Ursula Le Guin and Labyrinth Wisdom

For Wild Nature Heart’s first winter retreat in the redwoods of Santa Cruz mountains, we specifically chose a site with a labyrinth.

We began our time together with an evening water ceremony and ended with a labyrinth walk at dawn on the final day, just as the sun was rising above the horizon. In between we shared dreams, council circle, singing, dancing, visioning, fire night, storytelling, and intention walks.

A labyrinth walk is a powerful and mysterious way to walk into the truth of what lives inside us, physically and soufully walking step by step in the non-linear way that informs all of life.

A labyrinth consists of a single path that leads from the outside to the center, in a circuitous way. Unlike a maze where there may be dead ends and you lose your way, the labyrinth is a soulful tool that can help you find your way. You arrive near the center and discover that you still have a long journey ahead. Similarly, you arrive towards the perimeter only to find that you are snaking your way deep within once again.

We find that what one finds in the labyrinth is what one carries in, but that it can open up what is there to be seen or heard in new and powerful ways, by quieting the mind, grounding the body, and opening the soul and heart. Stepping out of the walking meditation, one finds a new center. Or maybe it was the old one all along.