YOUR LIFE A-Z: SPIRITUALITY

THINK, REFLECT, PRAY, CHOOSE

SPIRITUALITY

What in the world is SPIRITUALITY and why does it matter to you?  I believe life is complicated and I realize some of you do just fine living in very pragmatic ways.  For me, I need something more.  I need ritual, ceremony, symbolism, metaphor, art, and all other sorts of things to keep the complications of life meaningful and interesting.  SPIRITUALITY for me is the essence of existence.  I find life boring without it.  It is easy to get to the place of “what is the point?”  

SPIRITUALITY keeps me in the center of the Labyrinth so to speak.  SPIRITUALITY helps me focus on the path and purpose of life.  SPIRITUALITY is about connection, deep connection to something greater than myself, something deep inside of my being that I yearn to know.  SPIRITUALITY is not out there somewhere; it is deep within the DNA, a memory of life greater than the sum of the parts of this life. SPIRITUALITY is the gestalt that sums up the need for creativity, experience, need, and purpose.  Think about the places in nature that you enjoy.  What do the mountains or the ocean do for you?  Where are those places within you that make you feel alive and vibrant?  For me that is the essence of SPIRITUALITY, that indefinable feeling of inner ecstasy that says I am not alone and I am home.  As the Kingfish of your life you get to decide what SPIRITUALITY means to you.   Don’t let others do that for you, but do spend some time exploring this important word for yourself. I know that SPIRITUALITY helps with Rigorous and Quality. 

YOUR LIFE A-Z : WALK

WALK, FOLLOW THE PATH OF ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER

WALK

You don’t need me to tell you that our lives would be better if we walked more.  You have heard things such as“park far away in order to WALK further.”  It is best for our heart if we WALK 10,000 steps in a day.  Wear a pedometer and see how few steps you actually take when you are not actively working on it.  There are other reasons walking can benefit your soul.  It is probable that many of you have not heard of walking as a way of prayer or walking as a spiritual practice.  

I will be talking about the Labyrinth in the next “L” word, but I thought I would introduce you to it through this important “W” word.  To WALK a Labyrinth as a part of a spiritual practice, means meditating about putting one foot in front of the other while staying on the one path to the center and back out again. Walking for no other reason than to pray.  Carving out a twenty-minute moment in your busy life to walk as a way of reflection.  To WALK means to move; to move means taking steps forward; taking steps forward allows us to become more of who we want to be. Action is the best way to change.  To WALK is one of the easiest actions that we can do.  If you can’t WALK, imagine walking.  Some of the most important things that we can do in our lives are the simplest.  Determine to WALK more this year, physically and spirituality.

Walk Your Talk -Personal Experience at Labyrinth Training with Dr.Lauren Artress

San Francisco in and of itself is a magical place.  It was proabably over an hour of my first walk down the streets of China Town and North Beach before I heard a word of English.  People of all colors, of all sizes, of all ethnicities walked with intent on the street while tourists meandered like me.  Here is is November and my first purchase was a baseball cap because the sun was beating dowon on my thinly covered scalp.  I wandered with anticipation about what these next two days would hold.  I was curious as to why I was here now.  

Yes,  I know I chose to come here.  But there have years of training and I have designed and conducted several Labyrinth workshops on my own already.  So, why here, why now?   I opened the door to the room to find Lauren Artress preparing and I said, "Hello Lauren," as if I knew her.  From that moment on I entered a space that unfolded piece by piece. 

We used Seven Whispers by Christine Baldwin as our text and I certainly would recommend The Lily and the Lotus by Janet Conner (which I used to prepare myself for this time).  We sat in a circle and told stories, stories about who really were, not what we did for a living.  We told stories of heartbreak and joyful experiences. We connected to our source deep within and to each other.

At one point yesterday, I was expressing my doubt, and said "Really, God.  Is this what you really want?"  Lauren looked at me and said,  "The question is, what is it Robin wants?"  It became chrystal clear in that moment.  I want to conduct life changing workshops using the Labyrinth and other metaphors of healing, that bring the best out of people so that they can be about the business of making a differencei in the world.  I want to transition my practice to workshosps and twenty minute coaching.  

I have been working over the past few weeks on a new project, The Twenty Minute Coach.  I will  be premeiring the program in January and I am excited that my practice is morphing into something new.  It is an evolution.  Those of you in my practice, do not get scared.  I am not going anywhere and you may not notice the change, and the changes you do notice will be positive.  Life is always changing and if we allow ourselves, we can be transformed through those changes.  We can resist.  I did not know how much resistance I had on board until yesterday, but In A Moment's Notice yesterday, my direction changed.  I will be resposting some old blogs on the labyrinth andI will be doing, "Walk a DIrect Path in 2014 on January 11, 2014.  For those of you ready to experience the Labyrinth as a transformative tool can go to my website and sign up today for that workshop.  More blogs to
come!

