Labyrinth

Glendale invites all persons to take time to listen for God through the experience of a labyrinth walk.  Designed to be a symbolic journey into the center and out again into the world.

When a storm uprooted several old trees west of Glendale’s sanctuary, the congregation began to dream of a memorial garden. One member brought the idea of a prayer labyrinth, and a holy space was created to connect with God. This information is from Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

The Labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint, found in all religious traditions in various forms around the world. By walking a replica of the Chartres labyrinth, laid in the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France around 1220, we are rediscovering a long-forgotten mystical tradition that is insisting to be reborn.

The labyrinth has only one path so there are no tricks to it and no dead ends. The path winds throughout and becomes a mirror for where we are in our lives. It touches our sorrows and releases our joys. Walk it with an open mind and an open heart.

There is no right or wrong way to walk the labyrinth. Suggestions include: silence, openness, questioning, memory, letting go, with a song, at your own pace, skipping, breathing deeply, watching the path, noticing your body, listening for guidance, with a scripture, etc.

Consider the labyrinth a place to catch your breath in the hectic pace of our contemporary life. Open 24 hours a day!

Guidance for walking a labyrinth here.

Information about labyrinths and several examples here.

The story of a wedding held at Glendale’s labyrinth here.