The Labyrinth and the Lord’s Prayer - Six Petals of the Rose

During the lunar eclipse of the full moon in July 2009 I chose to walk the labyrinth at EarthTeach Forest Park in Ashland to commemorate a new beginning. The series of eclipses that we experienced last year represent a new beginning of our journey of life upon this planet, individually and collectively. It’s sort of like a do-over. The shadow passes in front of the moon and as the moon reappears, we have the opportunity to begin again anew. In each new beginning we are better equipped with new insights and wisdom gained through the trials and tribulations of our lives. It is the journey of evolution, ever learning, ever growing in the light of love and grace.

On the day of the eclipse, a friend shared a prayer with me that is said to have been spoken while walking the labyrinth in earlier times. The prayer offers one of six aspects of the original Lord’s Prayer to be prayed and meditated upon while walking through six petals of the rose of the labyrinth. They are: Faith in the grace of God; Surrender to the voice of God within; Service in fulfillment to your promise to yourself and God; Abundance in gratitude for all that Spirit provides; Forgiveness of oneself and others; and Strength to continue upon our path of right action.

My journey through the labyrinth that day was very beautiful and quite profound. As I offered the prayers I felt a powerful renewal of intimacy and truthfulness between myself and my creator. On one particular petal of the rose, forgiveness of myself, I became aware again of a heaviness that was buried deep within my heart. I have always felt this deep sorrow and over the course of my life have attributed it to many different things about the life journey. Each time and in many different ways I have embraced this sorrow and prayed for its release.

I think of sorrow as something that doesn’t really belong to me. I think of it as something that is borrowed from our Great Mother, given to me for awhile as a tool for my growth, for strengthening my heart, and for learning compassion for myself and others. I regard it as the raw material that Great Mother uses to manifest creation and to nurture love in all things. I believe that it is important, then, to use it properly, and to return it, that is to release it back to the eternal flow of life. Yet time and time again I find this heaviness anchored somehow within my being. And so, once again, I elected to embrace my sorrow and offer it my love and acceptance as I continued to walk the petals of the rose.

What happened next was quite surprising. I had an encounter with a being of great light and love and I was offered a gift to help me awaken to a greater awareness of the nature my own heart. Through this gift I discovered that the heaviness in my heart is something that most humans are familiar with. It derives from the notion of “original sin” imbued upon us through various religious teachings. The gift within this gift was an opportunity for me to release my heart from this notion and to release the notion itself from my perception of myself. This time of new beginnings is an opportunity for us to live more light-heartedly, release heavy heartedness and learn to dance in the light of unconditional love for self and others.

I have learned that gifts are always optional. Just because someone gives or offers you something, doesn’t mean that you have to accept it. And so it is in this spirit that I share this gift of self forgiveness and self love with you. It's something to consider for yourself only if you choose to.


The Labyrinth and the Lord’s Prayer

To Our Father / (Mother) Who is Benevolent and Reigns in Heaven,
Your names are hallowed and sacred. (Faith)
Your kingdom comes to us through obedience to Your will.
Thy will be done (Surrender)
on earth as it is in heaven. (Service)
Give us each day our bread, the manna, (Abundance)
And forgive us for our errors and debts
As we forgive ourselves and all others. (Forgiveness)
Keep me on the path of righteousness and
Deliver me from the temptation of evil. (Strength)