{"id":62,"date":"2008-09-07T15:59:53","date_gmt":"2008-09-07T21:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.labyrinthofpeace.ca\/?page_id=62"},"modified":"2020-03-12T11:11:10","modified_gmt":"2020-03-12T17:11:10","slug":"read-the-labyrinth-site-meditations","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.labyrinthofpeace.ca\/?page_id=62","title":{"rendered":"Audio and Text – Adult Version of Labyrinth Meditations"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"rock<\/p>\n

Introduction <\/strong>
\nYou are on a journey – a journey to the centre of the labyrinth and out again.
\nThis is your time to contemplate, to encounter the sacred, or to simply embrace peace.
\nFollow the arrows on the path before you. They are your guide as you journey.
\nThe double footprints along the path will indicate where you are to pause or stop.
\nAs you walk, you will discover that each site along the pathway has a number and title as well as a specific meditation.
\nWhen the music track changes, that will signal your transition to the next site.
\nFeel free to press pause or repeat.
\nJourney at your own pace for it is your time to seek and to discover, to let go and to celebrate.
\nOpen your mind and heart.
\nLet go of things that might hinder you: expectations of others, pressures of time or work, and all else that might distract you from staying in this sacred moment.
\nYou are invited to listen to that still small voice within – the voice that speaks of God, in you, in creation, and all around you.
\nBreathe deeply and slowly.
\nRevel in the stillness and stay in the moment.
\nAs you journey, look, listen, feel, and ponder.
\nBe open to discovering the wonder of God, the wonder of life, the wonder of your presence in this time and space.
\nRenew your spirit.
\nYou are a traveler on an open road that leads to destinations both known and unknown.
\nThat is part of life\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mystery.
\nYour life is a journey whether your path is clear or uncertain, whether your road is straight or disappears around the bend, whether there are obstacles or simply a smooth trail.
\nAnd God is your companion on the journey.
\nShare your real self, your struggles, heartaches, joys, and celebrations – all that is you.
\nDiscover God at work in you and in your life.
\nEmbrace the sacred on these pathways and within yourself.
\nJourney in light – Journey in Hope – Journey in Peace.<\/p>\n

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Site 1 – Connect with the Earth<\/strong>
\nThe earth has its own rhythm – its own pace.
\nIt will not be hurried or rushed.
\nAt one time we lived at one with the natural rhythm of day and night and the rhythm of the seasons.
\nNow we live in the age of technology.
\nThe pace of life is faster.
\nWe have more time-saving devices but less leisure, more ways of staying in touch but less real connectedness.
\nBefore clocks, before television, before electricity, our lives were in harmony with the movement of the heavens and the cycles of the earth.
\nWhen it was light, we arose, welcomed the day, worked, and played.
\nWhen it was dark, we rested, shared moments, reflected on the day, celebrated, and slept.
\nIn spring we celebrated the newness of life and watched in awe as all that seemed dormant came alive once more.
\nWe saw the days grow longer and warmth bring forth life.
\nSeeds were planted; new creatures were born.
\nLife happened at its own pace, the pace of the earth.
\nThere was a harmony with creation and a respect for the gifts of the earth.
\nLook at creation all around you in this moment: the trees, grass, sunlight, birds – Life.
\nLet go of the demands on your time, the demands on your energy.
\nBreathe deeply and slowly as you look at the wheel, the plow, the prairie grass – reminders of the early pioneers whose lives followed the cycles of the earth and seasons.
\nEmbrace the rhythm of the earth, the rhythm of creation, the slow pulse of life, beating as a single heartbeat – God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s.<\/p>\n

