Walking the Labyrinth with Mel Soriano

What this episode covers

Today we’re going to talk about the spiritual practice of walking the labyrinth. Labyrinths, unlike mazes, are paths without tricks, dead ends, or confusion. They are guided walks that have been used for meditation across the world for many centuries. Christians have used labyrinths since at least the fourth century C.E., and they have experienced a revival in recent decades. Labyrinths can be used to represent a pilgrimage, the road to salvation, or a walk with Christ. Some people prefer to walk alone; some in community; and sometimes to celebrate a particular event or church festival. For thousands of years, cultures across the world have walked labyrinths. The Greek historian Herodotus made note of the first labyrinth in recorded history, a 5th-century B.C.E. Egyptian structure about which he said, "all the works and buildings of the Greeks put together would certainly be inferior to this labyrinth as regards labor and expense." People have walked labyrinths as part of coming-of-age rituals, in hopes for good fortune, and for meditative purposes. The labyrinth in the floor at Chartres Cathedral in France is the most famous Christian labyrinth. Many other Christian labyrinths use this pattern. You’ve probably seen it on keychains, notecards and the portable canvas labyrinth your church may have. If the labyrinth represents a journey, taking that journey in company with others can be very powerful, just like walking a pilgrimage in community. Labyrinths can enhance ministries and community events. As a symbol of a community’s journeying together, a labyrinth walk at a time of transition or growth can be a powerful activity.

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