The Seven Last Words of Christ -Labyrinth Meditation for Good Friday

I wrote this meditation at the request of the Pastor for Foothills Christian, in honor of Good Friday.  For those of you who have a Labyrinth nearby you can copy this and take it to walk or you can use it for a reflective meditation and journaling prayer.

The Seven Last Words of Christ: Reflections for Good Friday as you walk the Labyrinth.  This worksheet or worship sheet is intended to be a guide to help you stay focused on the significance of Christ’s Death on the Cross.  How does it apply to you and your personal situation today March 29, 2013?

“Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

Father as I walk this first circuit of the labyrinth I ask that you forgive me for……….  When I reacted the way I did I was impulsive and selfish and did not know what I was doing.   Forgive me.

“I assure you today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43

Father as I walk this second circuit of the Labyrinth I need your assurance, your love, your tenderness that I will be with you in Paradise, not only in the end, but today, Father.  May I learn to experience your Heaven on earth today?

“Dear Woman, Here is Your Son.”  John 19:26

(Place your name at the end of the sentence.
Imagine Jesus looking into His Mother’s eyes and telling her, Dear Woman here is your son, ____________or your daughter, ____________________.  What would it be like to establish a relationship with Mary the Mother of Jesus in such an intimate way?  Whatever comes up for you with this reflection remember it and write it down later.  Jesus would not have given John to his mother if it did not have a significance.

“My God, My God, Why have you abandoned me?”  Mark 15:34

(On this fourth circuit of the labyrinth) Hear Jesus cry out to God.  He feels abandoned.  If you were going to be as honest with God today as Jesus was on the cross, what would your anguish cry, My God, My God why have you_______________________________?


“I am Thirsty.” John 19:28

At this point on the Labyrinth you can see the Center again.  You are almost there but yet there ate still two more circuits.  What do you Thirst for?  What are your longings that do not feel Satisfied?


“It is finished!”  John 19:30

Jesus cries out, “It is finished.”  What do you need to finish?  What do you need to let go of that keeps you in anguish?  We create our own anguish by holding on to people, memories, events, past wounds, future calamities and in this display of it is finished, there is a surrender to the way things are.  What do you need to finish?



“Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands.”  Luke 23:46

Last Circuit, Almost there.  Don’t Rush.  Take your time.  You are about to inner the Womb of God, the Belly of the Most High, The Holy of Holies.  Breath.  Breath in. Breath out.  God WAITS for you there.  Entrust your spirit into his Hands.

As you let go into the Womb of God, the center of the labyrinth, allow yourself to stay there as long as you would like.  You can sit, kneel, stand, or even dance.   Allow your self to reflect again on what you have just heard in these last seven words of Jesus.   Notice what it is like inside of your body now.   How do you feel?  What do you need?  Imagine God with you there in the center.  When your thirst has been met, and you feel that you are ready to return walk through each of the seven circuits again reflectively.  Maybe on the way out you will want to read these words out loud.   Take some time at the end to prayerfully reflect on what this experience has been like for you.

You will probably find this experience more meaningful if you take some time to write about the experience, especially about being Mary’s Son or Daughter.

Labyrinth Mondays-

The Importance of Your Still Point

Do you find it hard to be still? Do you get antsy when you are quiet or alone? If so, do not let that trick you to believing you cannot meditate. Walking a Labyrinth is just what this psychologist believes will help you calm the racing mind and allow you to find your inner still point. We all have a place within us that will help us heal, recover, rejuvenate and restore our lost and restless soul to the here and now of today. The very act of following your feet, one foot in front of the other, will force your mind to let go of its angst and will allow you calm your worries. Imagine that those racing thoughts, images, commotion, lists, painful memories, and random thoughts from past and present are capable of giving way to positive energy, peaceful images, healing thoughts and useful resolutions to what you have been pondering. You will not know this until you allow yourself to experience the reality of walking a Labyrinth in your area. Google “labyrinths” or even order a finger walking Labyrinth to help you find that still point within where you and peace cross paths in powerful ways.


I hear you asking, "What is the point?” The point is for you to find a place within your being that you can retreat to that is completely peaceful. You deserve a moment in the jungle of life to be still and restore. If you don’t take time for yourself you risk become a walking zombie. Just try it. If there is not a Labyrinth near you, then allow yourself to go for a walk. When your mind wanders bring it back to the still point by watching yourself put one foot in front of the other

Labyrinths and Oceans...

Watching the Ocean or Walking the Labyrinth is an act of mindfulness and allows you to open  up to all possibilities.  For instance the feelings or imagined feelings of a sea shell. 


