In the Coracle

Walking the Labyrinth

October 26, 2004 // Tags: Reviews, Spirituality

Yesterday I was finally able to go walk my first labyrinth.

Entitled “Holy Ground”, it’s an outdoor labyrinth and garden in Monroe, Washington at the Monroe United Methodist Church. It’s located in the back parking lot, and is nestled in the middle of a few older homes in the neighborhood.

Here’s the sign introducing you to the spot:
Holy Ground Labyrinth sign

Along the entry path:
Holy Ground Labyrinth path

The labyrinth itself:
Holy Ground Labyrinth

Unfortunately, as it was the first labyrinth I’d walked - and the brochures labelled “First time?” in the center of the sign were emptied out - I didn’t have a good sense of what to do, besides walk slowly, meditate, pray. Even that was good - I had a deep sense of the sacred, even as there were cars whizzing by 150 feet away. I had a sense that there was a depth of ritual here that I would really like, if I could connect with it.

I’d like to go back and try again, with a better understanding of the prayer points along the way. I’d also like to check out, and try to do, the multimedia labyrinth that Dan Kimball describes in this article. Maybe for Lent, or maybe sooner - like for Advent, to settle us down and focus us during the Christmas season.

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Introduction

Welcome! I'm Pat Loughery, and I'll be your host here. Feel free comment on what you see here. I am a lay missionary to North Bend on the east side of Seattle, a husband, dad to 2 kids, a software test manager for Equiom, Inc.,, a software consulting company. I'm also a failed and (quite possibly future) church planter and a Doctor of Ministry student with Bakke Graduate University, and usually on this blog we discuss Christian spirituality (especially of the Celtic, post-Evangelical, post-Charismatic and neo-monastic flavors), photography, motorcycles, and other oddball things.

About the Coracle

I'm trying to live a deep and relational Christian life. As I study Christian spirituality, I find the Celtic stream helpful, challenging and liveable. One of the images from early Celtic Christianity is their sea transport - the coracle.

The ancient Celts traveled in coracles - handmade, wooden framed and hide-covered boats, to journey where the trinitarian God led them. Though the transportation was simple, the journey was profound. This image is an illustration of the way I experience God's guidance - an invitation to travel with him on his paths, not mine; at his pace, not mine.

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Walking the Labyrinth