Walking Shoulder to Shoulder with The Divine at Kanuga
Twelve pilgrims gathered on the Saturday morning of our annual Labor Day Kanuga parish retreat to discover the mystery and power of walking a labyrinth.
As some of our fellow travelers had not walked a labyrinth before, we spent some time learning a bit more about this ancient archetype. Labyrinths have been found across time and space. The earliest examples date back 4,000 years. Variations of this form have been found in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Peru, India, Sweden, and even Iceland. The first known appearance of a labyrinth connected with Christianity was in an Algerian church dating back to 320 AD.
One of the most enduring representations of a Christian labyrinth can be found at Chartres Cathedral de Notre Dame in France. The pattern paved into the nave of the cathedral is believed to have been installed in the early 1200s. This eleven-circuit labyrinth leads walkers to travel around its rose center eleven times as they traverse the pattern. Not to be confused with a maze, all labyrinths consist of a singular pathway that contains no dead ends. Uniquely, the pathway of the Chartres labyrinth creates a cruciform pattern cementing the notion that this labyrinth is representative of the journey of Christ.
In the early 2000s, Albert Gooch, former president of Kanuga, was inspired by The Rev. Robert L. Haden Jr., the founder of the Kanuga Summer Dream and Spirituality Conference, to install a replica of the Chartres Labyrinth in a wooden grove on the campus.
Our labyrinth journey started at the Lakeside Chapel where the famed white cross of the lake was barely visible through the morning mist. Father Rob welcomed us with a prayer for Joy in God’s Creation, for there was no better place to celebrate our presence than amongst the maple, oak, and pine trees that line the placid, lily-pad-filled lake of this calm mountain retreat.
Before we processed in sacred silence to the labyrinth, we reviewed a method for maximizing our connection with the Spirit during our walk. To prepare ourselves for a mindful walk, we first took time to remember to be grateful for our lives and for those who support us. Walkers were encouraged to think about a question for consideration during the walk. One suggested intention for the day was for presence. Upon entering the labyrinth, walkers were encouraged to slow their breathing, quiet their minds, and release all distractions as they moved closer to the center. With distractions minimized, the mind and soul could be ready to hear the Spirit and receive wisdom. Walkers were reminded not to be discouraged if they did not have a “shazam” moment once they reached the center. The return from the middle was a time for continued gratitude for whatever may have been revealed during the walk.
As we walked, the late summer sun burned the mountain mist away illuminating the lightly painted leaves of an early fall in the mountains.
Those that traveled the Kanuga Labyrinth that day wondered at the power of the space and how it reminded them of our journey through life. The circuitous path of the labyrinth allowed us care free long stretches of time to walk shoulder to shoulder with our fellow walkers, and then, within a moment, pulled us way from each other as the path shortened and required deeper concentration. As in life, we are led close to wisdom, and at the same time pulled away from it. Appreciating the journey and trusting the Divine is a lesson many carried away with them that day.