As I reflect on the power of the Labyrinth the word, mindfulness echoes across my brainwaves. I was just at the ocean a few days ago. I found myself mesmerized as I watched the waves lap up against the edge of the sand, and gently retreat to endlessness. I wondered if the shells left behind felt anything. I imagined they were use to being carried by the womb of the ocean, wrapped in gentle rocking waves and ensconced in the water of life. I am sure there were times they grew tired of the torrid of angry waves and wished for a peacefulness of soft rocking waves, but nonetheless I believed the ocean was their home and where they longed to return. I wondered if they felt abandoned, tossed on the gritty hot sand in the unflinching heat as beach goers walked on them crushing them into millions of pieces. I wondered if they felt pretty when someone came along and picked them out of the hundreds of shells around them or if they felt panicked that they would never find their way home to the ocean again if they were picked from the sand. I wondered if they felt helpless. I wondered if they ever felt like giving up. I reflected back to a time in Africa when we were told not to pick up the big beautiful conch shells and how angry I became when one of the teenagers on the trip thought he was above that rule. I almost send him home via plane the next day. Last week, I wondered what ever happened to that kid, but more pressing in my mind, I found myself wondering whatever happened to that beautiful shell and if it felt protected by my adamancy it be returned gently to its home coast

Are you missing your home? Do you feel protected and cared about? Do you seek the solace of quiet mindfulness to reflect on the fate of self and others? Taking a walk that requires you to place one foot in front of the other is a powerful way to find the home within your heart. If you live in Arizona, you can walk the Labyrinth at Trinity Cathedral any time at 100 W. Roosevelt. If you live elsewhere you may be pleasantly surprised by “Googling” nearby labyrinths. Enjoy.

Labyrinth Mondays: Twelve Steps to Change a Light Bulb

LABYRINTH MONDAY’S


The workshop on January 7 was a success and the attendees were able to take many inspirations and tools away from the day. For example:

“I am alone and not alone.”

“I discovered the harder I focused on my feet, the quieter my mind became.”

“I noticed that the traffic and street noise became silent as I made my way to the center and the noise of the city did not return until I stepped on the sidewalk again.”

“I was anxious about doing it wrong that I lost myself and then discovered that by turning my attention back to my feet, all I had to do was take the next step.”

Obviously, these statements only tap the surface of the inner experience participants experienced as they examined their inner tin-man, lion, and scarecrow.

The question posed at this time is how does the simple but powerful act of walking the Labyrinth take us into our inner self? There is some theory about how this works but in reality that is all that we have theory. Theory is useful but not life changing or experiential.

So many folks complain, “Everyone tells me to change but no one tells me how?” Then there are millions of self-help books on the market that have seven – steps to change anything imaginable. I am surprised that no one has written a book entitled seven steps to change a light bulb. But the bottom line to all of this change-game is that you must actually do the work. You must decide which light bulb needs to be changed, obtain its size and wattage. You must go to the store, buy the light bulb that fits that description, and bring it home. You must open the box, unscrew the light bulb you are replacing, discard it in recycle bin and screw in the new light bulb. Turn on the light to make sure it works and discard packaging to recycle bin. Actually, if you break those steps down it becomes Twelve Steps to Change a Light Bulb. I believe you get my point. Change comes by doing, not by reading. It comes by focusing, putting one foot in front of the other, and taking the next step. You can’t always see where you are going, but to get there you must be brave enough to take the next step.

Let the Labyrinth be a tool to get you where you are going.

The Labyrinth and the Yellow Brick Road

On Saturday January 7t, a small group of seekers set out on their own journey down the yellow brick road. In the beginning, we explored the Walking a Sacred Path DVD by Lauren Artress. The DVD shared stories of three people who used the Labyrinth to find the courage to make a career change, to find career direction, and to find physical healing from a stroke. These three people mirrored the characters of the Scarecrow, The Tin Man, and the Lion in the story of the Wizard of OZ. The Labyrinth is a tool of transformation that allows the mind to settle while the body focuses on walking, placing one foot in front of the other. The gentle focus of movement allows the body to let go of anxiety, worries, and fear and as the journeyer focuses on walking, a mindfulness takes place that the walker does not have to strive for, mindfulness just happens. The brain relaxes and the journeyer is able to experience being in the present.


Walking the Labyrinth mirrors the Yellow brick road in so many ways. On Saturday, we explored how our inadequacies, hurts, and fears that keep us immobilized not allowing our heart’s desire to be attained. When we are busy wrestling with our inadequacies, hurts, and fears rather than becoming their friend, listening to their needs and giving them what they need then our lives are full of chaos and anguish. As Dorothy walks the Yellow Brick Road in search to find the magical wizard that will take her home again, she discovers fellow journeyers who also have needs. They travel together and in their travels, magic happens. The Scarecrow ends up being the smartest of them all, giving direction, working a travel plan and overcoming obstacles. The Tin Man is full of empathy and cries easily at other’s pain. The Lion is the one that is most fear-less taking on the witch and climbing up the wall to the rescue Toto. All along, each journeyer had what they needed inside; they just needed to come to realize it. But, like most humans, these characters still could not see what was inside until the make believe wizard gave them symbols of their inner strengths. It is human to need re-assurance that we are smart, loved, and courageous. Replicating the walk down the Yellow Brick Road can be done by walking the Labyrinth. On Saturday, the journeyer’s placed their inadequacies, hurts, and fear in baskets along the way and when they arrived into the center there was a red stone symbolizing the red shoes Dorothy was wearing. Just by clicking the shoes three times, she was able to go home to Kansas, without the Wizard’s hot-air balloon.

