The Labyrinth

Back in 2007, I took my two grandsons to Harmony, in Comstock.  It is a wonderful place, acres of wildflowers, and total serenity. And they have a labyrinth. I asked my grandsons, 7 and 10 at the time, to walk it, stay in the paths, and think about what it meant. The oldest one said, "I don't get it." The younger one, after a while, said, "Mimi, I think I know what it means." I said, "Yeah?? What do you think?" He said, " I think it is where you find the center of your heart."
I knew then that I had to build my own labyrinth.
So in 2008, I did just that.
At first, it was just stones on the grass.  It is a left sided, 7 circuit, labyrinth.  

And while I liked it, I knew that if I wanted it to be somewhat permanent, and as maintenance free as possible, I had to do more. 
So in June, 2009, I made it better.

These great shots of it are from the upstairs bedroom window.
So what does it all mean, you ask???
On Lessons For Living I found this.

"Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love."
Caroline Adams

We are all on the path... exactly where we need to be. The labyrinth is a model of that path.

A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.

A labyrinth is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can walk it. It is a metaphor for life's journey. It is a symbol that creates a sacred space and place and takes us out of our ego to "That Which Is Within."

Labyrinths and mazes have often been confused. When most people hear of a labyrinth they think of a maze. A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is like a puzzle to be solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It is a left brain task that requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct path into the maze and out.

A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. 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.

A labyrinth is a right brain task. It involves intuition, creativity, and imagery. With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. With a labyrinth there is only one choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not. A more passive, receptive mindset is needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.

At its most basic level the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who you are.

As much as I am a workaholic, I quite often just take the time to walk the labyrinth.  I especially do when I question my direction, or I can't get my thoughts quite together.  Sometimes, I just sit in a chair and look at it.
Serenity is everything.