I walked a labyrinth today.
I had encountered labyrinths before, in New Harmony, Indiana. Unlike mazes, labyrinths have no false turns or misleading angles. There is only one path to the center; the same path leads back out.
The idea is pray or meditate: to wind one’s way inward and slowly return mentally/spiritually refreshed – or at least calmer. Getting lost wouldn’t help with the calming; thus there is no way to get lost.
I chose to go basic, and meditate on The Lord’s Prayer as I walked this particular labyrinth today.
As each turn opened up a new vista of lava rocks, or beach, or vast ocean, it was easy to understand why someone would take time to carve out a spiritual shrine in this cliff-side spot.
About half way in, a family stopped by. The father explained to the kidlets that this was a sort of maze – a game. The two young boys chose the pathway for a squealing round of tag.
Laugh, yell, giggle, screech, run, shout, laugh.
It is hard to be all pious and meditative when there are young children about.
Which, of course, says more about my spirituality than anything else.
Jesus, in his most rabbinical of moods, said that we really can’t understand heaven until we “get” the spiritual approach of kids.
Not that we need to laugh, yell, giggle, screech, run, shout and laugh in all of our spiritual moments – children don’t lygsrsl all the time either.
But it shouldn’t be so hard to have tag’s overwhelming joy sit side-by-side with a meditation on “Thy kingdom come.”
Should it?
Just my thoughts,
Sean
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