Come travel with me on Labyrinth Mondays as I continue to explore how the Labyrinth is a tool in your daily life. Follow me on www.drdilley.blogspot.com or www.facebook.inamomentsnotice.com

Labyrinth Mondays: Necessary Journeys

It is a journey to Bethlehem from Nazareth which is about 80 miles, traveled with donkey and on foot would be at least a four day journey, perhaps a week given that Joseph was an older man and Mary was with child, not any child, but the Christ Child. That is the traditional Christmas story. In our Labyrinth Mondays, we have been talking about the power of the journey. There are many journeys in our lives that we just do not want to take but for whatever that makes sense to us at the time, the journey feels like a must. Mary and Joseph had to take the Journey as they had to pay taxes. It was necessary.


The 3-Day Breast Cancer walk of 60 miles has become a phenomenon in America. It is a journey that breast cancer patients, their friends and relatives take to punctuate the power of survival and the hope for a cure. It is necessary!

It is only three days before Christmas and anticipation of Santa is in the air, the jolly fat guy that brings us gifts of cheer, journeying all over the globe in a twenty-four hour period to make children happy with delight that they are not forgotten and are gifted just because it is Christmas. It is necessary!

Really, Dr. Dilley, the journey of Santa Claus is necessary? I know it is easy to become cynical about the craziness of the perfect Hallmark Christmas. However, we have made it crazy, not Santa Claus. We have not dealt with are neurosis, our perfectionism, our need to be better, nor our competitive nature, such as “My Christmas lights are better than yours.” As Americans, Christmas has become crazy not because of commercialism, but because our neurosis, our unhealed selves have allowed ourselves to be seduced by more and better, not because the 1% is trying to make a bigger profit. We have contributed to this fiasco of “It is Necessary!” It is not the Jolly Fat Man’s fault.

So what now? Relax, get back on track. Take back a little bit of you for Christmas. Step back to the spirit of the Journey. Make a child smile. Make an adult feel appreciated. Make a loved one know that they are important. Take a step into the center and change turn down the throttle on Christmas chaos. It is necessary!

To have help in getting your life back into perspective, becoming centered, and moving forward, then please join me on the Labyrinth workshop January 7, 2012. That is the day after Epiphany. Come and move forward away from the chaos. Go to www.psycotherapyunlimited.com to register for the workshop today.

St Nicholas Day and the Labyrinth

Tomorrow, December 6, is St. Nick’s day. Legend has it that St. Nick was an orphan boy himself and that he always took special interest in giving to orphans and children. He would go throughout his village and toss sacks of coins through windows and if the windows were shut, then he would toss them on the roof, where they would come down the chimney. Thus, St. Nick’s legend developed from very humble beginnings and to the commercialism of Santa Claus that we have today.


Walking the Labyrinth while reflecting on the real meaning of Christmas, one that actually began out of benevolence and giving of the real St. Nick and not a baby in the manger, then Christmas can take on a whole different meaning for you, what can we give, vs. what can we get?

As you work on developing your own personal relationship with the Labyrinth, I would like to suggest that you take a Labyrinth walk in the spirit of giving. Start with presenting yourself at the opening of the Labyrinth and as you walk from circuit to circuit imagine holding your heart in the palms of your hands. Ask for the mystery of the Labyrinth to heal your heart and open it to be a heart of love and generosity. Each time you find yourself coming across a fearful thought, breath in deeply and let your breath go slowly, releasing the fear to the heart of the Labyrinth and taking the next step forward.

When you arrive at the center of the Labyrinth, imagine yourself placing your heart in the hands of a loving and generous Spirit of Kindness and allow the feeling of unconditional love to wash over you, releasing your hurt and fear and gifting you with an inner peace and unconditional acceptance.

Walk out of the Labyrinth with the gratitude of St. Nick, generous in spirit, full of hope, peace and unconditional love. From that space of gratitude, find ways to give generously this Holiday Season in meaningful ways.

