adding this meditative piece to my days, I might just feel some divine (dare I hope?!) inspiration!

So, without further ado.....

Day 1, September 1st, 2009

It was a beautiful morning. 57 degrees at 9 AM when I began my walk. I walked over the grass and marvelled at the apple trees. When did THIS happen?

Seems like yesterday it was the 4th of July.

The labyrinth lies in the side yard of the church, beyond the apple trees. The sunlight was just beginning to touch it when I arrived.

It was such a still, quiet morning. As I took my first steps onto the labyrinth, the bells rang at First Baptist Church, calling me to pray for them. Quickly, the rhythm of the walk and turns took over. I read somewhere that one aspect of the labyrinth design which is thought to calm and soothe the soul is that one turns an equal number of times to the left and to the right. This supposedly balances the "humours" of the brain. Hmmm. I believe it. Walking this path is so soothing.

I felt protected by the paths this morning, as if all I had to do was put one foot in front of the other, and all would be well, all would be well....

    When we built this labyrinth, many folks from around town came and helped. Some brought their own rocks that day.  Others often add special or interesting rocks to the paths, or the cairn in front. I've brought back rocks from Ireland, Scotland, Crete and Santorini to add in. It amuses me to think that archeologists in some distant future will find these bits of the planet all together in one area and know that this was some sort of holy place. Long after our churches are dust, these stones will speak of the eternal.

    It was a good beginning.

   Rock of the Day: This one looked just like a ripe Stilton, left out all night:

Today's Footgear: L.L. Bean clogs, and handknit wool socks

Circuits of the Labyrinth: 2 Total: 2