The Labyrinth

What is a labyrinth?

The labyrinth is “a walking meditation, a path of prayer and an archetypal blueprint where psyche meets Spirit. It has only one path that leads from the outer edge in a circuitous way to the center. There are no tricks to it and no dead ends. Unlike a maze where you lose your way, the labyrinth is a spiritual tool that can help you find your way.”*

While labyrinths have ancient origins in varied cultures, interest in labyrinths and their use in spiritual practice had a resurgence in the late 20th century. Famous labyrinths are  found at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and Chartres Cathedral in France. There is a labyrinth at Shrine Mont, our diocesan camp and conference center, near the Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration. Like other structures at Shrine Mont, this labyrinth was constructed with stones.

At St. Stephen’s Church, we  have a canvas labyrinth which we use in Palmer Hall Chapel for events and classes. It is a seven-circuit labyrinth, also known as the classical labyrinth. It is an ancient archetypal design found across various cultures for at least 3,500 years, and is one of the oldest and most common forms of labyrinths worldwide.

Information about opportunities to walk the labyrinth is published on this page and announced in our weekly communications, the Spirit (print) and eSpirit (email).

A brochure about St. Stephen’s labyrinth is available at Information Central, and whenever St. Stephen’s offers a labyrinth walk, additional literature about labyrinths is provided in Palmer Hall Chapel along with the labyrinth.

You can also learn about this spiritual practice from the Rev. Lauren Artress’s book Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice,

Photo: Chartres Cathedral

*From the website of Veriditas, a non-profit organization founded by the Rev. Lauren Artress, an Episcopal priest, that teaches about the labyrinth.

Advent labyrinth walk

Wednesday, December 17 | Noon until 8:30 p.m.

You will have an opportunity to walk the labyrinth at St. Stephen’s Church on December 17.  Like the Winter Solstice Concert being held the same day, walking the labyrinth in Palmer Hall Chapel can be a source of peace during Advent when so much calls out for our time and attention. The labyrinth will be available in Palmer Hall from noon until the end of the concert. No sign-up is required. Relish this time of quiet and mindfulness, meditation and prayer. Our labyrinth guild recommends setting aside 45 to 60 minutes for the experience, and asks you to remove your shoes, but leave socks or stockings on.

Read about the Winter Solstice concert