The Labyrinth
Located along the prayer walk on 63 acres of pastoral meadows and woods, the labyrinth at Cedar Ridge is a sacred place of beauty and peace where people come to draw closer to God. All are welcome to walk the winding path of the labyrinth –an ancient spiritual practice dating back thousands of years.
Spiritual seekers throughout the ages have traveled to sacred places bathed in beauty, power, and mystery in order to seek the Presence of God. Through this quest that is both a spiritual and physical pilgrimage, growth and healing happen not in the arriving, but in the moving — in the journey itself.
Jesus offered a unique and radically different message about Divine Presence. Jesus taught that the dwelling of the Living God is not primarily in a shrine, a building, or any external place, but in each human heart. The journey toward Divine Presence for a follower of Jesus is in many ways an inward journey—not toward some physical destination, but to the deepest center of the soul.
A labyrinth is an ancient prayer tool that symbolizes for many people of faith this mysterious journey to the center of the self where the Divine Light dwells.
Why Walk the Labyrinth?
Seekers bring many different yearnings and needs to a labyrinth. Some seek healing for hurts of the past, and some bring questions about life choices. Others seek comfort for a loss, courage for a challenge, or renewed passion for their vocation or a relationship. Many seek to calm a spiritual restlessness and a longing to uncover hidden gifts or to hear and follow a new calling. Each experience of the labyrinth is its own journey and will be unique.
Meditatively following the labyrinth’s one continuous path to the center guides the seeker into stillness and peace, especially as the mind is joined with the intuition, beyond thoughts and words. Walking the labyrinth allows thoughts to quiet and the deep longings of the heart to be heard. Both movement and vision help to aid concentration in the one goal of seeking God – with each step forward, there may be a letting go of self-centered programs for satisfaction and success, and a receptivity to moving God-ward—collecting scattered thoughts, aligning external senses with internal desire, and ushering the body, mind and spirit into prayer.
When I enter the Labyrinth, I feel full of myself–when I leave the Labyrinth, I feel full of God and my connection to all things. As I walk the Labyrinth path—which always leads you to the center—I grow in my awareness that I am connected and part of a larger and beautiful story. This hope and this peace keeps me returning.