A labyrinth is the exact opposite of a maze. Designed to help an individual find the way, the labyrinth above is from the floor of the Cathedral at Chartres just south of Paris, France. This eleven circuit path is non-linear and non sequential. If Paris is not on your travel itinerary this week, just use your finger and follow this path as it winds it's way. Tracing the labyrinth "is a way to pray and meditate, just as kneeling, folding one's hands, or bowing ones head are ways to pray. In walking the labyrinth we seek to know God's presence in our lives.
"It is helpful to think of the path in three stages:
- Going in, which provides a releasing, quieting and emptying experience. Slowly trace the path and quiet your soul asking God to show you his way of truth.
- Rest in the center of God's love. Linger a while with God. Receive whatever is given to you in this time. You may pause at the center for as long as you wish.
- Follow the same path back out which returns you to the world. Do not be in a hurry. Rejoice in the Lord!
Some people think of these three stages as Releasing, Receiving, and Returning...going in allows a person to shed the everyday so that he or she may be open to receive God's guidance and peace. The path going out prepares an individual for the everyday once again."*
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