The Labyrinth
The Parish of St. Matthew is home to a beautiful labyrinth. Labyrinths are ancient human symbols known to go back at least 3,500 years and probably much older. They appeared on most inhabited continents in prehistory, with examples known from North & South America, Africa, Asia, and across Europe from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia. The labyrinth symbols were incorporated into the floors of the great gothic pilgrimage cathedrals of France in the 12th and 13th centuries. The most famous of these remaining labyrinths is in the nave floor of the Cathedral of Norte Dame de Chartres outside of Parish, France. An eleven-circuit labyrinth, it was build around 1200 CE and is laid into the floor in a style sometimes referred to as a pavement maze.
There was a time when Jerusalem was considered the center of the world. Christians would attempt to make the pilgrimage at least once during their lifetime. When the journey became dangerous due to conflict among people, the labyrinth, a sacred path to the divine, was introduced as a means of taking such a spiritual journey. In the past it could be walked as a pilgrimage and/or for repentance. As a pilgrimage it was questing, searching journey with the hope of becoming closer to God. When used for repentance, the pilgrims would walk on their knees. Serving as a substitute for an actual pilgrimage to Jerusalem, as a result labyrinths came to be called the "Chemin de Jerusalem" or Road of Jerusalem.
A labyrinth is not a maze, but a walking meditation device with a single winding path from the edge to the center. There are no tricks, choices or dead ends in a labyrinth walk. The same path is used to return to the outside. Combining a number of even older symbols, including the circle, spiral, and meander, the labyrinth represents the journey inward to our own true selves and back out into the everyday world. Learn more via The Labyrinth Society.
Walking a labyrinth is a right brain activity (creative, intuitive, imaginative), and can induce or enhance a contemplative or meditative state of mind. It is a tool which can clear the mind: calm our anxieties during periods of transition and stress, guide healing, deepen self-knowledge, enhance creativity, allow for reconciliation, restore feelings of belonging to a community, and lead to personal and spiritual growth. - Sharon Pearson
Families at St. Matthew's are always welcome to walk the labyrinth, it is behind the Mill Building, and children love to walk the labyrinth with their families, Godly Play classes, preschool groups or on their own.
How to Walk a Labyrinth
Take a Virtual Labyrinth Walk
Journals can help you meditate on your labyrinth journey. Here is one for children and one for adults
The Parish of St. Matthew is home to a beautiful labyrinth. Labyrinths are ancient human symbols known to go back at least 3,500 years and probably much older. They appeared on most inhabited continents in prehistory, with examples known from North & South America, Africa, Asia, and across Europe from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia. The labyrinth symbols were incorporated into the floors of the great gothic pilgrimage cathedrals of France in the 12th and 13th centuries. The most famous of these remaining labyrinths is in the nave floor of the Cathedral of Norte Dame de Chartres outside of Parish, France. An eleven-circuit labyrinth, it was build around 1200 CE and is laid into the floor in a style sometimes referred to as a pavement maze.
There was a time when Jerusalem was considered the center of the world. Christians would attempt to make the pilgrimage at least once during their lifetime. When the journey became dangerous due to conflict among people, the labyrinth, a sacred path to the divine, was introduced as a means of taking such a spiritual journey. In the past it could be walked as a pilgrimage and/or for repentance. As a pilgrimage it was questing, searching journey with the hope of becoming closer to God. When used for repentance, the pilgrims would walk on their knees. Serving as a substitute for an actual pilgrimage to Jerusalem, as a result labyrinths came to be called the "Chemin de Jerusalem" or Road of Jerusalem.
A labyrinth is not a maze, but a walking meditation device with a single winding path from the edge to the center. There are no tricks, choices or dead ends in a labyrinth walk. The same path is used to return to the outside. Combining a number of even older symbols, including the circle, spiral, and meander, the labyrinth represents the journey inward to our own true selves and back out into the everyday world. Learn more via The Labyrinth Society.
Walking a labyrinth is a right brain activity (creative, intuitive, imaginative), and can induce or enhance a contemplative or meditative state of mind. It is a tool which can clear the mind: calm our anxieties during periods of transition and stress, guide healing, deepen self-knowledge, enhance creativity, allow for reconciliation, restore feelings of belonging to a community, and lead to personal and spiritual growth. - Sharon Pearson
Families at St. Matthew's are always welcome to walk the labyrinth, it is behind the Mill Building, and children love to walk the labyrinth with their families, Godly Play classes, preschool groups or on their own.
How to Walk a Labyrinth
Take a Virtual Labyrinth Walk
Journals can help you meditate on your labyrinth journey. Here is one for children and one for adults