About the Labyrinth…

The labyrinth is an ancient sacred symbol and a tool for prayer and meditation.  To enter a labyrinth is to step into a rite as old as the human race.  Labyrinths are universal, yet distinctive; walking a labyrinth is both a personal and communal experience.

From Medieval Times to Today…

During the 11^th and 12^th centuries labyrinths were placed in cathedral floors and used as the entry to pilgrimage sites.  Then labyrinths became symbolic with journey.  Today labyrinths are reemerging globally.  There is a renewed interest in labyrinths located in the pilgrimage chapels at Chartres and Amiens in France, for example.  Ministries of healing and spiritual renewal are forming, using the labyrinth, in response to the needs of a culture that has become highly technological, fast-paced and individually isolating.  Walking a labyrinth invites rest and calm, and provides opportunity for contemplation and reflection as well as communal interaction.  The experience connects persons both to one another and to human history.  But more, the labyrinth is a sacred space, inviting each of us to walk on holy ground.

Walking the Labyrinth…

Labyrinths are unicursal (only one path); there are no blind spots or barriers.  The single path leads to a center space for quiet reflection.  From the center, one follows the path, winding back to the outside.

As a prayer tool, the labyrinth offers a three-fold process: shedding or releasing (the walk in), illumination (the center), and union (the walk out).

As a meditation form, the labyrinth may be walked in silence, or using a mantra.  Labyrinths also may be used as ritual, symbolizing, for example, a new beginning, a new venture or a new relationship.  There is no “right” way to walk a labyrinth; one may walk slowly or fast, some skip and others dance their way along the path.

Our Labyrinth…

The outdoor labyrinth at First Presbyterian Church of St. Louis was constructed in 1997, in celebration of the congregation’s 180^th anniversary.  The pattern of this labyrinth is copied from a 6^th century mosaic found at San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy.  The labyrinth is laid in brickwork in the lawn on the north side of the church.