Sometimes the change in the tilt of Earth’s orientation to the sun and transitions into new seasons can bring us to a place of unrest. We weren’t really done enjoying the season that’s just past when this new one comes along to greet us, finding us surprised and unsure of what to do with it.
The good news is that our bodies have a way of knowing what to do with the turning of Earth’s wheel of seasons. Our energy shifts and we begin to slow down. We engage in less activities outside our home and begin to feel more comfortable staying in, spending our time on work that keeps our hands occupied.
Our hearts also respond by attending to concerns that now arise from within. We are more prone to spending time in solitude and reflection. We spend time gathering our thoughts and use them to begin something that echoes our heart’s rhythm, something that’s been whispered to us from the back of our minds, a gentle reminder of a creative spark from our Muse.
Collage of images from quiet moments on the labyrinth path among the trees in my co-housing community
I’ve been leading lots of labyrinth walks lately. The labyrinth is the perfect place for focusing our energy and welcoming the changes that come with a new season. It’s by nature a liminal (transitional, in-between) space. We step onto the path and leave our everyday world behind us. We take some breaths to connect with the earth and the small section of the world we are surrounded by. We step slowly forward, and with each turn we move more deeply into our psyche, our subconscious, our intuition. There aren’t any distractions to separate us from ourselves. We are listening to the beat of our hearts and the progression of our thoughts. We are re-discovering who we are. With open hearts and minds, we are also learning to love ourselves all over again. We are ready to receive our own wisdom, and to hear the messages our own Muse has for us about the direction we are meant to move in next. When we reach the center, we may receive fresh insight and feel some lightness of being from this re-connection to our inner Wisdom.
When we walk in groups, we not only re-connect with ourselves, we also connect with others energetically, and we are not alone. That helps when we feel like we’re being challenged by something unfamiliar. The collective Wisdom of a group will hold us as we process new thoughts and feelings, and step into a new version of ourselves. That is why belonging to a group of kindred souls, a Fellowship of wanderers on the path, is important when we’re exploring unfamiliar territory in our lives and are beginning something new. We deserve to give ourselves the chance to receive the support that will make a difference to what our new colorfully amazing reality will look like.
Here’s a ritual for a labyrinth walk I led last Friday for my UU pandemic “bubble” group. We’ve continue to meet because we feel the uncertainty around how the virus will affect gatherings in the future, so we embrace every chance we have to connect, whether in-person or virtually. My friends were very enthusiastic about a labyrinth walk to listen for messages from our Ancestors (close to Samhain), so I led a walk on the labyrinth path among the trees in my co-housing community. Here is what we did:
- Listened to “Breaths” by Sweet Honey in the Rock together.
- Released the old year with a stretch and by taking a deep breath, exhaling distractions, etc.
- Took a marigold (a flower with a scent pleasing to the spirits beyond the veil) and a sprig of Rosemary (herb of remembrance) as we walked the path in toward the center. Listened for messages from our Ancestors in the sounds of nature surrounding us.
- Silently thanked our Ancestors for being with us as we placed the marigolds and rosemary on an altar at the center of the labyrinth (lit with a LED tea light as a symbol of welcome).
- When each person was ready, we returned slowly and meditatively to the entrance of the path. Along the way, we each picked up a natural object we were drawn to (colorful leaf, pine cone, tree bark laced with lichen, etc.) on the path and brought them out with us.
- Created a mandala together with the natural objects and shared something about out time on the path: a message, a feeling, etc. A photo of the nature mandala we created is below. It’s a comforting reminder of our interconnectedness as we enter the colder, darker months of the year here in New England.
May the blessings of the path be with you every day! Here’s a link to the Worlwide Labyrinth Locator so you can find a labyrinth near you to walk often.
“It is up to us to re-enchant this planet earth. Up to us to midwife at our own rebirth.”
~ Will Ashe Bacon
Reflections on the Path 