My husband Bill often calls our home Beryl's Monastery and in many ways it is. I am often here alone as Bill's work as a consultant takes him away from home for much of every week. I am blessed that my husband shares my desire to live spiritually. When he is home, we recite Lauds and Vespers together (sometimes the other liturgical hours) and we meditate together.
Bill is also responsible for the meditative paths we have around our house. One of these paths features several meditation benches overlooking Lake Superior and circles the knoll where we buried my daughter Francesca's ashes. But by far the most amazing meditative path is the labyrinth he built for us (and for whoever else wants to use it).
A labyrinth is not to be confused with a maze. A labyrinth is path designed to lead purposefully, in tight concentric circles or spirals, toward a center space. The walker then retraces his/her steps from that center back to the beginning.
Ours is not a traditional labyrinth, one that follows a pattern such as those found in ancient cathedrals or monasteries. Our labyrinth conforms to the topography of our land. It is defined by the shape, the ruts and ridges, of the wildflower field in front of our home.
It looks quite pretty tucked among the grasses and wildflowers, its meandering spirals bordered with split logs and filled with wood chips with
My favorite time to walk the labyrinth is after supper as the sun begins to set. In winter the labyrinth disappears under the snow, but in spring, summer, and fall, it provides a wonderful place to remember that life is a journey and to walk it attentively.
© Beryl Singleton Bissell 2008
See Road Writer for my travel blog.
6 comments:
you are blessed to have such a space to walk in. My town just made a labyrinth in a park... a park I can walk to from my house.
This gives me such a feel for how Bill and you live. Also, I knew nothing about labyrinths before reading this post. Thanks for all of this.
Beautiful writing, beautiful labyrinth. Yes, you are blessed to live life with the same views as your husband. You have a gorgeous setting for your lives together.
It's awesome (meaning full of awe). You're lucky to have a fine husband who is willing to do such special things for you.
Is this a new blog, Beryl? If so, what a marvelous title. I love your labyrinth. It's new to me, too, but I feel more meditative just looking at yours. Since I got home from the hospital, I've been walking in my back yard (not wanting to scare the neighbors in my pajamas). I've enjoyed my wayward path, but I can see how the labyrinth pulls you in, and slows you down. What a beautiful place you live in!
I hope you don't mind, I saw your comment on Patry's blog, and followed you back here - both to reconnect with your 'road writings,' and to visit your new blog.
Your labyrinth is lovely. I think it's wonderful that it was built to follow the lay of the land, rather than reforming the land to fit the idea of the labyrinth.
What an inspiring view!
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