A few years ago, I was introduced to labyrinths. If you’re not familiar, a labyrinth is a walking path that forms a series of circuits.
Unlike a maze, with a labyrinth you cannot get lost – there is one way in, one path to follow, and one way out. Walking a labyrinth is simple – you merely step onto the path and follow it as it twists and turns, eventually arriving at center. You follow the same path on your way back out, in the end arriving at the place where you started.
The labyrinth isn’t so much about the act of walking – instead, it’s about what’s happening within us as we walk.
There are many different ways to walk a labyrinth, but one of my favorites involves the mantra “Release. Receive. Return.”
Release.
On the journey inward, we are invited to release what is no longer serving us. This can be messages from the past, thought patterns, beliefs about ourselves, old hurts or resentments – that which is weighing us down, holding us back, or otherwise blocking us from the peace and joy that is our birthright.
Receive.
Upon reaching center, we are invited to pause, reconnect to the present moment, and receive new insight to support us as we continue onward. We can linger in the center as long as we wish, allowing ourselves the chance to breathe into the stillness and let our intuitive voices emerge. This voice – the voice of our own soul – is always present, always available, and always ready to give us the wisdom we need, we simply need to ask and listen for the response.
Return.
When we feel ready, we are invited to step back onto the path and complete the labyrinth’s circuit. Along the way, we encounter the same twists and turns as before, only now we are armed with what we’ve received. We return with the gift of insight, a fresh perspective that informs our journey forward into the future.
Of course, the labyrinth is a metaphor for life. Life is full of twists and turns, trials and tribulations that impact us in ways both seen and unseen.
We can choose to resist it, railing against our circumstances and the choices that have led us here. Or we can choose to relax, surrendering ourselves to the mystery, and recognizing that every turn brings us even deeper into knowing ourselves more fully.
Trusting that wherever we are on the path – whatever is happening to us and for us in this moment – is perfect.
I love the labyrinth because, for me, it serves as a constant reminder that every moment brings with it the opportunity to release what is no longer serving me, open myself to receiving the wisdom available in the present moment, and return with the gift of a fresh perspective.
Above all, no matter where I am on Life’s path, the labyrinth reminds me that I am never lost, that the journey is always made one step at a time, and that the whole endeavor has very little to do with where I am or what I’m doing, and everything to do with what’s happening within me along the way. 💗