Walking

From Rachel Matthews:

Walking is wonderful. I don't know why it is so hard for me to just jump right out of bed and go every single day. I remember when I used to walk with friends every morning at 6am. That was glorious. We began in the dark just as the sun was rising. At the end of the walk, we had aired the complaints of the dark and were ready for a joyful day. I love walking with someone. And, I love walking alone pausing to notice every little insect on a flower or how the shadows change as the months go by. Hiking is great too. Hiking is a commitment. You prepare. You know your beginning and end. You know you have to keep moving in between. And then, you enjoy. My brother hiked the Appalachian Trail, miles and miles of one beautiful walk after another. I know why people feel close to God in the woods.

A spiritual walk is more like a hike. There is preparation. You invite a partner with you, God. And, there is at least an idea of a beginning and end. And, maybe there is an expectation of growth or change or accomplishment. And then, you enjoy.  You and God enjoy.

The first time I ever walked a labyrinth, I did not feel very spiritual. I think it was because I did not understand the ritual. The pattern looked very cool and I was eager to jump right in and walk it. I love doing maze puzzles and I love patterns. I saw the beginning and end and was awed at the ingenuity of the single path contained in a small space. But, walking it, I was disappointed. I had a hard to slowing down and enjoying it. I had to pay attention to the path and not walk over it. I had to be careful not to bump into someone else (we walked as a group at the same time.) I struggled over centering my thoughts. I tried to be serious but felt silly. The next time I walked it, I figured out a phrase I could say over and over. I paced myself. I allowed myself to look up from my feet and move slowly. I enjoyed the air and the sun. I enjoyed that occasional eye contact and knowing smile from my fellow traveler meeting them as we turned a bend at the same time. I figured out I could pray confessions going in and praises going out. I found I could chatter away internally going in and just listen going out. There was a calming if I allowed myself to really enter into the walk.

Not to long ago the counseling world discovered mindfulness. It is an ancient practice, really. I was in a workshop in which we did a behavioral mindfulness practice designed to help us be present to ourselves. We walked as a group in a circle in and around chairs in a room. As I walked I remembered the labyrinth. The labyrinths that I have walked in the past are modeled after the labyrinth at the Chartres Cathedral. There is a single path with a center.  The mindfulness walk did not have a center. I suppose it could have if I had thought to create one in my mind. I like having a center. The labyrinth walk becomes a journey toward connecting with God and then returning with God to the world. We enter the mission field after we have centered our hearts. That is the way I envision it. Grace Cathedral in San Francisco has two beautiful labyrinths, an indoor one and an outdoor one. I have a small handheld labyrinth that I can "walk" with a stylus. You can photocopy a labyrinth with the Chartres pattern from the internet and have your own handheld labyrinth. I have done that in Church school. The spiritual process is all the same.