After 13 years, the mother of all labyrinths in the Twin Cities -- the labyrinth here on the grounds of the Sisters of St. Joseph -- has been returned to the earth to make room for a senior living and health facility. A ritual was celebrated on June 21 to give thanks for the labyrinth and to express gratitude for all who have walked the paths. View the program booklet for that celebration or read the welcome and reflection shared by Barb Lund, director of Wisdom Ways.
In this interim time when we have no outdoor labyrinth available to the public, the following resources are available to find other labyrinths available to the public:
The Story of the Wisdom Ways Labyrinth
 |
|
The Wisdom Ways labyrinth—a 77’ diameter replica of the labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral in France—was first mowed into the grass for Wisdom Ways’ 1997 Summer Spirituality Institute, Simple Gifts: The Spirituality of Simplicity. After the institute, the CSJ community decided to keep the labyrinth open to the public. It was formally dedicated on September 17, 1998, the feast of 12th century mystic, Hildegard of Bingen. |
Although the labyrinth was not part of the original plan of Wisdom Ways, people’s growing and constant interest in learning about it and walking it as a form of prayer has helped it to become a significant image and metaphor for that WW has been about for years. Since the spring of 1997, thousands have walked, danced, crawled, and skipped the labyrinth. The WW labyrinth holds the prayers and thoughts of women, men and children.
General Background on Labyrinths:
A labyrinth is an ancient circular pattern found in many cultures around the world. In its classical form, this sacred path has one concentric circular path with no possibility of going astray - unlike a maze, there are no dead-ends or false trails in a labyrinth. Labyrinths have been found in almost every spiritual tradition in the past 4000-5000 years in such areas as Egypt, Greece, Italy, France, England, Sweden, Peru and North America.
There is a labyrinth renaissance now in the United States gathering momentum and inspiring many to use this beautiful and powerful spiritual tool. The labyrinth engages the body, mind and spirit through the focused attention needed to walk its twists and turns. Labyrinths are used for calming and releasing distractions, for ritual, celebration, for gaining spiritual insight on questions, prayer, games and dancing. |
 |
For information on canvas labyrinths and other resources available for rent please, see our Labyrinth Resources to Rent. Wisdom Ways also offers the use of our Labyrinth Library of books and videos to read on site or borrow.
