A labyrinth story ….

Quite some years ago I was walking the Aruba Peace Labyrinth with the question “Where should I focus?” For someone like me, who has a lot of ideas, this is always a good question. When I enter the labyrinth, I  enter my life. I am going on an inner journey. To enter the labyrinth in this way takes a certain willingness and courage. The winding path of the labyrinth helps you let go of your thoughts. I  walk in silence and enjoy the peace and nature around me. And slowly, my breath calms and I open myself up to the answers of the labyrinth.

A few moments  later a father and his three young sons pass by me. The boys see the labyrinth and begins to walk it, as children do, very quickly. I continue to walk my own path and stand aside to let them pass. The father watches his sons enter the labyrinth, but  then continues his walk and calls his sons. The boys begin walking even faster. They no longer walk but run in the labyrinth. Their father calls them again, and the two youngest boys follow after their father. The eldest son, however, continues to follow the path of the labyrinth. The Father doesn’t call after him,  he simply walks on.  

The eldest boy must feel some pressure now that his father is no longer waiting for him. He runs through the paths of the labyrinth, but ultimately it takes too long to reach the center, so I see him jump into the center and write something in the sand. He then runs to catch up to his father and brothers.

My own inner journey has become distant, as I have been paying attention to the boy. I am curious and I start wondering what he has written in the center. I worry about what he has written and  am not sure if it is something positive. What would a 9-year old boy write– pressured by his father and anxious to make it to the center? Would it be something ugly, like the “F” word? My thoughts began to go everywhere and I noticed that I also started walking faster, just like the boy!  My own silence was gone. I arrive in the center of the labyrinth and read what the boy has written.  It makes me cry with joy. He wrote his name in the heart of the labyrinth: Rodney.  

What does it mean to  write your name on something? For me it meant that he made it. He had overcome the labyrinth. I felt moved by this boy who came on my path. I don’t really know why Rodney wrote his name in the heart of the labyrinth, but for me it meant   “I conquered the labyrinth” and “I was here,”I am”.

I stay a while in the center and let the experience sink in. I realize that the labyrinth and those who entered it with me gave me the answer to my question, where should I focus? Focus on yourself and make sure you can write your name on your heart.  

I slowly walked the path back out of the labyrinth and reflected a bit further. I experienced a feeling of contentment.  I realized that the labyrinth again gave me what I needed in that moment, including the father, the boys and writing.

I am so grateful for the Aruba Peace labyrinth and happy that it is always open for us to walk it and helps us find our inner wisdom.