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Labyrinth Meditation
| Members of Bury Unitarian Church were
visited by the Reverend Gillian Peel, of Rochdale, at the end of August;
Gillian had agreed to conduct a Labyrinth Meditation for them. |
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Once the labyrinth had been
prepared, Gillian led a workshop about Labyrinth Meditations. These
predate organised religion, although, for centuries, they have been linked
with various religions; medieval monks, for example, used the
walking-meditations for exercise, as well as for prayer! Gillian
demonstrated how to draw 4-path and 7-path labyrinths and explained that
labyrinths are unicursal---that is, there is only one path to follow, and,
thus, it is impossible to lose one's way. The largest, and most famous,
labyrinth in the world is to be found at Chartres Cathedral, in France.
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Once the labyrinths had been drawn, they
needed to be coloured, since the colour-sequence along the path is
significant and links with different aspects of the meditation-process.
The colours yellow, orange, red, green (or pink), blue, purple and white
relate to different parts of the body; green/pink is the heart-colour,
blue is connected with sight, and white equates to the top of the head.
Before a person walks the labyrinth, he should decide upon a question to
pursue, with a view to allowing it to develop, at each turn of the path,
until it acquires a spiritual dimension. (If a full labyrinth is not
available, a finger-labyrinth---a much smaller and more personal form of
prayer---may be used.)
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Gillian chose the 7-path
City of Troy Labyrinth for her session; she feels that the figure 7 is
especially significant and relevant to modern-life; we may be reminded of
The Seven Ages of Man, 7 days in a week, the 7 colours of the rainbow, and
so on. Once the preparatory work had been carried out, the actual
labyrinth-walking began. Candles were lit around the exterior of the
labyrinth; soft chants sustained the peaceful atmosphere; the participants
were asked to change the emphasis of their thoughts, each time they
changed direction. And---sunlight illuminated the labyrinth as it was
being walked---no mean achievement, considering the rain and damp
conditions which prevailed in August, 2008!
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| Reactions to the labyrinth varied; one or
two people felt anxious because of the need to concentrate on the pathway,
and on their steps; others experienced a great sense of peace and a
release from stress and everyday problems; some found that their questions
were answered, or solutions to difficulties presented. The session was
felt to have been both interesting and worthwhile---so much so that a
follow-up meditation is planned for later in the year. |
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INTRODUCTORY BOOKLET:
A FAITH WORTH THINKING ABOUT
click here for a free download
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