INTENTION: THE PATH TO INNER PEACE IS FOUND WITHIN ME
Jeanne and John Adams
Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. - Mahatma Gandhi
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. - Buddha
Look carefully at this week’s photo. Have you ever walked a labyrinth or used your finger to trace the path of a labyrinth?
A labyrinth is a pathway – it winds around from the outside to the center, and back again. It looks a bit like a maze, but it is not a maze; there are no tricks or dead ends. Labyrinths (like mazes) are known from ancient times, come in many shapes and sizes, and are viewed as a spiritual or symbolic pathway. A labyrinth is a journey – you follow it round and round to the center, pause there, and then using the same pathway in reverse, you return from the center and the entrance becomes the exit.
The labyrinth is a solo activity and is usually walked in silence – even when people are walking it together – so that each person walks her own journey and releases thoughts and old beliefs that no longer serve. You exit the labyrinth with a greater sense of lightness, release, and inner peace.
Like the practice of yoga, a labyrinth can be used as a path to support inner peace within you. You can walk a labyrinth or use a finger labyrinth to:
· Seek healing of the mind, body, and spirit
· Become centered and strengthened as you confront a chronic disease
· Help you emotionally prepare for surgery
· Gather the strength to support others through illness
· Look deeply into yourself and gain helpful insight
· Celebrate life
· Walk in a ritual of remembrance
· Find a needed peaceful moment
· Learn about the journey of life and where you are in the process
The labyrinth symbolizes a transformative journey to your heart center and back out into the world and is a tool for meditation, centering, and healing.
There are many paths to inner peace: contemplation, meditation, prayer, yoga, surfing, fishing, hiking, walking the beach, religion, and more. Find yours. Find what connects you to your breath, to calm, to your heart, to God, and you will come to know your own path to inner peace.