Musings on Labyrinths #2

This is something I came across a few months ago that also referred to labyrinths

 that I thought you'd love: 

Pilgrimage by Wilma Wagenaar

High windows and walls, whispering silence, welcoming light – we have arrived.

Our journey takes us over the motorway, through the suburbs of Tilburg (in the Netherlands), deeper and deeper into Brabant’s countryside. Under a viaduct we go, over a small bridge, along a country road, through the convent gate. Across garden paths, via long tiled corridors, we eventually enter the heart of the Saint Joseph Chapel, the sacred space where the life of prayer of the Trappist monks of the abbey of Koningshoeven runs its course.

On the wooden floor, polished by generations of devout feet, lies a labyrinth of chamomile and bedstraw, picked by hand, carefully arranged in curving ledges and lines. The labyrinth symbolizes the road the pilgrim must travel. In medieval devotion it was an instrument of meditation and prayer. The distance to the center seems short, but the path towards it is full of bends and turns. At one moment we may be close to the heart of the maze, then again we move away from it. Our eventual arrival is certain, if only we persevere. But we need this process of detours to strengthen our faith in our life’s goal and deepen our commitment. We do not get discouraged when we see that close to the end we are given yet another length to cover, but trust that this extra stretch will also bring us extra grace.

The fragrance of the herbs is strong and earthy – the scent of verges and fields in summertime. Yet the elusiveness of that scent is a symbol for the invisible that is absolutely, inescapably, present.

The location for this work is well chosen. The installation would not have worked as well in a business or museum environment. But here it enters into a dialogue with the surrounding Saint Joseph Chapel: travelling through the labyrinth, roaming through life, the pilgrims may know heaven close, their path part of a universe created and directed by God. 

Psalm 121 wells up: ‘From where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.’

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I wanted something significant to do for your 13th birthday and I thought the labyrinth was a perfect symbol of the twists and turns that are ahead of you.  

 I sense the Spirit saying.... "Persevere. Press On... 

Do not fear, for I love you and I am with you." 

I'll continue to be one of your biggest cheerleaders as the journey continues.