Labyrinth Monday's -All Cultures Share the Mystery of the Spirit

ANCIENT WISDOM APPEARS IN MANY CULTURES



Spirituality in one form or another has always been with us. The more awake and aware we are, the more we are able to see it. The Burden Basket was part of many Native American’s way of life. A Burden Basket was used to gather sticks for fire, seeds, herbs, and tubers. The basket was worn on the back leaving hands free for gathering of daily needs. When the basket was emptied, it was hung on the outside of the tipi or dwelling and used by visitors to announce their presence at the door. If no one came to the door, no feelings were hurt, as it was understood that the home is a sacred space. Also, the burden basket was symbolic, in that its presence invited guest to leave their personal burdens outside of the tipi and not bring them in to the sacred space of the home. It was considered rude and disrespectful to take your burdens to the neighbor’s house and douse their sacred space with unhappiness and negativity. If a person in the village had a problem, they were to take a gift of tobacco, a blanket, or some other gift to the medicine person in the village, and there share their burden. After sharing, the person had to wait three days for the medicine person to share a solution to the problem. During those three days, the medicine person was seeking guidance in a dream or vision from his/her spiritual guides and allies. Also, during the same three days the burden bearer was building self-reliance, knowing that they needed to responsible to act on the advice given to them by the medicine person. Thus, the village was able to live in peace and inter-confidence that their friends and neighbors could handle their own problems and learn the art of self-reliance. If we go back to original use of the burden basket, which was to collect enough of the necessities just for today, then we realize part of the solution to life is to stay in the present and focus on the here and now moment.


In reflection, I see the Labyrinth as a symbol of the burden basket. It is rich in symbolism of the self-reliance. The person entering the Labyrinth, often referred to as “pilgrim” is doing the work of walking. The pilgrim is responsible for taking the journey to the center of the Labyrinth. As a burden bearer, the pilgrim take his/her burden into the center of the Labyrinth and there lets it go, releases the burden to the womb or heart of the universe. The pilgrim needs to have a grateful heart when entering the mystery of womb, knowing that it is a sacred place that he/she can come any time of day or night and find that center of the Labyrinth is there to receive him/her and the burden on his/her heart. The joining of the two, the pilgrim and the heart of the universe is completely sacred and confidential between the two. No one else is invited into that sacred space.


By taking the journey to the center of the Labyrinth, the pilgrim is initiating responsibility for his/her burden and taking the first steps to release the burden to the care of the mysterious other that will take that burden and share wisdom, understanding, and clarity with the pilgrim. It is then up to the pilgrim to follow the direction that comes from the Center. Perhaps direction and wisdom will not come during the walk (as it often does not) but several days later, clarity and peace begin to settle in the soul of the pilgrim. It is hard to explain the mysterious; one has to experience it to become a “knower of mysteries.”

CYBER MONDAY... Novvember 28th. Last Day for Early Bird Registration

EXPERIENCE THE LABYRINTH



AS A TOOL FOR SELF-EXLORATION OF BODY, MIND, SPIRIT


Saturday January 7, 2012


9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.


Trinity Cathedral 100 W. Roosevelt Phoenix, AZ.


Cost: $50.00 if registered by November 28, 2011


The characters in the Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man will be our guides for the day. What makes us feel afraid, stupid, and un-loveable?


The labyrinth is a powerful tool for healing in so many ways. Its rich history and bountiful symbolism brings to us so many opportunities to present our self for healing. It allows us to come as we are with whatever hurts and seek comfort and care from the center of its being.


This Saturday morning we will be exploring the symbolism of the labyrinth and using tools of self-discovery such as journaling, music, and art to explore our inner most need. During our time together, you will have an opportunity to present that need to the mystery of the Labyrinth and come away with a renewed sense of hope.


To learn more about the labyrinth and why it is such an important tool for your personal and spiritual growth please follow my blog at www.drdilley.blogspot.com


To register go to www.psychotherapyunlimited.com and click on workshops. Follow the prompts. Or email drdilley@psychotherapyunlimited.com or Call Dr. Dilley at 602-564-1919 for more information.

Labyrinth: Key to Inner Hunger-Outward Change

Are you hungry for change? Do you feel like something is missing in your life? Perhaps, you have become so busy that you do not notice the still small voice inside of you that is calling out to be heard. January 2012 is around the corner. Each year we are inundated with Holiday buying and chaos that takes us away from our center and each year we promise ourselves that we will do better next year. We make promises to ourselves and sometime to others that we will change, spend less, become thinner, get into shape and by November of 2012, it is possible that we will be feeling guilty for not achieving last year’s goals, and wonder what happened to our good intentions.


Walking meditation is a simple and easy way to keep us in contact with that still small voice within. By the time that we are forced to be mindful, placing one foot in front of the other, we have calmed the voice of fear, negativity, and aloneness. Those three voices are representative of the characters in the Wizard of Oz, the Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man.

From a psychological perspective, Dorothy’s three friends are projections of her inner critics that keep her blind to the truth that she can return home at any time by just clicking her red shoes. However, it takes a village of support to help her navigate her way through the dark forest, and down the yellow brick road. It is through this journey, becoming friends with her fear, critic, and broken heart that she harvests her one inner wisdom and gains the confidence to click the red shoes.

One paradox in this story (and there are many) is that we remain unsettled, upset and in search of something outside of ourselves until we go home. One metaphor of going home is finding our spiritual center and one key that will help us to do that is walking the Labyrinth.

