First off, yesterday was Beltane and I was somewhere warm. That was wonderful. (What's "warm"? Er, 15 C / 59 F. My, how my standards have changed...)
Yesterday afternoon I was walking an outdoor, grass labyrinth (in the warm sun, mmmm). There was a moment when its path took me very close to the center. But suddenly, it changed direction and took me back much closer to the outer edge. Dramatically.
I was very much struck by the example of the labyrinth as spiritual path.
Right that moment, following the path took me physically further away from the center. Yet at the same time, it took me closer towards the center in terms of the process of the labyrinth, the path of the labyrinth.
I feel like this describes an awful lot of life. And an awful lot of spiritual life.
Also: this labyrinth was generously dotted with goose poop. I got to decide to step on it or around it.
Does your spiritual journey ever feel like a labyrinth? Does it ever feel like a labyrinth dotted with goose poop?
May all the goose poop in your life become fertilizer.
My life is rich in compostable material, all kinds of compostable material, not just goose poop!
ReplyDeleteLet's hear it for spring and transformation!
Hee! Blessed be.
ReplyDeleteI have had the exact same experience in walking a labyrinth... feeling so joyful that I was close to the center, then feeling almost ripped away from that joy and having to surrender to the path in front of me. Indeed.
ReplyDeleteI have felt almost the exact same thing walking a labyrinth. I felt such joy at being close to the center then almost ripped away from that joy. Then comes the need to surrender to the path. Yep, labyrinthine. Indeed. :)
ReplyDeleteI just made a snow labyrinth in our yard (as I did once before at Swarthmore). Standing in the center of my freshly-trampled-out snow laburinth and looking up at the starry sky (and it's clear enough tonight that you can actually see some) felt deliciously pagan :-).
ReplyDeleteAlso, have you heard my labyrinth song? (Okay, technically it's not strictly a labyrinth song, because you can't get lost in a traditional labyrinth — but I think it captures the same feeling about one's life path that you describe in this post.)