Walking the Labyrinth ~ A Path of Peace

Last night I attended the second part of The Journey Course and this time the event was held at a local carmelite retreat centre.

This was my second attempt at walking a labyrinth and it was certainly a more sedate experience compared to last time!  The theme for the evening was peace in our hearts and peace in the world and it was a fitting end to rememberance day here in the UK.  We listened to passages of scripture and a letter written by a soldier from the trenches at Christmas time.  He recounted a beautiful moment when the ceasefire was announced for Christmas day and how the soldiers were together in no mans land, singing and laughing.  For a brief moment peace reigned in those trenches.

Aside from the ususal labyrinth path there were four focal points where at any time you could pause and reflect as the need arose:

 The Labyrinth ~ we walked accompanied by the haunting music of Schindler's List.

 The first focal point ~ the mud in the trenches but out of the sorrow and suffering came hope which is represented by the blue.

 Second focus ~ an autumn scene yet in amidst the decay there is the promise of a springtime represented by the green backdrop.

 Third focus ~ Love, do we share or do we lock parts of our heart behind a wrought iron cage?

 Final focus ~ Christ, the forgiving victim and His blood which has been shed for all.

Such a beautiful evening and as always God spoke to me in those moments of silence, especially when I was beginning to worry about actually getting to the centre and then back out again!  As long as I was focused on putting one foot in front of the other and following the path intentionally I was fine, but as soon as my eyes wandered and I surveyed the whole scene, my anxiety levels rose as I could not visualise the way forward, a metaphor for my life for sure :-)