Pilgrimage: Walking a Sacred Path

 By Lucia Bettler

 

        Pilgrimage: the very word conjures up images of a long awaited journey to some distant holy site. Our modern world seems to have lost that yearning which once drew so many into pilgrimage. The whole concept seems out of place, irrelevant to the other demands we face in our daily lives. To take time out to pursue such a deliberate journey, devoid of all electronic stimulation, seems wildly eccentric. And yet, when we are stilled for a moment, the questions arise: “Where indeed are we going? And why?” 

        The ancient guardians of the mysteries wisely commanded us: “Know thyself.” To know ourselves is the beginning of wisdom …and it begins with a journey. The outer journey reflects the inner journey of transformation, the destination no less than our true selves, the rose, the lotus. Jung understood this initiation process well, the search for the self, the alchemist’s pursuit. The longing for this knowledge of Self is what caused me to step onto the Labyrinth. But let me start at the beginning. 

        In June of 1995, I read a remarkable article in the New Age Journal about a new book: Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool by Rev. Lauren Artress. I recognized the symbol of the labyrinth: this labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral. When I saw it in the magazine something hit me, for here was a huge, life-sized labyrinth. 

        Something drew me into this image of the labyrinth and I wondered how I could get to Grace Cathedral in San Francisco to walk this sacred maze. Then a miracle occurred! I heard that Rev. Artress would be in Houston in February with a huge floor tapestry labyrinth at Christ Church Cathedral. I was being called to a pilgrimage …a holy journey that would, as the proverb goes, “begin with a single step.” 

        One evening in February, I attended a Dream Quest weekend to walk the Sacred Path. Rev. Artress told us that walking the labyrinth had three phases. When we entered we began the process of Purgation, or letting go. This would be followed by Illumination, at the center of the labyrinth. It is a surprise to reach the center because the path is so long and winding --- we don’t know we are near it until we’re there, which is often true in life. The third phase is Union , communion with the Holy. As we walk away from the center, we ask for help in maintaining that Union in our daily lives. 

        I went seeking direction and focus. I felt lost, my life’s vision blurred, the quest muddied, the journey confused. 

        I walked the labyrinth four times that weekend. The first time I was anxious. “How will I know where to go? What if I get lost?” Once I stepped onto the Labyrinth I knew where to go. The room was lit with many flickering candles, heavenly music accompanied our steps. I reached the center where I prayed and began my journey out; I did get lost midway and ended back at the center! What was the message? Focus, be calm. The next morning, I entered the labyrinth again. I was more focused this time. This time insights came --- “Your vision is not lost, just detoured for a time. Don’t forget the Divine Mother and your wish to give greenness to all you meet and work with. Green their souls and green the planet with your herbs.”

        My third journey walking the labyrinth became a mantra, like sitting at Galveston’s sea wall and watching the waves lull you into a trance.  What did I learn on this sacred journey? Many things! No matter how far you are from the Center, you are still on the path. Someone may walk beside you for a while, but the path can take them to a different place. You are still on the path together.

        What is this, this labyrinth, this mandala I now wear over my heart? No matter where I go, the labyrinth is still there, to be remembered, to be walked again, to be taken inside. It is the Grail, the Rose, the Golden Center, the Heart of God.