The Labyrinth provides us with a way of finding ourselves and our power within. It is hard to define for you what you will experience by walking the Labyrinth, because each person’s experience is different than other pilgrims walking the Labyrinth. Each time I walk it, I have a different experience. Come on January 7, 2012 and start your year off with a walking meditation that can be first step in making 2012 an extraordinary vs. ordinary year.

My Breast Cancer Journey and the Labyrinth

With October being breast cancer awareness month,  I personally did alot of reflecting on my journey as a survivor.  In honor of that journey and my spiritual relationship with the Labyrinth I have decided to share the entire chapter about my Labyrinth relationship on Labyrinth Mondays.  Here is that Chapter.  To read more about my journey you can purchase my book at http://www.amazon.com/ or directly from me at http://www.psychotherapyunlimited.com/. 

OTHER SPIRITUAL PIECES:

THE LABYRINTH

My life has always been a mixed tapestry of spirituality. Spirituality is a part of who I am and not something that I do. I deeply believe that we are spiritual beings and it is our job to attend to our spiritual garden. The spiritual garden is within each of us and we can let it grow weeds, let it dry up and die, or we can gently tend to it throughout all of the days of our lives. When we face a storm our garden can become overwhelmed with waves and wind damage and we must use our resources to repair it and re-establish it. When there is a drought, we must carry water to our spiritual garden. In the next few chapters, I want to share some of the spiritual practices that I used during and after my journey with breast cancer. It was natural for me to turn to my spiritual resources during this time. The Labyrinth, the Healing Power of a Native Sweat, and a Vision Quest are three key components of my journey.
During the Nineties, the spiritual significance of the labyrinth began pouring into print. It seemed that everywhere I turned someone was writing or talking about his or her experience of God as he or she walked the labyrinth. I began to read about this spiritual practice and discovered its ancient history. A labyrinth is not a maze. In the English language, the words “labyrinth” and “maze” are often used interchangeably. A maze contains dead ends and often has many entrances. A labyrinth has one entrance and one exit. It is a path from the outside in and then from the inside out. It has a sacred sense of journey about it; perhaps the eleven-circuit labyrinth began as a spiritual practice for those who could not make the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. No one really knows the reason labyrinths were created but there are eleven-circuit and seven-circuit labyrinths. Seven-circuit labyrinths date back four to five thousand years and are seen in Hopi, Cretan, and Celtic spiritual practices. The most famous eleven-circuit labyrinth is in Chartres Cathedral in Chartres, France, and dates back to the twelfth century. The number of circuits simply means the number of times the pilgrim passes the center of the labyrinth during his or her walk.

My interest in the labyrinth grew. I responded to that interest by making a special pilgrimage to San Francisco to walk the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral. There, I, too, experienced a peaceful sense of purpose. I felt a sense of holiness about the journey in and out and around the path that brings us into the center of God, and back out to the world again. Grace Cathedral has an indoor and an outdoor eleven-circuit labyrinth. The indoor one provides the pilgrim with quite an intense experience because sacred music is playing during the labyrinth walk. It was easy for me as I walked it to become lost in the music, feeling as if I was transcending consciousness. The outdoor labyrinth overlooked the busy San Francisco streets. Walking it created a sense of purpose, with a special connection to the world. The two labyrinths provided me with an experience and a picture of God inside of me and outside of me at the same time.

When I left San Francisco, I wanted desperately to have a local labyrinth. I felt a strange loneliness for it. I felt connected, sort of called to it as a way of worship. There was something about this walking meditation that provided me with an experience of God that fed my hungry soul. That journey to San Francisco was in 1997.

In 1998 our Episcopal Cathedral, Trinity, was under reconstruction. Trinity is a local historical landmark for Phoenix as well as the headquarters for the Episcopal bishop and church administration. The Dean of the cathedral at the time, Rev. Rebecca McClain, was in charge of the reconstruction. Lo and behold, she was having a beautiful eleven-circuit labyrinth built in the center of the courtyard. I felt like God had answered my prayers. I was ecstatic about the plans. I couldn’t wait for it to be finished. Trinity finished the labyrinth in December 2000. One of my New Year’s resolutions of 2001 was to walk the labyrinth once a week for the entire year.

I walked it every Wednesday. If I was out of town for some reason, I made arrangements to walk it at some other time. The experience of that commitment created a sacred space inside of me and I developed a personal relationship with this sacred art form that allowed me to be touched and touch God in unique ways. I was very aware during my labyrinth walks of the gift of life. It seemed that each week my gratitude for my life and my recovery became deeper. I was aware on these walks with God that my life was meaningful and that I needed to be awake to all God had in store for me. During this time my gratitude for being alive grew.

I definitely have an attention problem that becomes a bother in times of prayer, but the motion of walking, following a path, and making a pilgrimage to the center where all is well and perfect is a powerful and unifying experience. I used this time with God to refocus my life, to pull close to the spiritual world, recommitting to a life of meaningful experience with God. I not only re-dedicated my life to one of service and ministry but also used the time to refocus on the art of prayer and watched as my prayer life transformed from a dead stick in the ground to a beautiful lush green plant.

