Looking to the Horizon
The earth meets the sky in a thin line. The land pours over the edge into a vast unknown. We look to the horizon because hope lives there. It draws our eyes and our heart with the promise of something just out of reach. It is easy to believe that what we are seeking lives just over the horizon. It is good to look up, to look beyond, to have goals, but we can forget that the truth we are seeking lives and breathes within us. It runs in our blood and flows in our breath, and sometimes we are so busy looking beyond, that we miss the precious jewel of our Being that lives within us.
This summer evening I am walking the Labyrinth. It is a single path that leads to the center and out again. It is not a maze. It is an ancient pattern, used for thousands of years by cultures around the world as a spiritual t
ool. The labyrinth connects us to the depths of our soul so we can remember who we are. I
t is a safe and sacred place where you can experience the Divine. It is a path of peace, well-being, wholeness, and inspiration. At its simplest, the Labyrinth is a metaphor for a journey into your own Centre.
The Sacred Path
As I approach the sacred path, tiny flashes of blue spark as six bluebirds dance amidst the stones of the labyrinth. What a lovely surprise! Their presence feels like a gift and fills me with joy. Birds are messengers of Great Spirit, and their feathers carry prayers, and blessings. Their gift to me is joy.
This evening, the boundary between heaven and earth is indistinct and leaves me without an anchor. I feel I could fall into the blue ocean of the prairie sky. The land moves, waves of grass flowing and rippling in the wind, carrying frothing white caps of clover. Everything flows and moves as one. I am a leaf carried on the river.
I step into the opening of the labyrinth and pause, offering gratitude. The birds fly away together as I take one slow step and then another. The sweet smell of clover envelops me, fills my senses. I feel the Earth under my feet, her strength and power, yet I am floating on a carpet of white clover, so thick it obscures the path.
The Heart of Oneness
The labyrinth draws me deep into the Sacred, into my Being and the heart of Oneness. Sun rays slant across the sky, and the warm breeze carries messages for the Soul. Time and Space cease to exist. I know my destination, but the way is not clear or direct. The path winds and flows like a river, drawing me first into eddies and then fast water. Sometimes the current brings me close to the sacred heart of the labyrinth, and at other times it carries me away to the edge of all things.
I feel disoriented, but I know I am not lost, all I need to do is place one foot in front of the other. I lose myself in the whorls of the path, carried by the flow of Life, flowing into my own Spirit.
This sacred spiral is a safe container that holds me on my journey. I do not walk alone. I feel the presence of turtle with me. Turtle covers me with her hard shell. Turtle does not offer protection but is holding me in a safe space. She shows me how to be on this journey, this life, without judgment. One step in front of the other, the path unfolds before me. I do not control the passage or manipulate it; I just allow it to unwind before me.
Finding Stillness in the Centre
In the Centre, all is peace. It is the eye of the storm. Life’s worries swirl outside of me and do not touch me here. I stand, bathed in the love and peace of Great Spirit. My ancestors stand with me, offering guidance and support. I feel the presence of all my relations – of the birds and stones, the grass, the earth. A hawk offers a keening cry, like a blessing from above. The unseen and seen worlds meet and mix. Spirit of Turtle and my Power Animal Sandhill Crane are with me.
My heart beats with the rhythm of the Earth. My Soul expands, and I sense the truth of who I am. I am not Separate. I am One with All That Is. Love and Gratitude lift me up and open my heart. I breathe as One with the Earth.
I carry these blessings, this feeling with me on my return. Peace, joy, and compassion fill my heart. I am loved, and I can be love. I feel the truth of my Being. I sense the gift of my Spirit – my contribution, and I bring it out into the light. I am one with Earth and Sky, with Creator. Heart and soul come together on this journey.
Finding Your Labyrinth
I invite you to discover the labyrinth, to walk its sacred path, and to uncover your inner truth.
Blessings to the Labyrinth, Turtle, Crane, Bluebird, and Clover for their love and support.
Peace and Joy,
Jan
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