The prayer form we will explore this week is the prayer labyrinth. This is a contemplative walk along a twisting path that represents a pilgrimage. In the early days of the church, Christians would make an annual pilgrimage back to Jerusalem. It was a time of fellowship and mutual encouragement as they came together to remember the Lord and receive the sustenance they needed to continue living as believers.
In time as the church continued to grow and expand, the pilgrimage became difficult. It was a burden to make the long journey, yet Christians wanted a way to experience the blessings without actually having to travel the distance to Jerusalem. The church responded by creating a symbolic pilgrimage that could be done in one place and the labyrinth was born.
One misconception is that a prayer labyrinth is a maze. There are similarities, but it differs in that the path of a labyrinth leads to the center--there are no dead ends or path options. A labyrinth does have many twists and turns but the path one uses to travel to the center is the same path one uses to travel out. Walking the labyrinth (or “praying the labyrinth”) involves three movements--purgation, illumination, and union. Just as the pilgrims would think of their sins and struggles while they walked to the holy city of Jerusalem, the pray-er considers what they want to let go off as they walk to the center of the labyrinth. This is the movement of purgation. The second movement, illumination, takes place when the individual reaches the center and spends time reflecting and listening. It is parallel to the encouragement, learning and attending to the Spirit that would occur in the rich time of fellowship in the city of Jerusalem.
The final movement, union, occurs as one walks the path out of the labyrinth. Being now equipped from their time in Jerusalem, the pilgrim reflected on ways they could join into God’s work as they walked home. The pray-er completes their time in the labyrinth in this same reflection of how they can join with God in the work God is doing in their own context. A meaningful practice is to pause at the exit of the labyrinth and offer oneself for God’s use.
Several labyrinths can be found around Nashville and are generally open for public use. Scarritt Bennett Center, Woodmont Christian Church, and Glendale UMC are a few examples of places that have labyrinths on their grounds. One can pray these alone or with a group. A benefit of doing it alone is that the pray-er can take all the time they want for the experience. There are few distractions when solo. Walking the labyrinth as a group is a different experience. I typically instruct groups in walking the labyrinth together when I lead retreats. It’s sweet to share the prayer form with others. Although in silence, there is a camaraderie and blessing knowing you are all of the same heart and intent. Another option for praying the labyrinth is to use a finger labyrinth. Rather than using your feet, you let your fingers do the walking. You follow the same movements, but on a smaller scale.
As with all these forms, I hope you will carve out time to experience this “new” form of prayer that has been around for centuries. You will be blessed in the movements of purgation, illumination, and union.