The story of the dead stick is significant because when I was a student of spiritual direction during my master’s program, I had a director who told me to plant a stick in the ground and to water and care for it as if it were alive. Of course, I thought this was a silly exercise, but part of being a student of spiritual direction is learning to follow direction. I learned so much from this exercise that it still empowers my consciousness in my psychotherapy practice. For example, many times I think to myself, we are not getting anywhere in therapy. Nothing is ever going to change in this person’s life; it is just the same old thing. In my discouragement it would be easy to give up, but I remember the exercise of watering the stick. This mutually powerful and silly exercise taught me to stay with a project even though it seems fruitless.

The stick did not change, but I did. I learned just how much water the earth was able to absorb in order for the stick not to get too wet and rot. I also had to learn just how much water was sufficient to keep the ground closed around the stick in order that it remained erect. I practiced caring for it daily while acknowledging that I got nothing back in return. I had to live through my own embarrassment about the craziness of watering a stick, thinking horribly judgmental thoughts at times. Sometimes, those judgmental thoughts were directed at me and my stupidity for participating in such a ridiculous exercise and at other times those criticisms were directed at my spiritual director.

In my head, I accused her of being mean and manipulative. Walking the labyrinth on a weekly basis sometimes was like watering the stick. Sometimes I felt silly, as if I were going nowhere. At other times, it was a soul-ripping experience that shook me to my core. I was able to unravel complexities in my life during that time. I was able to pick up pieces of my life that I had laid aside, such as my writing. I was able to focus again on the alpha and omega of God. At the same time that I started my relationship with the labyrinth, I also started a professional relationship with a teacher and healer.

Walking the Labyrinth Helps Quiet the Busy Mind

I hope labyrinth Mondays have begun to tweak your interest in the experience of the labyrinth. We live such stressful lives full of demands, deadlines, and responsibilities. As a result, even the word spirituality becomes something we do or fit into our schedules, rather than something we are. Being a spiritual person is the essence of which we are and how we carve that out for ourselves is up to us and our proclivities toward different spiritual paths. Diversity is the spice of life and I do not believe there is a one spirituality that fits all. We are all different. We have different likes and dislikes, different taste in food, music, culture, and enjoy different places to visit more so than other tourist destination. We also find that we enjoy some spiritual practices more so than other spiritual practices. For instance, if you are and adult that struggles with attention deficit disorder, contemplative prayer is not going to work very well for you. Matter of fact, if you have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity or Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD) and try contemplative prayer or meditation it is possible that you will feel like a failure because it is next to impossible for you to focus or you will end up hating it and throw out all prayer as a result. The labyrinth is a perfect prayer tool for people with ADD or ADHD because the labyrinth gives you something to do while praying. It allows you to walk, to follow a simple path into the center and the same simple path out again. Because the path crosses back and forth and you have to focus on where you are walking it becomes easy for those with ADD, ADHD, high anxiety and stress to relax and let go of their brain’s demands and chatter. If the walker does not let go it is possible to misstep and lose one’s orientation and not be sure if you are coming or going which is a great metaphor for life. The nice part about using the labyrinth as a walking meditation is that the labyrinth is very forgiving. If the walker feels too disorientated, he or she can just exit and start all over again.


The ability to exit and start over again is a very graceful gift that we do not give ourselves permission to do very often in our daily life. Often we are taught once we start something we must finish it, not matter what. As a result, as we age we start less and less because we don’t want to waste our time doing something in case we don’t like it. I find it strange how we box ourselves in like that. It would be more gracious, if we gave our self permission to quit something that we don’t like or that makes us feel lost or overwhelmed. The labyrinth is always gracious, always forgiving, and always permission giving. It invites you to bring YOU just as you are to the center and experience the path as YOU experience it without expectations, demands, or formulas.

Labyrinth Mondays: Healing Tool

Labyrinth Monday:


Last week I started this series entitling it, Labyrinth Monday’s but realize I have so much excitement about this important topic and I have written so much that I may share it more often in smaller segments. Last Monday, we started with the topic, What is a Labyrinth. You can refer to the archives to read about it, but I will sum it up in one sentence for you. A Labyrinth is a circuitous path that takes you from the outside world of chaos and brain clutter and brings you to the center of your private world of hopes, desires, disappointments, pain, and most of all those things that you yearn for deep inside of yourself that you are not likely to share with others. The Labyrinth is a safe place that welcomes you home.

Safety and solidarity are two of many things a labyrinth can be to you. Today, I want to speak to you about how this important spiritual and mystical symbol can help you heal. From my perspective healing is something that is often misunderstood and often placed on “Other,” (using a capital O to represent God out there) to do something for us, to make us better through prayer or sometimes reduced to an act of begging Other to fix us, it, or others. Thinking about healing as something that happens or does not happen places us in that victim status of right or wrong, better or worse, two polar opposites without inviting us to look at all of the middle ground in between.

