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Sermon by Rima Snyder Today, as we move toward the day when light and dark are balanced and summer turns again to fall, our thoughts also turn, from the celebration of summer sun, beach trips and luscious ripe fruit to personal reflection and a harboring of energy for the coming winter. Time leads us forward again in its pattern through the cycle of another year. Those before us viewed time as cyclical, not linear. Winter leads inexorably to spring, summer to fall in a spiraling pattern that is always changing, always the same. The world is integrated and the everyday workings of life are reflected in the motion of the heavens. Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine, said "There is one common flow, one common breathing, all things are in sympathy." In the natural world, the spiral is seen everywhere: in the unfurling bud of a new rose, the whorled lines of a seashell, even in the great spiral arms of galaxies. The spiral image appears in sacred art of many cultures. The Native American shamanic tradition holds concentric circles to be "passageways between the natural and supernatural world", and mandalas are sacred symbols used for meditation in Eastern religions which often use spiral motifs. In Australian aboriginal paintings, concentric circles are said to show the location of sacred sites. Spiral images appear in the art of the Huichol Indians of Mexico and in many other cultures around the world. In pagan belief, a spiral symbolizes change and recurrence, the endless pattern of death and rebirth, the waxing and waning of energy. In her book, The Spiral Dance, Starhawk describes a visualization exercise that uses a double spiral. "As you move through the spiral, the world dissolves, form dissolves, until you are in the hidden heart where birth and death are one." The title of my presentation, "the spiral dance" refers to a ritual done in pagan ceremonies in which the dancers begin with an inward spiral. They then reverse the motion and unwind the spiral into a circle, symbolizing death and rebirth. Another powerful use of the spiral motif can be seen in the creation of labyrinths, a network of paths leading inward to a central point. Labyrinths have been used in such varied places as ancient Crete and the Celtic, Mayan, Scandinavian, Hopi, and East Indian cultures. The classical Cretan labyrinth was adopted by the early Christian mystics, and can be found in many churches throughout Europe including the famed cathedral at Chartres. The pattern is built outward from a central cross, and represents the path of the soul through life. Walking the spiral path was used as a meditative technique and a metaphor for one's inner journey toward the divine. After the medieval age the practice was largely forgotten, but in recent years interest in labyrinths has been revived. The Grace Cathedral in San Francisco has a replica of the Chartres labyrinth which is open to the public and used in peace walk activities that are coordinated worldwide. Here in town there is a beautiful labyrinth in Oak Hill Park, and there is also one in Sebastopol and one in Oakland's Lake Merritt district. A labyrinth differs from a maze in that there is a single path leading inward and back out to the point of entrance. There are no dead ends and no way to become lost. Labyrinths are a tool for turning inward, for reflection, for spiritual focus. They have appeared in rituals and celebrations for over 4000 years. What is the purpose of a ritual? Rituals suspend the sense of isolation from each other and from the natural world. They integrate us into the cosmos and join us with the eternal cycle of days and nights, the progression of the seasons and our place in the universe. This morning any of you who want to can experience a connection with the ancient tradition by walking the course of the simple labyrinth laid out here. As you journey on the spiral path, follow the magical time that leads inward to your deepest selves. Use this time as you wish, to contemplate intentions, let go of your everyday self, or hold thoughts of blessing for the earth and other beings. To begin our ritual, I will say a few words about the Buddhist practice of walking meditation, which is used in combination with the more familiar seated practice. You will notice two small stands with bells, which you may ring as you pass if you want to. I will start by walking to the center with the prayer bowl, which you may also sound if you wish as you reach the center. When you reach the center, stay there and focus for a few moments before retracing your steps to the entrance. After those of you who want to have walked you are invited to sit quietly and discuss your experience with others, and when everyone is finished we will form a circle and close the ceremony. Walking meditation begins by standing still and focusing on the rhythm of your breath moving in and out, relaxing your body and letting go of thoughts. As you start to walk, feel your feet touch the ground. Walk the path slowly and with mindfulness. Be aware of your own deliberate movement and find your own pace. - - - - - - - Related links: http://www.ashlandweb.com/labyrinth/  |