Lessons from the labyrinth

“Do you feel all zen when you get to the middle?” my son asked, as we walked the labyrinth together this morning.

Let me clarify what it means when he and I walk the labyrinth together. Forget a meditative walk. This is a race. The goal is to get to the centre, or out again, the fastest. The one who wins celebrates loudly and the one who loses falls about in mock despair. There are shouts of “no running allowed!” and “I saw you jump that wall!”.

There is much laughing. And as we pass each other in the concentric circles (rarely are we on the same path, at the same time, without seriously jostling) high-fives are mandatory. Preferably with the intent of injuring the other person’s hand.

“Well? Do you?” he asked again.

I was at the centre, and had paused to think about the question. Would I like to get to the centre of the labyrinth and feel zen? You bet. Does it happen like that? No.

“I don’t feel zen just because I got here, but I can feel zen here if I want to,” I said.

“Yeah, well, you’re still going to lose.”

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WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ MORE ABOUT THE LABYRINTH?

Read the essays below, visit the main In the Labyrinth page, and get your very own letterpress labyrinth card, for meditation and mindfulness.