Walking the labyrinth is an important part of my spiritual practice. For me, walking the labyrinth is a practice of ceremony and prayer which engages the mind, body and spirit, helping me make sense of my human life’s complexities while being physically, symbolically, and spiritually connected to the enduring web of existence I am a part of. The insights and solace this sacred space offers—the understanding that existence is a journey; that life appears linear but is, in actuality, cyclical; that moving forward and standing still are equal parts of the human experience—are deeply healing in times of sorrow and grief. When I feel lost I return to the labyrinth. After all, you can’t get lost in the labyrinth, which, is perhaps the most powerful lesson it has to teach: that all paths lead to the center.
 

I began attending our church’s annual Samhain labyrinth walk in 2006. This event has become one of the most sacred rituals of my year. When my mother started hospice care, I sought out a labyrinth in her hometown in Texas. I walked that labyrinth each day where I could experience the full spectrum of my emotions in the comfort of the familiar practice of this walking meditation. As I faced my mother's death, there was a comfort in knowing that there was a ritual to return to, year after year, to honor her and honor my own process of remembering her.
 

Our productivity-forward culture often asks us to "get over" loss and get back to work. The amount of time we are granted to grieve freely is limited. But loss doesn't respect corporate bereavement policies or societal expectations to press on. I feel so fortunate to have baked-in to my spiritual practice time set aside each year to honor my beloved dead.
 

This artwork combines a self portrait of grief with images of my mother and our church's labyrinth during our labyrinth ritual--a sacred space that I helped to construct and am honored to support ritual within.

To find a labyrinth near you use the Worldwide Labyrinth Locator.

Maybe We All Just Fade Away

Digital Collage on Acrylic Block

2020-2023