I honor my divine essence – sacred, pure and breathtaking.
To these things I do commit on this day June 22nd, 2011 (6/22/11) and each day forward until I hear and/or sense differently.
And So It Is!
Karrie Sue Wallen
Life, Liberty & the Labyrinth
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Journey Introduction:
Once again I have taken some time…and once again I feel drawn to a “project!” A couple of months ago, I ended up “tripping” to Sacramento everyday to experience the essence of the State Capitol. My experience was incredible and my passion for expressing myself through writing was definitely piqued. This morning, I feel drawn to the labyrinth - an ancient entity used for meditation, contemplation, prayer and focus. Admittedly, I am a labyrinth “baby” and though I have walked labyrinths on many an occasion, the only real history I can share is mostly my own experience. Upon doing a little research (www.labyrinthlocator.com), I was pleasantly surprised to find there are numerous labyrinths in the area.
Part of the reason for an increase in my interest in the labyrinth is an upcoming journey to France which includes an excursion to the famous labyrinth at Chartres. I found a picture of this powerful labyrinth on-line a few days ago….wow!... anyone who is sensitive to energy may be divinely blown away just by looking at the picture! My interest in Chartres was preceded by a labyrinth walk a few weeks ago inside Grace Cathedral (San Francisco) where an exact replica of the Chartres labyrinth can be found. I hope to make this area-famous labyrinth a part of my experience this week.
Once again, I invite you to share my experience. I am excited to partake in another creative and experiential journey - one that keeps me focused and gets me out of the house! I never know what’s going to “call” me - this time it’s the labyrinth. So….this week, it is my intent to visit a few labyrinths and write about my experiences. I am also including a focus on Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. I’m curious to see if the two will somehow “synergize.” Stay tuned…it may be interesting!
Much love,
Karrie
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Labyrinth #1: Episcopal Church of St. Martin – Davis, CA
It’s Sunday. I arrived at the church about 15 minutes before the 10:00 service and about 30 minutes later than I had planned! I have to admit, this provoked a bit of anxiousness. (Sometimes I question my timing!) While I waited for the parishioners to enter the church – including my relatives the “come-late-leave-even-earlier’s” - I took some photos of a squirrel which was clinging effortlessly and worry-free to a very skinny branch! I was so focused on watching the little creature that I didn’t notice how close it had gotten! It finally occurred to me that it might decide to jump! As I turned and scrambled toward the car, I noticed it was “high-tailing-it” toward the bushes! Evidently, great minds do think alike!
At about 10:05, I walked over to the labyrinth gate and entered. The labyrinth is situated amongst several redwoods in a park-like corner on the church acreage. It radiates warm, pleasant, loving energy. I sat for a moment on one of the benches and gathered my thoughts….then walked toward the labyrinth’s opening. I don’t know if there are any specific rules for walking a labyrinth – except to follow the path inward toward the center then reverse as you walk back toward the exit. I usually begin my process by circling the labyrinth once to “unzip” it (that’s what it feels like to me) before pausing at the entry to set my intent, open my heart and mind then starting to walk the path. Today, I set my intent on any insights regarding the unalienable trio of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
This particular labyrinth has 11 circuits and is about 42 feet in diameter. (This is the same as the labyrinth at Chartres.) Though I’m no numerology expert, I do know that 11 and 22 (11 in and 11 out) are master numbers which carry a little extra “umph!” and 6 (the sum of the digits 4 and 2) is a number of harmony, love and balance. These little numerical tidbits seemed to provide an additional depth of meaning to an experience that was already beginning to feel “mysterious.”
Everyone has a different experience in a labyrinth, but for me, the labyrinth comes alive. It’s golden and feels very sacred. My feet seem to “glide” along the path and my arms swing in unison. My mind generally calms about halfway to the middle and I begin preparation to enter the 6-petaled center. Six petals…Faith… Surrender… Service… Abundance…Forgiveness …Overcoming…and the center, Love… (I don’t know if these are the original meanings for the petals but they are what I have chosen to use this week.) As I stepped into the first petal, I consciously thought and felt, “Faith”…immediately a question popped into my mind, “What would happen if we all dropped the false façade?” There was an instantaneous sense of this “façade” that disappeared as quickly as it had come. It felt like each and every one of us knows of this “façade” but we choose to keep it alive by supporting it – regardless of what we know. I stepped into each of the other petals and said a brief prayer but the focus of the day was definitely meant to be on “Faith” including the question that had dropped-in.
When I left the labyrinth, I did a lap in the reverse direction to “close” it then walked back to the car. I sat for a few moments and wrote what I was feeling in regard to the question…“What would happen if we all dropped the false façade?”…Trusted the “unknown?”...Followed our “inner guidance?”…Let go of the routines, patterns and structures we know are absolutely ridiculous?...Released our fears of being authentic...of saying what we mean....of honoring our feelings...of using our gifts?...What would the world look like then?........wow…incredible… (smile)…(tears)… So what would it take for me to drop the false façade? The answer came quickly - Faith.
At this point I asked myself what Faith meant to me…what exactly is Faith? The following summarizes my insights:
•Faith allows me to feel the fear and move forward anyway.
•Faith allows me to know that All is Well – no matter the outcome or the circumstances.
•Faith seems to be the 1st step and a necessary foundation for allowing myself to truly experience life.
•Without Faith, my fear is too great and I become rooted, cemented and trapped – unable to follow that which “calls” me.
•Faith seems essential to living the unalienable trio of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
I have to share that this “call to consciousness” is having an incredible affect on me. I can’t quite put my finger on the exact “what” but I can feel some major recognition and collapsing of out-dated beliefs! This is P-O-W-E-R-F-U-L stuff! I feel somewhat stunned! Another question has just popped into my mind, “Do I really have Faith in what I say I believe and espouse to be true?” If so, why am I still allowing myself to live some incredibly ugly, untruthful scenarios each day? Good God! This week is going to be a life-changer! I feel a little “rear-end-kicking” coming on! Stay tuned…this could be better than the newest adventure movie!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Labyrinth #2: First United Methodist Church – Napa, CA
It took me awhile to find the labyrinth this morning. I circled the church (which pretty much
