Silent Retreat: Part Two -- How to Use a Labyrinth as a Prayer Tool

Dear Friend,
If you missed my last post, go here. I'm writing about my first experience at a silent spiritual retreat. I left off at the point were I had just settled into a quiet spot by the river and I was checking out the labyrinth handout that our director had given us before the retreat began.

The labyrinth is described here as "a defined path, a physical journey inward to a sacred space." I've re-written the rest of the instructions to show you how it works step-by-step:

The goal: To discover your deepest, truest self while encountering peace and rest in the company of your ever-present God.

1. Pause. Breathe slowly. Begin when you are ready. Trace your finger along the path.

2. As you enter, leave distractions behind.

3. As you move forward, embrace what God brings to you. Pay attention to any words, thoughts, or feelings that come to you.

4. When you reach the center, linger there with God. Meditate on "Christ in you, the Hope of glory." as He reveals Himself to you.

5. The way out is the same as the way in -- just follow the path. The return journey offers space for reflection as you move back toward the exterior world, transformed at the core of your being. Carry with you the peace of Christ, which is with you always. 

"Meditation is not so much concerned with thinking as with being. And in contemplative prayer we seek to become the person we are called to be, not by thinking about God, but by being with Him." ~John Main

After tracing the pathway on the handout with my finger and entering into a moment of pure stillness in center of the labyrinth, I felt an urge to pick up my pencil. I recalled our director's prompting: Ask God for one thing.

I wrote that one thing down.

Mercy.

Because I feel overwhelmed

And hopelessly flawed.

I can't live up to my own ideals;

I'm weary of trying to get it all just right.

I ask for mercy

Because I've let others eclipse Your Light. 

When I look to them for approval,

Your Light appears dim

And I wither.

But here, Lord, Your mercy is washing over me,

Making me feel brave.

I am Your little child, drawing scribbles on this pretty paper -- do You like them?

I kiss Your hands and touch Your face.

Here in Your presence, 

I'm safe and free! 

During the next hour by the river I read various Scriptures and devotional materials. Each time I was struck by a passage, I wrote it down on my labyrinth. My copy-work curved all the way out of the labyrinth and into the white space beyond. This helped me to reflect on the experience and carry the peace of God with me into the exterior world. 

"The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace." ~Mother Teresa 

I hope you will make some time for meditation today. Perhaps the labyrinth will help you go deeper in prayer than ever before. In my next post, I'll wrap up this series with some photos from my prayer-walk around the Spiritual Center property.

Peace & Joy,
Adriana

Silent Retreat: Part One -- Learning the Ropes and Getting Settled

Dear Friend,

I promised I would tell you all about my silent retreat! I have more pictures and thoughts than I can comfortably fit into one post, so I believe I'll made this a "Silent Retreat Series."

Lane to the Spiritual Center

Last Saturday I arrived at the Spiritual Center for breakfast. I was glad to meet up with a couple of my friends -- including my prayer partner, Beth, who had invited me to attend this event. We enjoyed an hour or so of "community time" during which our director, Linda, gave us some helpful tips on how to make the most of the silent hours we were preparing to enter.

"You are all busy people; you have a lot to do. There are ministry leaders here, some of you are missionaries, some are teachers, etc. You have a long list of things you'd like to accomplish today. But I want to encourage you to set your list aside. Allow yourself to become still and listen to God. Think of one thing you'd like to ask God for during this time of silent prayer."

 

Linda gave us a labyrinth handout. She explained how to use it as a prayer tool. This was new to me. I thought a labyrinth was an elaborate hedge maze in which a person could get hopelessly lost! But it turns out -- there is only one path in a prayer labyrinth; if you use it correctly, you will only get lost in God.

Then there were breathing exercises. Before our lesson, I thought of breathing exercises as a New Age/Eastern practice for attempting to reach a state of Nirvana! But I learned that Christians can (and should) breathe too. The difference is in the approach. 

Since I had just recently read Sacred Pathways, by Gary Thomas, I felt eager to try some of these methods for enriching my prayer life.Through this silent retreat at the Spiritual Center, I was able to experience at least seven of the nine pathways that Thomas defines:

Naturalist: Loving God out of Doors

Sensate: Loving God with the Senses
Traditionalist: Loving God through Ritual and Symbol
Ascetics: Loving God in Solitude and Simplicity
Enthusiast: Loving God with Mystery and Celebration
Contemplative: Loving God through Adoration
Intellectual: Loving God with the Mind

The theme for our retreat,"Landscapes of Prayer", was inspired by the book by Margaret Silf. Inside the pavilion there were prayer stations based on this theme. For example, a person could gaze at a large photograph of a desert scene while running her fingers through a tray of sand. She could chose to "walk" with Jesus into the wilderness by reading Matt 4:1-11. She might also meditate on other passages which carry the "desert" theme such as Acts 13:17-18 and Isaiah 35:1-2. Many of the people who chose to remain inside the pavilion did so because of physical limitations. These stations provided calming landscape scenes, complete with sensory experiences for those who could not venture outside.

After a Scripture reading, a prayer, and a hymn, our time of silence began. I sensed a general eagerness as each pilgrim sought out her own quiet place. I carried a folding chair and a couple of light bags to a shady spot near the river. Since I had been one of the last to emerge from the pavilion, I was one of the last to find my place. I was surprised then to come upon an empty bench with an exquisite view of the river through a patch of trees. I once read that a view of water through trees is considered to be the most favored landscape of humankind. Either the women at the retreat did not share this opinion, or they were all too generous to take one of the best spots! I turned around to take in the full scene: I saw a couple women far in the distance, but no one was around and everyone appeared to be settled, so I began to unpack.

In my next post, I'll tell you about my first experience with the prayer labyrinth and about the thing I asked God to give me.

Hope you are well.

Until next time then. :-)

Peace & Joy,

Adriana

About the Bench in My New Header

I thought I'd put down a few words about my new header. I've received some nice compliments on it. Thank you all very much. I love this bench. I imagine I'm not alone; I'm sure many people from my city love it too! 

Eleven years ago, when I was pregnant with my first child, I had intense morning sickness. It lasted 24 hours a day for months. I became very weak and discouraged. It just when on and on and on. 

It was winter. My husband and I lived in a basement apartment. I loved to read before I became pregnant, but to my horror I found that reading made the nausea worse. I spent most of my time dozing on a hand-me-down, hide-a-bed couch in a dim, musty room.

One day I became fixated on an idea: I had to get to the conservatory in our city. I had to breath in the fragrant air! I had to be near green growing things! 

I mentioned the idea to my husband one night. He was working long hours during that time. The conservatory was about an hour drive into the city. He promised to take me on the weekend. I counted the days. 

I remember the feeling when I walked into that spacious place, teeming with life and light! The air was warm, clean, and sweet. I think I had convinced myself that if I could just get there, my morning sickness would disappear -- and of course it didn't. But being there still did me a world of good! I walked slowly back to a quiet corner where I found the bench. I sat down alone. Before long, I was curled into the fetal position -- fast asleep.

I don't know if anyone walked past me while I slept there. When my husband approached me, I woke up. We meandered around the conservatory for a while. I didn't want to leave. As we stepped out into the frozen street, the contrast felt brutal. I vomited in the parking lot.

"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures." Psalm 23:2

My husband and I recently took our fourth son to the conservatory for a special event. I sought out my bench and took a couple pictures. 

Do you have a special place that has provided you with comfort and rest during a difficult time?