Our monthly Full Moon Labyrinth Walks are held the night of the Full moon every month. During the warmer months, we walk a lighted outdoor labyrinth at the UUCWC while during the colder months we walk a labyrinth in the sanctuary of the church.
During the warmer months, we take our Labyrinth practice outdoors. We are in the process of constructing a permanent Labyrinth. Gods, weather and planning permit, we will be outside for this one. Otherwise we will walk the canvas Labyrinth in the Sanctuary.
The first half hour will be a quiet walk, the remaining drumming, so feel free to bring hand drums and other percussion instruments of choice.
If you haven't walked a Labyrinth before, there is no ceremony or ritual. A Labyrinth Walk is safe, open Sacred Space for personal exploration. Please plan to arrive by 8:30pm to allow enough time for your walk.
We also have WVCUUPS officer Emily doing Tarot and Oracle card readings.
During the warmer months, we take our Labyrinth practice outdoors. We are in the process of constructing a permanent Labyrinth. Gods, weather and planning permit, we will be outside for this one. Otherwise we will walk the canvas Labyrinth in the Sanctuary.
The first half hour will be a quiet walk, the remaining drumming, so feel free to bring hand drums and other percussion instruments of choice.
If you haven't walked a Labyrinth before, there is no ceremony or ritual. A Labyrinth Walk is safe, open Sacred Space for personal exploration. Please plan to arrive by 8:30pm to allow enough time for your walk.
We also have WVCUUPS officer Emily doing Tarot and Oracle card readings.
About Labyrinths by Irene Glasse
Welcome to the Labyrinth
The labyrinth is a walking meditation. It’s an ancient archetypal blueprint where psyche meets Spirit. The pattern itself is hundreds of years old and has been walked by millions of people of all cultures for many reasons. It’s a Sacred place set aside for you to reflect, look within, connect, and negotiate new behavior.
The rhythm of walking, placing one foot in front of the other, empties the mind, relaxes the body, and refreshes the spirit. Follow the pace your body wants to go. As you encounter other people walking the same path, simply allow them to pass. You walk the labyrinth with your body and rest your mind. It has only one path that leads from the outer edge in a circuitous way to the center. There are no tricks to it and no dead ends. Unlike a maze where you lose your way, the labyrinth is a spiritual tool that can help you find your way.
Lunar Labyrinths
In Pagan practices, the Full Moon means many things. Abundance, spirituality, peak psychic ability, fertility, a good time for Magick... Depending on the Tradition you get your information from, almost everything has been ascribed to the Full moon at some point. To me, the Full moon most means Mystery. Something about that silvery light sets the subconscious to dreaming. Things are possible by moonlight that are not in the revealing light of day. We can be more truly ourselves, casting off some of the masks we layer on in order to fit in during our daytime lives. Our truths are easier to manage in moonlight. With our faces dimly lit, we feel more free to share and to feel. We wrap ourselves in that chiaroscuro shroud and suddenly connection is possible–with our friends, with the Powers, and perhaps most importantly, with ourselves. We’re more willing to step into Mystery, to allow dreams, and to listen to what our inner voice has to say.
The lifting of barriers that occurs in moonlight is part of why Full moon Labyrinth walks can be so powerful. The Labyrinth, at its most potent, enables us to find our center. The Full Moon, at its most potent, allows us to tune out the chaos and noise of our normal lives and tune in to Spirit. To combine the two is to truly set the stage for revelation, healing, and connection.
About Walking a Labyrinth - There is no wrong way to walk a Labyrinth
A lot of things can happen during a Labyrinth walk. If nothing else, if you walk in with no expectations, you will walk out feeling more relaxed than when you entered. However, many other things are possible. You might realize the solution to a problem you’re facing or change your perspective on a situation. You might find a creative block suddenly loosened. You might find yourself connecting deeply with Spirit, whatever form that happens to take for you. Many people pray on a Labyrinth walk. Occasionally, we find ourselves walking with the souls of those who have passed on before us. Surprising things can happen. We calm, gain insight, figure out solutions...the possibilities are endless, and endlessly individual. Everyone gets something unique to them out of their walk.
