Welcoming a new season

Seasonal gifts from nature, which I use to create handheld meditation tools

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.

Crystal on the labyrinth path reflecting the sun’s light

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.

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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.

Mandala featuring marigolds and springs of rosemary as an offering to our ancestors in thanksgiving for their love and care

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:

1. Listened to “Breaths” by Sweet Honey in the Rock together.
2. Released the old year with a stretch and by taking a deep breath, exhaling distractions, etc.
3. 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.
4. 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).
5. 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.
6. 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.

Mandala created by my UU pandemic bubble group

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

Touching the Pulse of Earth’s Energy

It’s Spring and the days have been warm. I’ve been walking our labyrinth path among the trees barefoot since March 1st. I’ve been making patterns with stones and pine boughs since then, too. Now my co-housing neighbors have begun to walk the labyrinth more often and have created their own patterns with the pebbles. I love to see the pictures they make. Last year the fun lasted all summer. I hope that happens this year, too.

Shamrock made with pebbles and encircled with pine needle clusters

Stone pattern on the altar at the center of our Labyrinth

Stones

I love all kinds of stones. I wanted to be a geologist when I was thirteen. My love of stones hasn’t faded. Stones of all types are intriguing to me, be they rough or polished. Crystals and geodes sparkling in the sunlight are my favorite. Last month I created a Mala with some specific crystals. I worked with a woman in Canada named Juniper. She assembles sets intuitively and offers workshops for making them. They are wonderful meditation tools and recently I walked our labyrinth among the trees to charge mine with my intentions, for myself and my work as a Life Transformation Coach.

My mala is my companion for all the energy work I do on the labyrinth, especially my Reiki energy meditations. I’m attuned to Level I Reiki energy and am working on becoming a Master. I love to send Reiki energy into the sacred space of the labyrinth so that everyone who walks the path receives what they need from their meditation.

My Hand-made Mala

World Labyrinth Day

World Labyrinth Day was May 1st this year. It’s always the first Saturday in May and everyone walks at 1pm in their time zone (“walk as one at one”), sending ripples of healing energy around the world. The world needed that energy more than ever this year.

I led a group walk on the labyrinth path among the trees in our co-housing community with an intention suggested by The Labyrinth Society. Here’s the text:

“In this year of suffering and uncertainty around the world, we have a profound opportunity, today, to make a difference.

My intention for myself and the world is to receive the wisdom/insights necessary to make change.”

Invitation

You are welcome to write it out and take it on the labyrinth path with you, and see what happens.

Our labyrinth among the trees on a sunny spring afternoon

A rock I painted at the center of the labyrinth, along with some baby stones for walkers to take home with them

At Home on the Path

Next time you walk a labyrinth, take off your shoes and stay awhile. Feel earth’s healing, renewing energy pulse through the soles of your feet, bringing you back to life. Walk slowly. Breathe deeply. When you reach the center, notice the beauty in the environment around you. If there’s a place to sit, stay and listen. You may hear a still, small voice speak to you about the next steps on your journey. You deserve to give yourself the gift of time, and staying connected to your intuition will lead you closer to your heart’s desires.

If you are looking for a community for sharing your discoveries on the path and diving deeper into what they have to teach you, I gathering pilgrim souls to form such a group on my Walk, Love, Sparkle Patreon page.

Walking the Path into a New Year

Happy New Year!

As we prepare to welcome in 2019, what is your greatest hope for the months ahead?  Is there one primary goal you want to accomplish?  Are there questions you’d like answered?  Write it all down on a scroll and take it with you to walk a labyrinth.  Then, write and/or draw what happens on the path.  Did your walk give you more clarity?  Maybe it wasn’t immediate, but the clarity will come.  Blessings to you with each step you take!

 

Rainbow Labyrinth of Light at Night

 

• Link to the WorldWide Labyrinth Locator

Return and Reflect

Painted stones on the “altar” at the center of the wooded labyrinth by my home

Welcome!

Welcome back to the Center of the Labyrinth!  Did you have a chance to spend time with a peaceful mind since you set foot into the center?   Pilgrims who walk the labyrinth often enjoy a moment of clarity, wisdom, or inspiration, perhaps an “aha!” moment, while they spend time at the center.  They learn something new about themselves as they walk the path and spend time exploring the meaning of this gift of fresh Wisdom they’ve received while basking in the love present there.  From that place, they are ready to return to their lives with a new perspective.  Are you ready to return to the world with a sense of renewal?