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Site 2 -Let Go of the Busyness<\/strong>
\nOur lives are full of busyness and noise.
\nOur lives are full of demands – demands on our time, our energy, our emotions.
\nWe barely take time to slow down let alone stop.
\nIdentify some of the activity around you: the cars going by, dogs barking, people walking by, the busyness of life.
\nSavor each sound, each bit of activity.
\nExplore the images on the column before you.
\nWhat in it reflects your life . . . your reality?
\nLook at the sundial before you – a reminder of the busyness both without and within.
\nNow listen to the inner noise, the activity within you.
\nWhat busyness is going on within you?
\nWhat noises continue even though you are quiet?
\nThe demands of friends, family, work?
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153To Do\u00e2\u20ac\u009d lists that you have for yourself or that others have for you?
\nIdentify your inner noises. Listen to each one then set it aside.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Be Still\u00e2\u20ac\u009d was not God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s command but God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gentle invitation.
\nYou are invited to discover the stillness of this space . . . the stillness and peace of God.
\nBreathe deeply, slowly.
\nEmbrace stillness.
\nGod speaks in the stillness and silence . . . the result is peace and understanding.
\nListen for God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s signal . . .
\nListen to your heartbeat – God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gift of life . . . Listen . . . Be still . . .
\nBe at peace.<\/p>\n

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Site 3 – Celebrate the Present<\/strong>
\nBreathe deeply, slowly.
\nEach breath is a breath of life – a gift from the One who created you.
\nEach breath reminds you of the gift of the present – the life you have in this moment.
\nTo live more fully in the present, though, sometimes means letting go of hurts from the past.
\nIn front of you is an area of small stones – an area that appears somewhat barren of life.
\nThis place represents the hurts from your past.
\nTake a stone from this area.
\nImagine one of the deepest hurts or concerns you carry.
\nHold the stone tightly in your hand.
\nWhat worry or hurt do you need to let go of to lighten your heart?
\nName the hurt, the anger, the concern . . .
\nWalk to the dry stream bed that goes beneath the bridge.
\nHold the stone over it.
\nWhen you are ready, let it go.
\nWatch it fall away.
\nImagine your hurt, your concern, your worries falling into God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hands.
\nImagine giving it over to God completely.
\nHow does it feel?
\nWith each stone you drop, imagine letting that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153hurt\u00e2\u20ac\u009d fall gently into the hands of God.
\nGod\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hands are hands of healing and love where hurt is transformed into forgiveness and peace.
\nLet go and let God lighten your heart so that, like the bridge you see before you, you can cross from barren rocks to the color and life beyond.
\nWhen you release those things that have weighed upon your heart, you can truly celebrate the present with joy.
\nThe barren becomes filled with color and life and it brings color and life into your being.
\nCelebrate the moment for it is gift – God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gift in each moment,
\neach day, and in each breath you take.<\/p>\n

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Site 4 – Seek Meaning<\/strong>
\nOn this journey called life there are so many choices and so many demands on your energy.
\nIt is easy to lose sight of what is important and what is not.
\nLook at the stone before you.
\nIt is a reminder that life is a journey.
\nThe footprints represent your life journey, your quest to find meaning.
\nLook at the carved footprints in the stone.
\nWhere do the footprints come from?
\nWhere do they lead?
\nWhat do they pass along the way?
\nLife is all about revelation.
\nGod reveals the meaning of life to you each and every day.
\nAre you listening?
\nAre you responding?
\nExamine your life.
\nWhere does most of your energy go?
\nWhat takes up most of your time?
\nAre these the things that are most important and meaningful to you?
\nWould God agree?
\nThe more you look at something, the more you see.
\nLook again at the carved stone before you.
\nIs there something more to it than you first noticed?
\nIf someone looked at your life, as you are looking at the stone, what would they learn about you and what you hold sacred?
\nWhat do you \u00e2\u20ac\u0153need\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to spend more time on?
\nWhat renews you?
\nWhat makes your heart sing?
\nWhat do you need to change to keep God at the centre?
\nConsider God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s call within your heart then ask yourself: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When I am gone, what \u00e2\u20ac\u0153footprint\u00e2\u20ac\u009d does God wish for me to leave on this earth?
\nGod\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s imprint is on your heart.
\nYou simply need to discover that and live it.
\nSeek meaning.
\nThat is a choice for life.<\/p>\n

