About Sandy Springs reporter. (Sandy Springs, GA) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2013)
FAITH Labyrinths provide peace, focus, release BY JOE EARLE joeearle@reporternewspapers.net The name itself makes them seem old. Ancient, real ly. Like something pre-Christian, something that might be unearthed among long-lost ruins. But labyrinths — wandering pathways like the one Greek myths say Daedalus devised to imprison the monstrous Minotaur — are in the midst of a modern renewal. For the last couple of decades, labyrinths based on a medieval model have cropped up at church es, retreats, private homes, even health-care institutions across the country and across Georgia and north metro Atlanta. They’re catch ing on with the faithful as a way to momentarily escape the distrac tions of modern life. Mary Caroline Cravens of Buckhead, president of St. Mon ica’s Guild at the Cathedral of St. Philip, said she’s found an “amaz ing release” walking labyrinths. “You feel refreshed. Rejuvenated. Lighter. Calmer,” she said. “I think it’s because you’re leaving whatever burden it was [you brought in with you] in God’s hands.” Labyrinths are made to be walked. They are patterns laid out on the floor or the ground. One of the first things labyrinth fans say is that the winding pathways are not mazes. Mazes are puzzles meant to be solved. They sometimes offer several solutions. A person in a maze is trying to escape. A labyrinth offers only a single path. A person in a labyrinth follows that path to the center, then back out again. “In a maze, you’re looking for a way out,” said The Rev. Beth Knowlton, canon for liturgy and prayer at the Cathedral of St. Philip in At lanta. “[A labyrinth] is about a loss of control. If I’m having a crazy day, it’s a good way to calm down.” The journey, labyrinth fans say, is what matters. “It is a form of meditation,” Cra vens said. “Whether you’re reading a poem or just thinking, I think it’s a form of meditation.” Recent renewal of interest in lab yrinths grew from the rediscovery of one set into the floor at Chartres Cathedral in France, Knowlton and others said, and many modern lab yrinths are based on the Chartres design. There is some thought laby rinths might have been used in the Middle Ages to symbolically mim ic pilgrimages to Jerusalem or other holy sites at a time when such religious trips were considered important signs of faithfulness. Recent interest in walking labyrinths has a different intent. It’s about focus. “I think it gives people a way to quiet themselves,” Knowlton said. “I think we live in an increasingly busy The Rev. Beth Knowlton pauses at the center of the labyrinth inside a building the Cathedral of St. Philip. age, when people are frenetic. People are longing for si lence. The labyrinth .... You just walk it.” Knowlton sees the labyrinth as a meditation aid. “It’s about finding your own peace,” she said. “It’s real- It is a form of meditation. Whether you’re reading a poem or just thinking, I think it’s a form of meditation.” - MARY CAROLINE CRAVENS PRESIDENT OF ST. MONICA’S GUILD, THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. PHILIP *8 veneers with approval from care credit for 60 months. '’Includes: X-rays, periodontal (gum) evaluation, oral cancer screening, oral exam 8c basic cleaning. Not valid with other offers or dental insurance. Expires 12-31-2013. Call Today 404-816-9336 www.BrookhavenDentalAssociates.com : Certified Intructors : Quality Lessons and Classes for Beginners, Masters and Triathletes : Heated saline pools are open year round : Year round swim team preparation for ages 5-15 : Available to Members and Non-members CONCOURSE^ ATHLETIC CLUB 8 Concourse Parkway I Sandy Springs, GA Immediately off South GA400 Exit 4C For more information, contact Tracy Meazell at tmeazell@wellbridge.com or 770.698.2090 today. We welcome you and your family to join Brookhaven Dental Associates Saturday Appointments Our services are in-house Pain-free dentistry Preferred Provider Finance with Care Credit* Program Open up new doors with a new smile for $ 179/mo* $129 New Patient Offer Save $200 N « A, YVlITord Dr NE faidweii Ry A Dresden Di Of Nt- DCTiee Left to right: Susana, Bailee, Dr. Vik, Carol, Dr. Chen, Rose, Ivy, Mikie 1407 Dresden Drive Atlanta, GA 30319 22 | NOV. 15 — NOV.28,2013 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net