It’s there when you need it…

The path will be here for you to walk any time you need to unwind and seek the wisdom of Spirit without the distractions of the outside world, without the intensity of the usual environments that make your thoughts spin chaotically.  The labyrinth is a sacred space to explore the magic of the world we live in without the usual demands of our everyday lives.  Time on the path is like a mini retreat and falls into the realm of self-care. On the path we give ourselves space to be ourselves.  We can begin to see ourselves with the love of friendship.

Often, when I spend time at the center of a labyrinth I begin to feel more centered.  I can feel the love of spirit guides and ancestors that is there for me to bask in.  I relax my mind from endless thinking and organizing my everyday activities to notice and observe closely the environment I am walking in.  If I feel as if I’ve spun myself into a corner, walking on the path gives me the opportunity to unwind, stretch, see the world around me with fresh eyes of appreciation.

The meditation bench at the center of our wooded labyrinth

Returning from the Center

You are ready to make the slow journey from your internal experience back to the external world.  Be good to yourself and take your time.  Thank the spirits at the center for the Wisdom you’ve been given there.  Walk the path out slowly.  You’ve spent time in friendship with yourself and have given yourself the space to hope, dream and love.  You deserve to bask in that experience for as long as you need to while you walk away from the center.  The return journey on the path gives you the precious gift of time to begin integrating the Wisdom you’ve received at the center.   Once you take the final step away from the path, feel free to find a place to sit and reflect before you return home, if you need to.  Give your mind and spirit time to catch up with your body’s pace.

Integration

Integrating the Wisdom experienced on the labyrinth path can be done either individually or in a group.  If you’ve walked the path with a group, perhaps a facilitator has planned a way for the group to reflect with each other on the experience.  If you’ve walked the path alone, there are activities you can engage in that will help you draw greater meaning from your experience.

Integrating activities for the end of a labyrinth walk:

1. There are many ways to integrate the Wisdom we learn on the path.  One of my favorite ways is to add an entry into my creativity journal, with both pictures and words.
2. Light a candle and meditate/remember, in silence or while listening to music.
3. Make a beaded bracelet, necklace or pin to reflect what you’ve learned about yourself.
4. Create a simple colorful doll that reflects a dream you are working toward as a result of a labyrinth walk.
5. Draw a mandala with your own unique symbols that reflect Wisdom found on the path.

*more ideas for crafts that can be completed to honor the Wisdom you’ve received on the path can be found in Crafts for the Spirit: 30 Beautiful Projects to Enhance Your Personal Journey, by Ronni Lundy (2003, Lark Books).

Recent entry to remember an experience enjoyed on our wooded labyrinth path

Blessings at the Center

A vase of spring flowers on the altar at the center of our wooded labyrinth path

Approaching the Center of the Labyrinth

Walking the labyrinth path to the center, your body, mind and spirit have found a complementary rhythm and pace.  You have been able to let go of worldly distractions to pay attention to your breath with each step you take.  You notice how your thought patterns move as your feet move forward.   Your senses have engaged with the space that surrounds you.  You have trusted yourself to the path.  In return, the path has brought you around curves and turns that moved the energy around you as you circled the center several times, until you finally arrived there.

Welcome to the Center of the Labyrinth!

You have released a burden, a source of conflict, or a barrier to manifesting an important intention.  You have walked the meandering mandala path to arrive at the center.  How does that feel?  Do you feel lighter?  Peaceful? Joyful?  Has the journey to the center of the labyrinth, to the center of your being, given you a new way of looking at a situation?   Has it given you a new way of seeing yourself?

Receive

You are ready to Receive blessings of wisdom at the center of the labyrinth. Take a deep breath, and exhale slowly.  This is your time and space.  It is sacred time and space.  Stay as long as you need to.  This time is a gift you give to yourself.

 

“The privilege of a lifetime is being who your are.” ~ Joseph Campbell

 Ritual for Your Time at the Center

1.  Walk in a wide counter-clockwise circle to complete the release.

2.  Pick a spot in the center that appeals to you, facing in or out.

3.  Take a few deep breaths and exhale slowly.  Feel the energy of the center massage the soles of your feet.  Wiggle your toes to magnify that energy.

4.  Imagine the energy move up your legs and into your hips.  The energy is warm and gives you a feeling of comfort and renewal.

5.  Continue to imagine the energy climb slowly up your body, to the crown of your head.  Stretch your arms up above your head and wiggle your fingers. Then slowly return them to their original position.

6.  Bring your palms together at your heart, take a deep breath and exhale.  Do you notice any changes in your thoughts?  Did you receive an insight or idea?  Spend a few moments with your new wisdom.

