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Commit yourself to something meaningful during the Lenten Season
and walk the Prayer Labyrinth
at St. Stephen United Methodist Church

This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” - Jeremiah 6:16

Located in the Youth Ministry Center
March 9-23, 2008

Sundays — March 9, 16, 23 — 8:30-12:30 pm
Wednesday — March 12 — 5:00—8:00 pm
Holy Thursday — March 20 — 5:00 —9:00 pm
Good Friday — March 21 — 9:00 am—9:00 pm

Click here to view our Labyrinth brochure for 2008. Thank you to Davidson United Methodist Church for use of their printed materials.

Want to help? We have greeters stationed outside the Labyrinth. If you would like to help for 1-2 hour shifts please contact Beth Griffiths at (704) 321-1530 or erhye@carolina.rr.com.

 
Rediscovering The Labyrinth
A Walking Meditation

A LABYRINTH…

  • Is an ancient symbol that represents wholeness.
  • Looks like a maze, but is not.
  • Has no dead-ends or tricks – you cannot get lost.
  • Is a well-defined path that leads to the center and back out again.
  • Symbolizes a transformative journey to your own center and back into the world.
  • Occurs in many cultures and has been around 4 - 5,000 years.
  • Has long been used as a tool for quieting the mind, meditation, centering and healing.
  • Brings people together on the common path of life.
  • Is a sacred place set aside for you to reflect, look within, pray, negotiate new behavior, and explore your relationship with the Divine as you walk this complicated, demanding path called life.

THE THREE STAGES OF A MEDITATIVE WALK:

  • First Stage: Releasing. Letting go, quieting, opening , emptying. This stage begins at the entrance and ends at the center.
  • Second Stage: Receiving. In the center, receive what is there for you – guidance, inner silence, a sense of peace. These are only some experiences – it is different for everyone. Stay in the center as long as you want.
  • Third Stage: Returning. It begins when you leave the center and return on the same path back out of the labyrinth. Symbolically take back out into the world what you have received.

The three stages are a suggestion.
You can allow blessing anywhere on the labyrinth.
You can release anywhere on the labyrinth.
You can receive anywhere on the labyrinth.

THE BASICS:

  1. Preparing to walk: set an intention, pray, or sit quietly.
  2. Remove your shoes to protect the labyrinth. If you need shoes for medical reasons, then, by all means, wear them.
  3. Find your own pace. Feel free to move around others or let them move around you.
  4. There is no “right” way to walk a labyrinth.
©2008 St. Stephen UMC, Charlotte, NC
This page is maintained by Kelly Keesling.
Last updated Friday, March 07, 2008