“The Labyrinth meets you where you
are, gives you what you need, and
nurtures a web of interconnection.”
—Lauren Artress from Walking a Sacred Path
The labyrinth is a walking meditation. It’s an ancient archetypal blueprint where psyche meets Spirit. The pattern itself is hundreds of years old and has been walked by millions of people of all cultures for many reasons. It’s a Sacred place set aside for you to reflect, look within, connect, and negotiate new behavior.
The rhythm of walking, placing one foot in front of the other, empties the mind, relaxes the body, and refreshes the spirit. Follow the pace your body wants to go. As you encounter other people walking the same path, simply allow them to pass. You walk the labyrinth with your body and rest your mind. It has only one path that leads from the outer edge in a circuitous way to the center. There are no tricks to it and no dead ends. Unlike a maze where you lose your way, the labyrinth is a spiritual tool that can help you find your way.
Lunar Labyrinths
In Pagan practices, the Full Moon means many things. Abundance, spirituality, peak psychic ability, fertility, a good time for Magick... Depending on the Tradition you get your information from, almost everything has been ascribed to the Full moon at some point. To me, the Full moon most means Mystery. Something about that silvery light sets the subconscious to dreaming. Things are possible by moonlight that are not in the revealing light of day. We can be more truly ourselves, casting off some of the masks we layer on in order to fit in during our daytime lives. Our truths are easier to manage in moonlight. With our faces dimly lit, we feel more free to share and to feel. We wrap ourselves in that chiaroscuro shroud and suddenly connection is possible–with our friends, with the Powers, and perhaps most importantly, with ourselves. We’re more willing to step into Mystery, to allow dreams, and to listen to what our inner voice has to say.
The lifting of barriers that occurs in moonlight is part of why Full moon Labyrinth walks can be so powerful. The Labyrinth, at its most potent, enables us to find our center. The Full Moon, at its most potent, allows us to tune out the chaos and noise of our normal lives and tune in to Spirit. To combine the two is to truly set the stage for revelation, healing, and connection.
About Walking a Labyrinth - There is no wrong way to walk a Labyrinth
A lot of things can happen during a Labyrinth walk. If nothing else, if you walk in with no expectations, you will walk out feeling more relaxed than when you entered. However, many other things are possible. You might realize the solution to a problem you’re facing or change your perspective on a situation. You might find a creative block suddenly loosened. You might find yourself connecting deeply with Spirit, whatever form that happens to take for you. Many people pray on a Labyrinth walk. Occasionally, we find ourselves walking with the souls of those who have passed on before us. Surprising things can happen. We calm, gain insight, figure out solutions...the possibilities are endless, and endlessly individual. Everyone gets something unique to them out of their walk.
“The Labyrinth meets you where you
are, gives you what you need, and
nurtures a web of interconnection.”
—Lauren Artress from Walking a Sacred Path
There are some fairly widely-accepted principles that can help you get the most out of your walk. Remember, what follows are simply suggestions. When walking a Labyrinth, the most important guidance to listen to comes from within you.
Calm and Center Yourself
Take a moment to clear your mind and become aware of your breath. You may want to spend some time around the outside of the Labyrinth before you begin. When you feel ready, enter the Labyrinth, find your own pace, and follow the path.
Set Your Own Pace
Allow yourself to find the pace your body wants to go. If you meet someone on the path coming the other way, simply turn slightly or step off the path and allow each other to pass. If you wish to pass a slow walker, or help others pass you, it is easy to do so at the turns. There are places to step off and pause if you need more time along the way.
Take Your Time
The center of the Labyrinth is a good place to pause and reflect, by sitting, standing or kneeling, before retracing your steps on the path that now guides you out of the Labyrinth. A Labyrinth walk is a journey, not a race to get to a destination. You are welcome to take all the time you need.
