{"id":227,"date":"2019-10-24T10:36:12","date_gmt":"2019-10-24T08:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eleadership.co.za\/?page_id=227"},"modified":"2019-10-24T20:53:44","modified_gmt":"2019-10-24T18:53:44","slug":"labyrinths","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.eleadership.co.za\/?page_id=227","title":{"rendered":"Labyrinths"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \nLabyrinths have their origins in\nantiquity, probably ritualistic, possibly little different from our own\nmeditative journeys, and are well recorded in Greek mythology. Simple\nlabyrinths have been found dating back as far as 3 200 years; the Meis\nlabyrinth [right], in Galicia, is\nan ancient seven circuit classical design.\nSimilar labyrinths are\ndepicted on ancient Cretan coins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labyrinths\nare sometimes confused with mazes, and we say the Minotaur was trapped in a labyrinth; actually, the Minotaur was trapped in the maze!\nA labyrinth IS the way through the maze! If you walk the borders of a\nlabyrinth… you will be trapped in a maze and will never reach the centre! A labyrinth has a single path leading to a\ndestination; labyrinths and mazes are each one side of the same coin. Theseus\nhad Ariadne’s red thread to show him the way back out after his battle with the\nMinotaur, providing Theseus with the path in and out of the labyrinth, or\nthrough the maze. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As\nwith many pagan festivals, Christianity adopted the labyrinth as a powerful\nsymbolic representation. In lieu of pilgrimage to Jerusalem, fabled cathedrals\nsuch as Chartres became a destination in themselves, culminating in walking\n(often on one\u2019s knees, in penance) the labyrinth. Labyrinths have become a\nfocus for spirituality, for meditation, and, indeed, for fun. Modern Christian\nspirituality encompasses meditation, contemplative prayer and reflection.\nCertainly the labyrinth is a powerful tool, time for a precious moment beyond\ndaily life; time with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There\nare so many different ways to walk a labyrinth! One can walk with a question?\nOr think about something you want to release as you walk in, receive something\nnew at the centre, and integrate that information on the walk back out. One can\nrecite a prayer, or a group can chant as they walk. Or one can just step into\nthe labyrinth and follow the path and see what emerges in their thoughts and\nfeelings as they walk and contemplate the path. On this day of retreat I would\ntrust the labyrinth created a space to allow you to focus on the reasons you\nare here today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ndesign relates to wholeness with the combined imagery of spirals and circles in\na meandering but purposeful path. The twists and turns create the charm and\nsymbolism of the labyrinth \u2013 but there is only one path, one way in and one way\nout.  Labyrinths can be thought of as\nsymbolic forms of pilgrimage; walking among the turnings, one loses track of\ndirection and of the outside world, and thus quiets the mind. Entering the\nlabyrinth is to release oneself from the external pressures, to be able to\nfocus within; changing direction, sometimes doubling back, represents life.\nRest in the centre to receive inspiration, perhaps an answer to what you\ncarried into the labyrinth \u2013 after all, the labyrinth is a healing and\ninspirational process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

BODY \u2013 physical: the labyrinth represents your\nphysical body \u2013 in whole and in part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HEART – emotional: manage stress; bring peace\nand balance, calmness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MIND – mental: to problem-solve; brainstorm\nideas; enhance creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SOUL – spiritual: meditate, practice\nmindfulness; awareness of the present moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As\nwe experience the resurgence of Christian spirituality, so the healing and\nmeditative aspects become more relevant and real. And so we come to walk the\nlabyrinth – there is no prescription; no dogma attached to this. The walk, the\njourney you take is your journey, your own choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nvery act of stepping into the labyrinth is spiritual. It lies in the intent \u2026\nfor children this is play, which sometimes brings them closer to God. For\nadults it is the act of faith, of trusting the placing of one foot in front of\nthe other, of surrendering to God’s will, and following one’s heart \u2013\nbeforehand for what you seek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entering\nthe labyrinth is to release oneself from the external pressures, to be able to\nfocus within; changing direction, sometimes doubling back, represents life.\nRest in the centre to receive inspiration, perhaps an answer to what you\ncarried into the labyrinth \u2013 after all, the labyrinth is a healing and\ninspirational process. The labyrinth has no tricks, no decisions \u2026 one\nsurrenders to the path, the spiritual path \u2013 the only decision is to choose\nGod. We may face different directions, but we are all on the same path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nlabyrinth has no tricks, no decisions \u2026 one surrenders to the path, the\nspiritual path \u2013 the only decision is to choose God. We may face different\ndirections, but we are all on the same path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nPath at St Martin\u2019s in-the-Veld is the installation of the Santa Rosa Labyrinth\nin celebration of the centenary of this church. The labyrinth was Inaugurated and blessed by the clergy and congregation\nof St Martin\u2019s on the occasion of the centenary\nPatronal festival on Sunday 11th<\/sup>\nNovember 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Path originated in a fund-raiser \u2026 a temporary labyrinth drawn on\nthe parking area or a tarpaulin in the hall. The vision and scope changed and\ngrew to the possibility of a permanent feature as an acknowledgement of the one\nhundred years of St Martin\u2019s \u2013 perhaps even a legacy project for the next one\nhundred years. And so it became. From\na simple fund-raiser, this has captured the imagination of the congregation: the costs of The Path have been covered by donations,\nwith some excess for the Centenary Fund. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n \n \n\n \n \nOf course the medieval Chartres\nCathedral labyrinth design [left] was considered, but the eleven-circuits were\njust too large for our space. Ancient classical designs would fit, but were too\nsmall, too simple and too archaic. A seven circuit labyrinth would be ideal –\nthe Lambertus labyrinth [right] in Mingolsheim, Germany was seemingly the\nchoice. We then found (we were called to) the Santa Rosa Labyrinth, designed by\nLea Goode-Harris; this labyrinth is a neo-medieval\nfour-quadrant seven-circuit design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n \n \nThe Path is built with cast stone\npavers in the memorial garden; on unused ground near the Chapel. There is a bench at the\nentrance and a central seat (the seat faces the cross atop the steeple)\nso as to reflect and enjoy the beauty of the Memorial garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \n \n\n \n \nThe St Benedict\u2019s labyrinth is the\ninstallation of a neo-medieval seven-circuit, four-quadrant design with\nsimilarities to labyrinths in the grand cathedrals of Europe. The labyrinth is\nboth past celebration and future legacy; more importantly is the support and\nparticipation of, and the benefit to, the congregation and community. Indeed,\nthanks to the parish of St Stephen\u2019s for the part they played in the creation\nof the labyrinth and the welfare of St Benedict\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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James will offer\nadvice and consultation around the concept, design and construction of\nlabyrinths, as well as guiding retreats\nand workshops.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Labyrinths have their origins in antiquity, probably ritualistic, possibly little different from our own meditative journeys, and are well recorded in Greek mythology. Simple labyrinths have been found dating back as far as 3 200 years; the Meis labyrinth [right], in Galicia, is an ancient seven circuit classical design. Similar labyrinths are depicted on ancient … Continue reading “Labyrinths”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-227","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eleadership.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eleadership.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eleadership.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eleadership.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eleadership.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=227"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.eleadership.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":233,"href":"https:\/\/www.eleadership.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/227\/revisions\/233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eleadership.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}