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THE LABYRINTH AT LUTHER POINT
The Luther Point Labyrinth is designed for campers, retreaters, staff and visitors to use as a way to walk with God.

Our labyrinth, “Circle of Peace”, designed by Lisa Moriarty, was initially laid out using tape in the Spring of 2003. Over the summer, campers, retreaters, staff and visitors were encouraged to “walk a rock” into the labyrinth. The work of many hands and late nights brought the Circle of Peace to completion in the middle of August 2003.

We would like to thank all who added to this labyrinth project especially Lisa Moriarty for its beautiful design.

The labyrinth is an ancient, spiritual tool used for walking prayer. It is a means of quieting our minds and intentionally centering our thoughts on God.

A labyrinth differs from a maze in that it is “unicursal” meaning there is just one path in and out, no dead ends or tricks. There are no choices to make in order to reach the center.

Like a pilgrimage walking a labyrinth is an inward journey. It is time intended to be spent with God -- time to rid yourself of worries and troubles, time to let God love you, and time to give thanks and praise to God for all God’s good gifts to you.

In a culture that seems to always be increasing its speed, the labyrinth offers a slow, steady, and rhythmic alternative.

Take the time to walk with God! Experience God’s Love for you and discover more clearly your life’s calling.

A common use of labyrinths today is as a spiritual prayer tool.

One classic process involves three phases:

1. To the Center (releasing) - Cast off your worries and troubles giving them to God.
2. In the Center (receiving) - Sit or quietly stand in prayer letting God love you. Be open to hearing God’s words of love for you.
3. From the Center (renewal) - Giving thanks to God and reconnecting to your life in the world asking God what you are being called to do and be in the world.

You also might want to try one of the following:

• Take a favorite piece of scripture with you in your mind repeating it over and over such as “Be still and know that I am God.”
• Bring a question with you into the labyrinth such as... What relationships in my life need healing? How can I use my gifts? Where have I noticed God today?

A BIT OF LABYRINTH HISTORY
All great religions have an aspect of pilgrimage to them. For Christians the sacred place to journey was the Holy Land. During the Middle Ages many Christians took a vow to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the city where Jesus walked, died and rose from the dead. But by the 12th Century these Holy Places were caught in war and it was too dangerous to journey there. Around this time, at least seven cathedrals contained a labyrinth on the floor. Thousands of people still journey to the Chartres Cathedral in France to walk the labyrinth that was built there.

But the labyrinth’s Christian history even reaches all the way back to the 4th Century Basilica in Algeria, where the words “Santa Eclesia” ( Holy Church) are found at the very center. In Italy, there is a 9th Century wall labyrinth at the St. Lucca Cathedral where Christians traced the pathway with their fingers. Many labyrinths have been found all over the world. In fact, there are still 350 stone labyrinths in Scandinavia where fishermen, as recently as 1900, walked them as a daily ritual for safety and prosperity.

The labyrinth was a sacred path, an ancient symbol that spoke to our spiritual ancestors of their pilgrimage here on earth. The labyrinth at Luther Point offers you a way to “prayer walk”. We invite you to walk the labyrinth as a symbol of your own life’s journey. Walk it with an open heart and mind.