 An Earthen Path |
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by Marcia Willson Bohley |
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This article appeared in the Word from Shepherd's Corner. Vol.7 , No.2 . June, 2002. |
Walking the land at Shepherd’s Corner and Dominican Acres often produces the unexpected, but in the meadow off Wengert Road there is a sacred space where two worlds flow into each other. It is marked by the imprint of a large circle spreading across the meadow.The Labyrinth at Shepherd’s Corner is a place of solitude, home to an earthen path that twists and turns between elevated earth mounds and leads pilgrims into the center and back out to the entrance.
A metaphor for our own spiritual journeys, the labyrinth can be entered into with faith and wonder or it can be walked with misgivings and anxiety. The movement into the center and out again is a kind of body prayer, following the twists and turns, experiencing the ever-changing landscape, never quite sure where we are on the path, but trusting the journey.
The labyrinth invites surrendering to the experience and trusting the way. It is designed as a place where body, mind and spirit come together in prayer. Arriving at the center is as different for each person as the walk. The return to the outside is often walked with a sense of feeling empowered to go back into the world.
Labyrinths are considered the domain of sacred geometry where one goal is to produce a meeting place connecting heaven and earth. They have been known to the human race for over 4000 years. They can be traced to many ancient civilizations and are found embedded in Medieval Cathedral floors, carved on rock, imprinted on coins and ceramic vessels, traced with mosaic tiles, inscribed on clay, constructed using rocks and built of turf. Though the origins are unknown and the designs vary, the labyrinth is found in religious traditions from the Hopi medicine wheel to the Jewish Tree of Life. Searching for the Sacred has been a journey shared through time by peoples of all cultures. More . . .