{"id":594,"date":"2020-04-24T14:46:55","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T18:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.berea.edu\/ccc\/?p=594"},"modified":"2020-04-24T15:05:01","modified_gmt":"2020-04-24T19:05:01","slug":"the-berea-college-labyrinth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legacy.berea.edu\/ccc\/2020\/04\/24\/the-berea-college-labyrinth\/","title":{"rendered":"The Berea College Labyrinth"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Rev.

Rev. Loretta Reynolds<\/p><\/div>\n

The last 5 weeks have been\u2026strange.\u00a0 Classes, meetings, grading, conferences, and worship services are virtual\u2014reaching out to connect with others from our kitchen tables, basements, and bedroom make-shift offices.\u00a0 In the last few weeks, we have experienced the grief of unfulfilled dreams of graduation celebrations, being geographically separated from friends, losing the personal interaction of the classroom, and many have had to grieve the loss of a loved one without the usual comforting rituals.\u00a0 As unusual as things have been in the past few weeks, life has a way of also continuing to remind us of beauty\u2014babies have been born, couples have gotten married, spring flowers have graced us with a riot of color, and lessons have been learned.\u00a0 Doing things differently has encouraged us to learn new skills, has reminded us to appreciate simple freedoms like buying groceries and sitting down in a restaurant, and we are being given the opportunity to apply Jesus\u2019 instruction to love our neighbor by going the second mile (or in this case, by staying at home!).<\/p>\n

These weeks of doing things differently gives us an opportunity to discern how our spiritual practices can help us learn and grow while<\/em> we are living and working in this strange land.\u00a0 Regardless of your religion or if you have no religious tradition, one spiritual tool that is available to all is the labyrinth.<\/p>\n

\"\"The CCC had planned to have a World Religion Celebration Week April 13-17.\u00a0 Our different religious student groups were going to take part in teaching us more about their traditions.\u00a0 And on Thursday April 16th, we were set to have a formal dedication of our new labyrinth.\u00a0 It was going to be a special day.\u00a0 We were looking forward to President Roelofs being present as well as some of our new Board of Trustee members.\u00a0 Oh well\u2026the best laid plans!\u00a0 But, as is true in so many areas of our lives right now, we are learning how to be creative, and flexible, and do things in different ways.\u00a0 So I\u2019m taking this opportunity to share with you a little information about the history of labyrinths and how they can be used for meditation and prayer.<\/p>\n

A labyrinth is an ancient symbol, dating back more than 4000 years, and is found in almost every religion. \u00a0The meandering, but purposeful path, is a metaphor for life and a meditative tool.\u00a0 At its most basic level the labyrinth is a guide for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who you are.<\/p>\n

\"\"A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is like a puzzle to be solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct path into the maze and out.\u00a0 A labyrinth has only one path. The way in is the way out. There are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and out again.
\nA labyrinth involves intuition, creativity, and imagery. \u00a0With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. \u00a0With a labyrinth there is only one choice to be made. \u00a0The choice is to enter or not. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Student Chaplains at the Labyrinth<\/p><\/div>\n

If you are in Berea, I invite you to try the labyrinth.\u00a0 With only one person in the labyrinth at a time, it is a meditation\/prayer tool that may assist in calming the busyness of our minds and spirits.\u00a0 There is no right way to walk a labyrinth.\u00a0 You only have to enter and follow the path. Your walk can encompass a variety of attitudes; happy, sad, seeking, thoughtful, prayerful or questioning. \u00a0Building a labyrinth creates a sacred space. The more a labyrinth is used the more powerful it becomes as a symbol of transformation, contemplation, or prayer.\u00a0 Each experience in the labyrinth is unique; it depends on what each person brings to it.<\/p>\n

If you would like more information on the history and use of labyrinths, you can check out these resources:<\/p>\n

The Labyrinth Builders: A Brief History of The Labyrinth<\/a><\/p>\n

Ancient History Encyclopedia: Labyrinth<\/a><\/p>\n

If you choose to try the labyrinth, I would love to hear from you!\u00a0 I will warn you\u2026it may seem a little odd at first.\u00a0 You may feel self-conscious or just not know what to do.\u00a0 But like with any new discipline, it takes practice.\u00a0 Here are a few general guidelines you might find helpful as you get started.<\/p>\n

Focus<\/u><\/strong>: Pause and wait at the entrance. Become quiet and centered. Give acknowledgment through a bow, nod, or other gesture and then enter.
\nExperience<\/u><\/strong>: Walk purposefully. Observe the process. When you reach the center, stay there and focus several moments. Leave when it seems appropriate. Be attentive on the way out.
\nExit<\/strong>:<\/u>\u00a0Turn and face the entrance. Give an acknowledgement of ending, such as “Amen.”
\nReflect<\/u><\/strong>: After walking the labyrinth reflect back on your experience. Use journaling or drawing to capture your experience.
\nWalk often<\/u><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last 5 weeks have been\u2026strange.\u00a0 Classes, meetings, grading, conferences, and worship services are virtual\u2014reaching out to connect with others from our kitchen tables, basements, and bedroom make-shift offices.\u00a0 In the last few weeks, we have experienced the grief of unfulfilled dreams of graduation celebrations, being geographically separated from friends, losing the personal interaction of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":404,"featured_media":37,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[24],"class_list":["post-594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-labyrinth"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Berea College Labyrinth - The Willis D. 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