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Madison Labyrinth Walks: Deepening Spiritual Paths
Labyrinth Walks open to the public are scheduled for the Equinox and
Solstice throughout the year. Please enjoy our outdoor
labyrinth from May through October. For more information or to be on the
labyrinth email list (2-3 per year), contact the church office.
What is a Labyrinth?
The labyrinth is a prayer tool as well as a walking meditation tool found in
many religious traditions around the world. It is a spiritual pathway for
people seeking the Divine. This appears to be true regardless of our faith
tradition. This labyrinth is a circular two-dimensional pattern printed on a
surface for walking. The labyrinth has only one continuous path which leads
you to the center and the same path lead you back out. It is not a maze with
tricks and dead ends.
The winding path helps us to become quiet and reflective. Walking the
labyrinth invites us to experience our gratitude for life. It can help us to
be in-touch with our sorrows and our joys. It is a wonderful tool for
helping us discover metaphors that reflect our spiritual journey or help us
to learn what we need to know.
The labyrinths at Madison Christian Community are patterned after the
labyrinth laid into the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France between
1200-1220. During the Middle Ages many Christians completed their
pilgrimages by walking the labyrinth. The center rose was seen as the
spiritual Jerusalem.
To find locations of labyrinths in other communities and for more labyrinth
information go to www.labyrinthproject.com.
Why Walk a Labyrinth?
A central purpose of all spiritual disciplines — prayer, fasting, meditation
— is to help us quiet our outer world so we might have the opportunity not
only for prayer but to listen to our inner world and the Divine.
Since the labyrinth walk can encourage us to get in touch with our inner
selves, many people find their walk on the labyrinth helps them to discern
what they need to accept and affirm in their lives and what they need to
leave behind. Walking the labyrinth can be used to help in decision making,
healing from illness or just to find a few minutes of peacefulness.
The best way to learn about the labyrinth is to walk one a few times with an
open heart and mind, then allow your experience to guide you as to whether
this might be a useful tool for you.
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Madison
Labyrinth Walks
Please like the new Facebook page: Madison Labyrinth Walks for announcements
of labyrinth walks in the Madison area. Included are First Congregational
Church (UCC), Madison Christian Community (MCC), Orchard Ridge UCC.
Open Walks
Open Walks on indoor carpeted labyrinth occur on both the spring and fall
Equinox and the winter and summer Solstice.
This is a picture of our outdoor labyrinth,
the Namaste marble sculpture
and travertine bench. Both were created and donated by Don Tubesing.
Enjoying the Outdoor Labyrinth
The outdoor labyrinth is in a very pleasant
setting and lends itself well to spending some quiet time before or after
your walk. Bring your own lawn chair or a blanket, your journal and maybe
even a cup of coffee. You could place your lawn chair in the center of the
labyrinth before you begin your walk in anticipation of a quiet and relaxing
time in the center. If you come in the evening, sunsets can be spectacular.
MCC Labyrinth Walks
7118 Old Sauk Road Madison, WI 53717
Come and walk our new outdoor labyrinth. You will be welcomed by
a sculpture, "Nasmaste," invited to sit on a newly placed marble bench, and
when you are ready, step into the 7-circuit Santa Rosa Labyrinth. The
sculpture and bench are creations of Don Tubesing, member of Madison
Christian Community.
Opportunities for a Congregation or Group to
Use the Labyrinth
Since the labyrinth is a metaphor for our spiritual journey, it is a
wonderful tool for retreats and other occasions when people are asked to
reflect on their journey. The labyrinth lends itself well to special times of transition in individual
lives and in the life of a congregation or organization. An anniversary, or
the dedication of a new building, the arrival of a new pastor or staff
person, beginning of a new program, seasonal celebrations would all be
strategic times to use the labyrinth.
The labyrinth is also a very good processing tool and may be helpful during
times of decision making or situations that call for healing and
reconciliation.
Candles
Due to the number of labyrinth walks for whom candles are not welcoming, we
use battery candles. We use lit candles in glass globes for the Winter
Solstice walk only.
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