For instance, recently I had a conversation with someone who was struggling with a Scripture in Romans where it is insinuated that if we are depressed, given over to darkness and confusion, then it is because we are not worshipping God enough. As, she struggled to reconcile her depression with her faith and gratitude scale, she became more and more disillusioned and hopeless. As, I redirected to her attention back to the first thing she told me that she was learning, which was, “God, loves me just the way I am.” I asked her if she thought there was something contradictory about the teaching that God loves her just the way she is and God will give you over to darkness and confusion if you don’t worship God enough. As I watched the wheels turn in her brain, her facial expression changed from disillusionment to one of hope and joy as she repeated, “God loves me just the way I am.” The idea, that if God loved her just as she is, then it must meant that God would not be keeping count of her number of prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude. This thought brought her a sense of joy.

Something beyond ourselves happens to our mood as we walk the circuitous path to the inside of the labyrinth. We now know from studies on the brain that walking allows our left-brain and right brain to communicate with each other in ways that elevate our mood. EMDR also speaks to that phenomenon of the brain crossing back and forth frees us from horrific traumatic events and pictures in our past. During the labyrinth walk, the brain is not only going back and forth from the act of walking, but also the eyes have to follow the path in order to keep you focused on staying on the path. There are times when one might experience feeling lost or disorientated, but nonetheless the act of putting one foot in front of each other on the same path requires subtle and at times not so subtle concentration. The walker cannot look ahead or they will lose their orientation on the path. The walker must focus on where their feet are going. Staying focused for the sustained amount of time (15-20) minutes allows the brain to relax and let go. Worries and not so big by the time one arrives at the center. The center often appears much bigger than one ever imagined it being as just an on looker. The center can also represent many things, but for today’s purpose it represents the heart of the nurturing God that receives you fully, just as you are, listens to you completely as if you are the only person on earth, and holds you like a protective mother letting you know, “You are awesome, just the way you are.” In the center, you leave your concerns and worries and take out of the center the unconditional love of the nurturing God who is always there for you, waiting for you to follow the path to her heart.

The labyrinth is there for you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Take your heart to the heart of the Universe and experience the difference. Healing is an interactive process between you and Other.

Labyrinth Mondays

What is a Labyrinth?


First, it is important to establish that a labyrinth is different from a maze in a couple of ways. Sometimes a maze has many paths to choose from, often leading to dead ends. A Maze has no center. A labyrinth is a single path (albeit, cursive and windy) that goes toward a center and then exits out of that center on the same curvy and windy path.

The history of labyrinths dates back to the early Greeks and the classical seven-circuit Labyrinth was printed on a coin in Crete as early as 430 B.C. Labyrinths are found in the ancient history of most cultures and here in the South West of the United States we are most familiar with the Hopi Labyrinth, which is very similar to the Classical Labyrinth of Crete. The Franciscan Renewal Center has a beautiful classical labyrinth that you are welcome to walk at anytime. It is found to the back of their property in their beautiful desert.

My personal interest in the labyrinth arose in the early nineties when the spiritual mysteries of the labyrinth began to spring up in the United States. Dr. Lauren Artress, of Grace Episcopal Cathedral in San Francisco, was quite smitten with a passionate interest in the labyrinth and began to do research on the mysteries and history of the labyrinth, especially the eleven-circuit labyrinth in Chartres, France. She has written on of the most succinct and clear books on understanding the labyrinth, Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Sacred Tool.

Early in 2000 and shortly after I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, an eleven circuit labyrinth was constructed at Trinity Cathedral, downtown Phoenix. The year after my diagnosis, I established a personal relationship with the labyrinth and walked it once every week that year. If I was out of town for some reason, I made a point to go before or right after I returned. I found my relationship with this powerful mystical symbol to be a relationship of hope, peace, empowerment and overwhelming nurturing. One of the ways I like to describe the labyrinth is like that of a womb, the birthing center of the universe, the lap of the mother of God, a maternal place of being swaddled in the loving arms of the feminine part of God. More about my journey with the Labyrinth and its healing power of hope during my journey with breast cancer can be found in my book, In A Moment’s Notice: A Psychologist’s Journey with Breast Cancer. You can purchase your copy from my website: www.psychotherapyunlimited.com , www.amazon.com or digitally download it to your Nook or Kindle.

This labyrinth is rich in history and it is my hope to introduce you to its power, beauty, and spiritual mysteries at a workshop on January 7, 2012. More on that workshop is soon to find its way to my blog. However, in the meantime, I will be writing about the labyrinth on my blog, especially on Mondays. Please join me for this new series, Labyrinth Monday’s. Please feel free to forward this to friends and family who might have an interest in this very sacred tool and go my blog www.drdilley.blogspot.com to follow me on these Labyrinth Mondays.