Not all those who wander are lost, particularly if they're in a labyrinth...

We're walking a lot this spring at Delmar Pres. And I do mean a lot. Our group goal between Ash Wednesday and the CROP Hunger Walk on May 3rd is 3,273 miles. As a congregation, it's about 45 miles a day, which doesn't seem like much until you realize that it means each one of us needs to walk about a mile a day and, oh, it's already Wednesday and I haven't walked anywhere since Sunday, except from my desk to the lunch room with a side excursion to the vending machine... It's already making me nervous and we're only a few weeks in.

As a welcome antidote to the relentless marching to our goal, we're also exploring the spiritual and meditative side of walking. Our Lenten study this year has prompts for mindful walks and on March 14th we'll be hosting an event focused on labyrinths and exploring different ways to use them for prayer and reflection.

Now if getting lost in a maze doesn't sound like an especially spiritual or meditative experience, fear not, a labyrinth is not a maze. It may look like a maze but a closer inspection reveals a one-way path (or "unicursal", as I learnt while writing this post) in and out. The beauty is that you cannot get lost. Your feet can follow the path without needing to concentrate, leaving your mind free to pray and meditate.

Even knowing you can't get lost, a labyrinth is still a pretty daunting thing. How will I know if I'm doing it "right"? Spend a little time on the internet and you'll find any number of "right" ways to walk a labyrinth. There are proponents of a three stage walk where you shed emotions and concerns on your way in, pause in the center to be open to the presence of God and then listen for God's voice calling you to minister to the world outside as you walk out. Then there's also a four step approach where you stop once in each quadrant to Ask, Listen, Receive and Be Grateful. If you start digging into one of the most famous labyrinths, the one in the floor of Chartres Cathedral, you'll be overwhelmed by numbers. 11 circuits, 4 quadrants, 34 turns, 13 meters wide, 261 meters of pathway, 270 stones, 112 lunations and built in the 13th century. And you'll find any number of experts willing to share their theories on the meaning of each and every number (did you know that if you divide the number of turns by two you end up with seventeen which is the letter R standing for the Resurrection?!). But in the end the key number for a labyrinth is one. One path in and one path out. A journey that may twist and turn, but ultimately leads to God.

In light of that, there is no right way to walk a labyrinth and no magic numbers that are a guaranteed shortcut to wisdom and enlightenment. The labyrinth is just an opportunity to let go of the cares and troubles of the world, if only for a little while, and to let God in. And, quite frankly, we could all use some of that lately.

The labyrinths will be open from 10 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 4 pm. We'll also be offering a chance for all ages to build their own finger labyrinth to use at home from 1 pm to 4pm. We'd love to see you there!

Contact us for more information: office@delmarpres.org or call 518-439-9252.