The Three R’s
There are three movements and associated emotional states to the Labyrinth, and you are free to make of them whatever you like. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to walk a Labyrinth. These states can happen in order with the associated actions, or in a different order, or not at all. All paths and experiences are correct.
Releasing - Walking in the Labyrinth
On the inward journey, walkers can cast off, discard, divest, unwrap, and forget. This is the time to quiet the mind, let go of the mind chatter, and release your troubles. Open your heart to feel what ever it might feel. Become aware of your breathing. Take slow breaths. Relax and move at your own pace. It is an opportunity to unload emotions, mental states, memories, and thoughts
that do not serve the walker’s highest good. Walkers can take the time to listen to an inner voice, to Mystery, or to the simplicity of silence and stillness.
Receiving - At the Center
At the center, walkers can pause. This space is an opportunity to be open, expectant, and receptive. Pause and stay as long as you like. Open yourself to your higher power. Listen to that small inner voice. In the safety of the labyrinth have a heart-to-heart talk with yourself. You are welcome to bring divination tools such as cards or runes as well.
Returning - Walking out of the Labyrinth
When you are ready, begin walking out the same path you followed in. Walking out, integration of your experience happens. Experience the sense of well-being, healing, excitement, calm, or peace. On the outward journey, walkers can gain direction, satisfaction, comfort, and new energy. It is an opportunity to integrate the knowledge gained within the Labyrinth. Each labyrinth experience is different. You may feel nothing or have a powerful reaction. Listen to your heart and take all the time you need. The description here is only a thumbnail sketch. You provide the bigger picture.
Calm and Center Yourself
Take a moment to clear your mind and become aware of your breath. You may want to spend some time around the outside of the Labyrinth before you begin. When you feel ready, enter the Labyrinth, find your own pace, and follow the path.
Set Your Own Pace
Allow yourself to find the pace your body wants to go. If you meet someone on the path coming the other way, simply turn slightly or step off the path and allow each other to pass. If you wish to pass a slow walker, or help others pass you, it is easy to do so at the turns. There are places to step off and pause if you need more time along the way.
Take Your Time
The center of the Labyrinth is a good place to pause and reflect, by sitting, standing or kneeling, before retracing your steps on the path that now guides you out of the Labyrinth. A Labyrinth walk is a journey, not a race to get to a destination. You are welcome to take all the time you need.
The Three R’s
There are three movements and associated emotional states to the Labyrinth, and you are free to make of them whatever you like. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to walk a Labyrinth. These states can happen in order with the associated actions, or in a different order, or not at all. All paths and experiences are correct.
Releasing - Walking in the Labyrinth
On the inward journey, walkers can cast off, discard, divest, unwrap, and forget. This is the time to quiet the mind, let go of the mind chatter, and release your troubles. Open your heart to feel what ever it might feel. Become aware of your breathing. Take slow breaths. Relax and move at your own pace. It is an opportunity to unload emotions, mental states, memories, and thoughts
that do not serve the walker’s highest good. Walkers can take the time to listen to an inner voice, to Mystery, or to the simplicity of silence and stillness.
Receiving - At the Center
At the center, walkers can pause. This space is an opportunity to be open, expectant, and receptive. Pause and stay as long as you like. Open yourself to your higher power. Listen to that small inner voice. In the safety of the labyrinth have a heart-to-heart talk with yourself. You are welcome to bring divination tools such as cards or runes as well.
Returning - Walking out of the Labyrinth
When you are ready, begin walking out the same path you followed in. Walking out, integration of your experience happens. Experience the sense of well-being, healing, excitement, calm, or peace. On the outward journey, walkers can gain direction, satisfaction, comfort, and new energy. It is an opportunity to integrate the knowledge gained within the Labyrinth. Each labyrinth experience is different. You may feel nothing or have a powerful reaction. Listen to your heart and take all the time you need. The description here is only a thumbnail sketch. You provide the bigger picture.
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