markyj987
11-02-2006, 06:51 AM
My fiancee and I found a church that we REALLY like. I have been to service the last three weeks, and she was with me last week for Reformation Sunday.
Anyway, they have a pattern mown into the grass at the church. They refer to it as a prayer walk or a labyrinth. Their website decribes it as:
<font color="blue"> The Prayer Walk...is an 11-circuit labyrinth 72 feet in diameter. A labyrinth differs from a maze in that there are no dead ends or false turns. It is a single path inward; the walker cannot get lost. The most famous of this type of labyrinth is at Chartres Cathedral near Paris, France. The labyrinth at Chartres was build around 1200 and is laid into the floor in a style sometimes referred to as a pavement maze. In the past it could be walked as a pilgrimage and/or for repentance. As a pilgrimage it was a questing, searching journey with the hope of becoming closer to God. When used for repentance the pilgrims would walk on their knees. Sometimes this eleven-circuit labyrinth would serve as a substitute for an actual pilgrimage to Jerusalem and as a result came to be called the "Chemin de Jerusalem" or Road of Jerusalem..
This will be our labyrinth’s 7th summer. The idea for our walk came from a publication...that focused on a church in Texas’ labyrinth. Many churches across the country are providing similar walks for their members and neighbors.
In walking the Chartres style labyrinth the walker meanders through each of the four quadrants several times before reaching the goal. Anticipation is created as to when the center will be reached. At the center is a rosette design, which has a rich symbolic value including that of enlightenment. The four arms of the cross are readily visible and provide significant Christian symbolism.
Labyrinths require one to let go – to empty the mind, relax into the rhythm of the walk and be receptive to what thoughts arise. It is for these reasons that labyrinths are used as a tool for meditation, prayer, reflection and comfort. This type of walk is now used around the world as a stress reliever and calming part of treatment of cancer and other diseases.
Each person’s walk on the labyrinth is a unique and personal experience. Some people use the walk for clearing the mind, for meditating, for a centering experience. Others enter the labyrinth with a question or concern they want to focus on. The walk on the labyrinth is like a metaphor for a journey to our innermost self and back. It can be a tool for divine guidance. The time in the center may be used for reflection, prayer, emptying, or receiving. It may also be used for just listening to the sounds around you or wrapping yourself up in sunlight or moonlight. The journey outward may be used as a time for integrating new insights or for just enjoying the movement. Some walks will offer you profound insight and others will be just a nice walk. Each time you walk will be unique.
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I didn't think much of this until I was listening to the radio yesterday. They had an author talking about use of pagan symbolism/style of worship in churches and that it's forbidden in Deuteronomy. He said that a labyrinth was something pagans used in their worship and warned of a New Age movement in many churches.
I read the description above after hearing this and am kind of troubled. My gut feeling is that the guy on the radio was going overboard...
I did not think of this prayer walk as anything different than clearing my mind while sitting in the woods and praying....or standing at the lake and praying, feeling closer to God in the serene beauty.
As we are about to join this church, I wanted to see what you all thought of this. I actually DO feel comfortable asking the pastor about this but wanted to run it by all of you. Your thoughts and opinions are greatly appreciated.
Anyway, they have a pattern mown into the grass at the church. They refer to it as a prayer walk or a labyrinth. Their website decribes it as:
<font color="blue"> The Prayer Walk...is an 11-circuit labyrinth 72 feet in diameter. A labyrinth differs from a maze in that there are no dead ends or false turns. It is a single path inward; the walker cannot get lost. The most famous of this type of labyrinth is at Chartres Cathedral near Paris, France. The labyrinth at Chartres was build around 1200 and is laid into the floor in a style sometimes referred to as a pavement maze. In the past it could be walked as a pilgrimage and/or for repentance. As a pilgrimage it was a questing, searching journey with the hope of becoming closer to God. When used for repentance the pilgrims would walk on their knees. Sometimes this eleven-circuit labyrinth would serve as a substitute for an actual pilgrimage to Jerusalem and as a result came to be called the "Chemin de Jerusalem" or Road of Jerusalem..
This will be our labyrinth’s 7th summer. The idea for our walk came from a publication...that focused on a church in Texas’ labyrinth. Many churches across the country are providing similar walks for their members and neighbors.
In walking the Chartres style labyrinth the walker meanders through each of the four quadrants several times before reaching the goal. Anticipation is created as to when the center will be reached. At the center is a rosette design, which has a rich symbolic value including that of enlightenment. The four arms of the cross are readily visible and provide significant Christian symbolism.
Labyrinths require one to let go – to empty the mind, relax into the rhythm of the walk and be receptive to what thoughts arise. It is for these reasons that labyrinths are used as a tool for meditation, prayer, reflection and comfort. This type of walk is now used around the world as a stress reliever and calming part of treatment of cancer and other diseases.
Each person’s walk on the labyrinth is a unique and personal experience. Some people use the walk for clearing the mind, for meditating, for a centering experience. Others enter the labyrinth with a question or concern they want to focus on. The walk on the labyrinth is like a metaphor for a journey to our innermost self and back. It can be a tool for divine guidance. The time in the center may be used for reflection, prayer, emptying, or receiving. It may also be used for just listening to the sounds around you or wrapping yourself up in sunlight or moonlight. The journey outward may be used as a time for integrating new insights or for just enjoying the movement. Some walks will offer you profound insight and others will be just a nice walk. Each time you walk will be unique.
</font>
I didn't think much of this until I was listening to the radio yesterday. They had an author talking about use of pagan symbolism/style of worship in churches and that it's forbidden in Deuteronomy. He said that a labyrinth was something pagans used in their worship and warned of a New Age movement in many churches.
I read the description above after hearing this and am kind of troubled. My gut feeling is that the guy on the radio was going overboard...
I did not think of this prayer walk as anything different than clearing my mind while sitting in the woods and praying....or standing at the lake and praying, feeling closer to God in the serene beauty.
As we are about to join this church, I wanted to see what you all thought of this. I actually DO feel comfortable asking the pastor about this but wanted to run it by all of you. Your thoughts and opinions are greatly appreciated.