\"Site<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.labyrinthofpeace.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/06-Track-06.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Site 5 – Embrace Life<\/strong>
\nTrees embrace life.
\nThey grow in some of the harshest places and in some of the worst conditions.
\nThey grow on sheer rock faces; they cling to steep mountain sides.
\nThey are shaped and formed by each hardship they endure.
\nIntense drought, fierce winds, and solid rock help the roots of the tree go deeper and the trunk grow stronger.
\nThe tree endures because it embraces all of life, the good and the difficult.<\/p>\n

Embrace life is an invitation and a choice.
\nYou can choose to be devastated by painful experiences or you can examine how you are called to learn and grow from them.
\nSome of the most difficult experiences in life have the most to teach you about yourself, about others, and about God.<\/p>\n

What difficult or painful experience have you had to face:
\nThe death of someone you loved?
\nThe end of a relationship or job?
\nConflicts or hardships in a relationship?<\/p>\n

How has facing that experience changed and formed you?
\nHow have you grown because of it?
\nWhat inner resources do you draw from?
\nWhat do you need to bring healing or forgiveness?<\/p>\n

God calls us to life, to be in right relationship with people, with creation, and with our creator.
\nExamine your life as you examine the tree of life before you.
\nWhat is life giving?
\nWhat relationships \u00e2\u20ac\u0153feed\u00e2\u20ac\u009d your spirit and help you grow?
\nWhat experiences have helped you become stronger and sink your roots deeper?
\nSome experiences may have been painful, others, uplifting . . .
\nHow did they help you become stronger and more rooted?
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Embrace life\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is an invitation and an opportunity.
\nIt is a call to transform all that is not life giving into experiences of growth.
\nIt is a call to sink your roots deeper into God where there is forgiveness, healing, and life.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.labyrinthofpeace.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/07-Track-07.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Site 6 – Embrace the Sacred <\/strong>
\nWe seek the sacred. It calls to each of us.
\nIt is the still small voice echoing in the depths of our being.
\nIt is a voice of love that embraces all that we are, without judgement.
\nHere, in this space, let your thoughts focus on the sacred.
\nGod is here in your midst.
\nGod has been present throughout your life journey.
\nRelax in God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s presence.
\nLet God in.
\nOpen yourself, completely . . .
\nBe real.
\nStay in this moment, in the gentle embrace of the God who loves you.
\nAnd listen to the voice of God speaking in the depth of your being.
\nGod is here for you.
\nEmbrace God.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Site 7 – You Affect Others<\/strong>
\nWater – it is essential for all life.
\nWe can live without food for weeks, but without water we will survive for only a few days.
\nWe watch the sky for rain for our flowers, gardens, and crops.
\nWe immerse ourselves in water to become clean; some cultures baptize people with water to remind them of death and life and the wonder of being reborn.
\nWater is essential for life.<\/p>\n

Watch as the water falls.
\nSee the gentle ripples that spread and expand.
\nImagine that each drop of water that falls is a person whose life you have touched.
\nHow have you had a ripple effect on that individual?
\nHow has God used you to bring \u00e2\u20ac\u0153life\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to another?
\nIt may have been something you said, something you did, or it may simply have been your presence at a particular moment in time.
\nYou affect others.
\nCelebrate the wonder of creation that is You.
\nLike water, you too are essential for life.
\nGod works through you to touch the lives of others. God always has.
\nGod has also brought special people into your life – people who have created ripples in the far reaches of your being.
\nWho has helped you become the person you are?
\nTake time to think of this person.
\nName him or her.
\nCelebrate his or her unique imprint on your being.
\nHow were you changed?
\nCelebrate others whose lives have come in contact with your own.
\nSay a quiet thank you to God for the blessing they have been in your life and for all the ripples they have created.
\nAnd thank God for the wonder of YOU.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.labyrinthofpeace.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/09-Track-09.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Site 8 – You Do Not Walk Alone<\/strong>
\nFollow the footprints that create a pathway between two trees.
\nNotice that there are two sets – a reminder that you do not walk this path of life alone.
\nThe footprints lead to a bench that celebrates relationships.
\nBefore you sit, look at the pattern before you.
\nWhat in it speaks of your life journey?
\nEverything around you reveals something of your connectedness to others: the rose bushes, the footprints, the bench, the inukshuk.
\nAll are reminders that you do not walk this path of life alone.
\nWe are called to live in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153right relationship\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with others.
\nHow has your life been an example of that?
\nThink of people who you have journeyed with.
\nCan you see their faces?
\nWhere have you walked with them?
\nWhen have you held their hand?
\nWhen have they held yours?
\nWhen have you been there for one another?
\nReflect on moments where you sensed the ordinary had become the extraordinary and you knew God was in your midst.
\nRecall some of those God moments.
\nGod walks with you through the difficult times and the wondrous.
\nSpend some time in gratitude to God for the gift of companions on the journey.<\/p>\n

