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

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.

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.