LABYRINTH, A Walking Meditation.

LABYRINTH

On the island of Crete, about 4,000 years ago, a man sat down in middle of life, to wonder about his personal journey. With its twists and tuirns, false starts and dead-ends, his life journey seemed like a kind of maze. In that awareness, he felt a keen sense of the uniqueness of his own life--with appreciation, understanding and insight. Later, endowed with a Minoan eye for beauty and design, he began to play with drawings to represent his journey. Once he saw a formation of rocks outlining a path up a near mountainous terrain.. He then sketched and built the first primitive labyrinth as a walking meditation for personal awareness..
Similar awareness seems to have happened simultaneously in several ancient cultures. Labyrinths are found in many art forms about the year B.C.E. 3,500. Pliny's Natural History mentioned four ancient labyrinths: the Cretan labyrinth, an Egyptian labyrinth, a Lemnian labyrinth and an Italian labyrinth.

The LABYRINTH is a walking meditation garden with a maze-like path to a center. Participants walk in quiet awareness of the turns and twists of life. It is an ancient form of prayer which has experienced a renewed appreciation in recent years.

Christians in the middle ages who were unable to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land walked labyrinths in their towns and cathedrals as an alternative. Labyrinth may be one of the oldest spiritual exercise in history, as ancient art forms are often found in many cultures dating to 3,500 B.C.E.

The LABYRINTH walk of awareness is designed to bring one to a new center for oneself, an appreciation of one’s own unique and authentic life journey. Many walkers have had powerful experiences of illumination, union, beauty and renewed courage. Some couples use the labyrinth and the Zen garden center for their marital vows.

At its most basic level, the Labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the center of self and back out into the world with an expanded understanding of who you are. Tips for walking the Labyrinth are offered on site. Appointment is necessary. Tel (859) 293 - 5302

Our Labyrinth, completed in the summer of 2007, contains a CAIRN dedicated to the memory of John A. McGill, Kentucy Award winning sportswriter and friend of Paschal. Turner Lyman designed and with Paschal’s landscaping, built it. Barbara Lyman and Janette Baute consulted regularly. Ann Siudmak and members of the Spiritual Growth Network of Kentucky were orginal supporters of the Labyrinth experience here in previous workshops. Landscaping is being completed by Janette Baute. Dedic ation is planned in October of 2007.

© Paschal Baute, 2007