It was exciting finding a labyrinth in London. I find them intriguing, possibly because I don't know that much about them. The fact that they are not mazes, you don't get lost, I find very comforting.
Walking towards the centre means leaving our ordinary tasks, letting go of our preoccupations, quieting of our hearts and minds, and opening ourselves to God's presence.
Reaching the centre creates space for focusing on Jesus Christ, the centre of our lives.
Leaving the labyrith means retracing the path that brought us in. During this time we carry with us whatever we received at the centre.
The adoption of the labyrith by the Christian faith began during the Roman period. The first known pavement labyrinth with obvious Christian context is found in a basilica in Algeria. At first the labyrinth appeared mainly in manuscripts, but during the 12th century they began to appear in cathedrals and churches in Italy. During the 13th century they spread to France where many fine example were constructed. They soon became popular across Europe, but many were destroyed from the 17th century onwards as tastes changed.
3 comments:
I love labyrinths, where was the one you found?
in the garden, cut in the grass, of the london mennonite centre. i wonder where else we could make a labyrinth, and out of what materials... i'm quite tempted to try one out in the tiny concrete patch that pretends to be the back garden - i think it may be too small though.
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