7.  When you are ready, take a deep breath, exhale and bow to the center.

8.  Walk in a clockwise circle around the center.  Then step onto the path for your return journey back to the world.  May the blessings of your time at the center of the labyrinth stay with you all your days!

*Change this ritual in any way you desire for it to meet your need.

 

 

 

Releasing What is Behind Us

Spring has begun to blossom at our wooded labyrinth

Happy Spring!

Greetings to you from the other side of Winter!  This week, friends and neighbors are celebrating Passover and the Easter Season has begun.  In the New England region of the U.S., crocuses have blossomed, the sun and rain warmly nurture our garden beds, and early seeds have been planted.  Now our work is patience.  It is a time of waiting.

What are we waiting for?

Some of the things we could be waiting for may include: the first signs that the seeds we’ve sown will become plants that bear food, temperatures that are warm enough for swimming, a special event such as graduation day, or the arrival of a special guest.  This anticipation makes us happy.  Yet, as we wait we can enjoy all of the moments that lead up to the events we look forward to.  They all have gifts of renewal to give us if we slow our pace, breathe deeply and pay attention to the movements of the world around us.

May Day is less than a month away and I am looking forward to my co-housing community’s celebration.  In the meantime, my every visit to the labyrinth is brightened by the rainbow of ribbon colors that billow from the maypole.

Our community maypole lives at our labyrinth when it is not in use.

Freedom

The Exodus story remembered at Pesach emphasizes how Yahweh freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.  The Easter resurrection story emphasizes spiritual freedom from death and decay, and things that cause deep unhappiness.  To me, they are very similar.  I believe both events included a journey to spiritual freedom from destructive elements in our ancestors’ lives that had become obstacles to enjoying their days in this world freely.

In order to enjoy all of the events we eagerly plan for, and the signs of the season that bring us a deep sense of renewal, it is important to release what is behind us, or that which needs to be left behind us.  It’s taken me a while to shake off the chill of the winter that has finally loosened its hold on our world.

My favorite way to release anything and everything is by walking along the labyrinth path.  For a kinesthetic-tactile person such as myself, the whole-body movement meditation that is involved in walking a labyrinth is something that helps me find my center and brings me peace.

 

Finding a Labyrinth Path to Walk

If you have a labyrinth near your home that you can walk on a regular basis, you can conduct your own ritual of release there, or invite a trusted friend to be with you.

If you want some help finding a labyrinth,

Visit the Worldwide Labyrinth Locator, compliments of Veriditas, the home of the labyrinth renewal movement.

or

If there is no labyrinth close to you, I have provided an image for you to print out and mount as a tabletop path to trace with your finger on my Patreon page.

The First Step is Release

The first step in walking a labyrinth is to release what is behind us, or what binds us from feeling the freedom to follow our dreams ~ the paths that lead us to doing what we are most passionate about.  What can we let go of in order to feel inspired, and to trust that our passions are messages from our deepest, wisest intuition about what we are meant to accomplish?  What keeps us feeling too small or inadequate for the endeavors we want most to pursue?  What relationships in our lives need renewal through positive change?  Are there any unresolved feelings in our relationships, past or present, that need to be released?  Now is the time to release at least one of them, so choose one and proceed.

Ritual for Release on the Path

Bring your specific intention for release to the entrance of the labyrinth path.

You can form the intention in your mind or say it aloud if nobody else is present.  If you are comfortable with bowing to the labyrinth as a way of honoring sacred space, you can do that as a way of establishing your intention.  Or you can simply nod.  Another way of bringing your intention to the labyrinth is to move your hands forward together, palms facing up as a gesture of giving.  Then let it go.

Begin walking forward on the path.

As you step onto the path, clear your mind and focus on your surroundings in the present.  You are walking toward new life.  Take some deep breaths and trust the path to lead you to the center with each step you take forward.  There is no right or wrong way to move on the path.  Do what feels comfortable to you.  Move slowly and intentionally, no matter what form that movement takes. When you reach the center, notice how you feel.  If there is a place to sit, take some time to reflect on the gifts this meditation of release has brought to you.  You may feel peace and/or you may receive some insight.

Freedom = Lightness of Being

When I arrive at the center of a labyrinth, I usually feel lighter.  I may even spin or dance a little to express my new sense of freedom.  The next two stages of a labyrinth walk are Receive (at the center) and Return (back out to the entrance).  I will cover them in my following two posts, in May and June.

Blessings on the Path!

Karen xo