A Pathway To Walk In A Contemplative Way
Recently three young people were seen to be renewing the chalked Labyrinth at the front of St George’s Anglican Church on Tamborine Mountain. Labyrinths go back a long way. They are not a maze as some think upon first looking at the design on the ground. They are a system of paths in which to walk in a contemplative way.
There are many different designs such as the great temple at Jerusalem or Mecca. If for some reason pilgrims are unable to go to these places of worship, a Labyrinth would be drawn on flat ground so pilgrims could walk and stop en route to reflect, contemplate and to pray to God. It is seen to be a calming activity, creating a peaceful mind. There is a very famous old Labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral created in the 11th century. There is also one in St John’s Anglican Cathedral in Ann Street, Brisbane – a beautiful building.
The Labyrinth at St. George’s is there for everyone who wants to walk its paths while we are in this pandemic. Talking and listening to God when we are worried or stressed is a good thing to do. If God is not your belief then feeling a presence or talking to the Other may help, plus the fact that we can learn about ourselves in all kind of ways. As our lives change this may help us to think differently about how we will live our lives after Covid 19.
Our Meditation Group at Church is on hold but there is a group who meet 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month at someone’s home, followed by Bible Study usually looking at the Gospel reading for the coming Sunday. For the service there are 30 chairs set out apart from the pews at 1.5 metres apart. Currently we cannot receive the wine at the Eucharist, but we can take a wafer/bread from an offered plate using sanitiser. Many thanks to the young people who did the work on the labyrinth. Love and blessings.
By Barbara Fulcher