\"site<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.labyrinthofpeace.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/10-Track-10.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Site 9 – You Are Light For The World <\/strong>
\nIn the beginning there was darkness.
\nGod said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Let there be light\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and it was so.
\nThe light was the sun, the moon, the stars and you.
\nThe light is in you and all around you.
\nThe \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Eye of God\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, recreated here in red and yellow stone, spreads its light into the darkness illuminating the far reaches of the universe.
\nWe are drawn to the light . . . the light of our creator . . .
\nthe light that is God.
\nEvery soul contains its own light – its own small flame:
\nsome brightly burning, some flickering and almost out.
\nYou have a light within your soul – a flame that illuminates the darkness.
\nThe world needs your light.
\nOne small flame can touch and ignite many more until the whole world is bathed in light.
\nHow have you been \u00e2\u20ac\u0153light for the world\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?
\nReflect on moments where your presence or action touched the heart of another and made that person\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s light a little brighter.
\nThink of a time when your actions helped transform a person, organization, or community.
\nHow are you called to share your light with the world?
\nHow has it made a difference to people around you?
\nThink of one or two whose lives have been changed because you lived.
\nWho are in need of your flame . . . your passion?
\nMay you continue to light your world with the special person God created in you.
\nAnd may you always seek and embrace the light of God that shines all around you.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.labyrinthofpeace.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/11-Track-11.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Site 10 – Celebrate Life\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Little Joys <\/strong>
\nChildren see the world with awe and wonder.
\nThey stop, look, play, dance and celebrate.
\nSimple things, like butterflies and frogs, are cause for great joy and excitement.
\nSmall things become enormous and little things bring great joy.
\nChildren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sense of curiosity leads them to stop and explore the wonder of their surroundings . . . to discover the intrinsic beauty of the everyday.
\nThe ordinary becomes remarkable even extraordinary through the eyes of a child.
\nCelebrate life\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s little joys.
\nStop and look with the eyes of a child – your inner child.
\nSee creation around you as a child might see it.
\nLet small things become a source of awe and wonder.
\nLet them arouse your curiosity about the world around you.
\nLook at your life with the wonder of a child.
\nLook at things again, as if you are seeing them for the first time.
\nWhat brings you joy?
\nWhat do you most celebrate?
\nWhat are the simple things that have brought meaning to your life? Name them.
\nWhat are the small things you sometimes miss that are truly \u00e2\u20ac\u0153God moments\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Recall some.
\nFind something in each day that you can look at with the awe and wonder of a child.
\nIt changes how you live.
\nIt lets you see God everywhere.
\nAnd God moments abound.<\/p>\n

\"site<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.labyrinthofpeace.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/12-Track-12.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Site 11 – Go In Peace<\/strong>
\nPeace comes from knowing and seeing God in the people around us, in the wonders of creation, and in the life we live.
\nPeace also comes from recognising the God within.
\nTake a moment to relax in the comfort of the chair before you.
\nFrom here you can look back at the pathway you have walked.
\nReflect for a moment on your labyrinth journey:<\/p>\n

moments of letting go,
\nmoments of revelation,
\nmoments of sadness,
\nmoments of joy,
\nmoments of peace,
\nmoments of affirmation,
\nmoments of God.<\/p>\n

Life is filled with moments of God.
\nSee the dove before you, flying into the sun.
\nIt flies freely surrounded by light.
\nMay your spirit fly free and may God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s light surround you.
\nGo in peace and know that you do not walk this path of life alone.\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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