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| Image by George Williams |
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A GREETING
Teach me your way, O God, that I may walk in your truth.
(Psalm 86:11)
A READING
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
(Psalm 25:4-5)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.
(Psalm 26:3)
A POEM PRAYER
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
- Adaptation for meditative prayer of Psalm 46:10
by Richard Rohr
VERSE OF THE DAY
When my spirit is faint, you know my way.
(Psalm 142:3)
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| An indoor labyrinth in the Chartres model, at Mount Calvary Spiritual Centre, Niagara Falls, Ontario |
Walking has long been a form of prayer in many traditions. In the Christian tradition, monastic people have always been interested in pilgrimage, walking long distances in order to pray at a holy site. In coming days, we will reflect more on Celtic pilgrimages. Walking prayer for the Celtic people was as much about a journey inward as a journey toward a destination. Walking in integrated circles and spirals was an expression of the journey toward the heart's relationship to God. The circle and spiral shapes have helped to form many different significant Celtic symbols, from the Celtic knot to the Triquetra, symbols that make use of one continuous line to link all parts of a design.
Walking a labyrinth is an ancient practice that predates both the Celts and Christianity as a way of moving in synchronicity with nature and with God. Whereas a maze is made up of paths in which there is only one right solution and many possible wrong choices, a labyrinth has only one path that always leads to the center. One Christian labyrinth pattern, known as the Chartres design, is symmetrical in four quadrants that interconnect. It is always in a perfect circle. The Celtic labyrinth pattern, on the other hand, tends to look more like a large leaf. Today's bottom photograph represents the Celtic labyrinth model. The middle image is the Chartres design and the top image is a fusion of the two. Both models of labyrinth, however, look to a central arrival point. In both models, you are encouraged to continue back outward again to the beginning.
Walking prayer, and walking a labyrinth in particular, allow a chance for slowing down and assuming the natural speed and rhythm of the body. Walking a labyrinth requires a discipline of just going forward, rather than a purposeful striding towards a destination. The practice can put the walker into deeper connecton with what is going on in the spirit. Difficult emotions may come forward, or clarity of decision making. The shields we all put up to protect ourselves from pain start to dissolve and fade. In the spiritual practice of walking a labyrinth, as we stay within the lines of the path, our perception of how close or how far we are from the end point can be misleading. Just when we seem to be furthest away, we may be surprised to turn a corner and be suddenly near the center. The model reflects the ways in which God's compassionate love and can break into our hardened hearts and minds and be liberating.
Walking a labyrinth encourages us to trust in God's timing, resting in God's care. It also encourages us to be mindful of the ground and the land on which we walk, to notice the stones and the grass and the flowers (or the mud or the snow, depending on time of year). Although many of us may not live close to an outdoor or even an indoor labyrinth, finger labyrinths can sometimes be helpful ways of centering the spirit.
Jesus walked from village to village in his ministry. He also walked into the mountains to pray. Sometimes when we are worried, we pace. How can we see the natural walking patterns of our bodies as all equally possible modes of prayer? How can you be more mindfully prayerful in your own everyday walking?
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| Image by Sherry Coman |
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LC† Come Holy Darkness is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help to support extended offerings throughout the year.
Thank you and peace be with you!