A Beautiful Tool for Prayer

by Katherine Harms
(Baltimore, MD)

The use of labyrinths in contemporary Christian life can probably be dated to an event in 1991 when an American tourist named Lauren Artress removed chairs which sat over the labyrinth in the Chartres cathedral. That labyrinth was constructed in 1201 for use by Christians who could not make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Pilgrims walked the labyrinth and prayed much as pilgrims today walk the Via Dolorosa. When Dr. Artress uncovered that labyrinth, it had been unused for hundreds of years. She has since made a personal crusade to encourage use of labyrinths as tools in spiritual growth.

Without adopting the stance of a crusader, I am happy to encourage anyone to explore this device as a tool for prayer. The many objects Christians have used to support or encourage prayer and meditation are testimony to the challenge we all encounter in these disciplines. Candles, incense, icons, crosses large and small, rosaries, hair shirts; all these objects have been used over the past two thousand years by Christians who yearned for a richer prayer life. There is no evidence to suggest that any of these objects has any inherent spiritual power, but there are many people who testify that using one or more of these objects assists them to make space in their lives for prayer.

No doubt, there are people who seriously misunderstand and misuse the objects, also. But just as we don't stop using knives to carve steak because some people use knives to kill people, we need not fear the use of objects as tools to help us grow spiritually. This is the reason I introduce my readers to the use of the labyrinth as a tool for prayer.

Intense prayer and meditation are not natural, and in today's high-tech world where multi-tasking is taught in the cradle, it is extremely difficult for anyone to step out of the frenzy and make time not only to talk to God, but also to listen to him. No object takes the place of real communion with God, but many objects have the potential to help us separate ourselves from normal daily concerns and make time for prayer.

If you research the labyrinth, you will find that some people believe that labyrinths have inherent mystical properties. I don't believe that. I don't believe any object has any mystical property, but I do believe that we can use objects to help us learn to be more spiritual. It doesn't work for everyone. My husband has never walked a labyrinth. He prays in other ways and at other times. That is fine. Tools are not prayer. We are not all alike.

Some people confuse labyrinths with mazes. They believe that walking a labyrinth would be confusing, a state of mind not conducive to prayer. In some very ancient stories the terms "labyrinth" and "maze" are used interchangeably. However, in modern practice, the terms have distinct meanings. A maze is a puzzle, and may be very confusing. If you find your way in, that does not mean that you will find your way out. A labyrinth, on the other hand, has a simple, clearly-marked path to the center, and with rare exceptions the path in is also the path out.

The simplicity of the labyrinth is disguised in a visually complex design. Labyrinths are beautiful, abstract patterns, often based on very specific design principles. Viewing a labyrinth can be a satisfying aesthetic experience, completely apart from any use as a tool for prayer. However, this experience can be incorporated into the practice of prayer, just as many other art forms encourage and support our religious practices.

Walking a labyrinth is a good way to achieve separation and focus. The design has clear boundaries. Outside is not the same place as inside. The path is clearly marked; if you stay on the path, you will get to the center, and you can turn right around and follow the path back to the entry point. The usual practice is to regard the path inward as a time of purgation, or letting go. The center is a place for illumination, or receiving, a time of quiet, communion, or simple waiting. The path outward is a time of union, commitment, returning.

For example, the path inward could be a time for confession. Resting in the center could be time to receive forgiveness and internalize it. The path outward could be time to make a commitment to God's "next step" in your life.

I have walked a variety of labyrinths. One was huge, marked with white stones, the path "paved" with bark. Flowers and bushes grew within its curves. An ornamental tree grew in the center, and tree stumps were set here and there under the tree where people could rest.

Another was much smaller. It was painted over bricks in a small courtyard near a city church. In the park, prayer was punctuated by birdsongs and the buzzing of bees. In the city, horns honked and the endless drone of the nearby freeway enveloped the simple path of prayer. Each had its unique character, but each gave me an opportunity to step out of the ordinary.

The labyrinth draws an imaginary line around the walker. It creates the perception of a space apart, even when it is very hard to feel that you are in a place apart.

Here is a model for using a labyrinth as a tool for prayer. This model incorporates the theme of denying self and committing to follow Christ in servanthood.

As you walk inward
This is a time for abandonment

* Abandon the need to be in charge
Abandonment is the casting off all selfish care (Madame Guyon)
* Abandon the need to be fulfilled
Abandonment is practiced by continually losing our own will in the will of God (Madame Guyon)
* Abandon the need to examine self; instead, be open to allow the light of the Holy Spirit to reveal truths about yourself.
We should depend on God for the discovery and knowledge of our sins, rather than on the diligence of our own scrutiny (Madame Guyon)

In the center
This is a time for rest

* Forget self
Self-denial is not refusing pleasures, but a refusal to make a god of self-gratification.
* Forget self-interest
The cross Jesus asks us to bear is the decision to accept His will instead of our own.
* Forget talking
Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

As you depart

It is time to follow Jesus

* Is the Holy Spirit nudging you toward a specific action?
* Do you have a sense of eternity in the goal that you see ahead of you?
* When you think of the outcome of your actions, do you see people praising the Lord instead of praising you?

Have you ever walked a labyrinth in prayer?
What is your reaction to the idea of using a labyrinth as a prayer tool?
Do you use some other prayer tool to help you find separation and focus when praying?

I invite you to comment on your experience with labyrinths, your concerns about using objects in prayer, or any questions this column raises.