Each fall, a number of cornfield mazes appear on the landscape, challenging visitors to navigate through a confusing network of twists and turns, in hopes of finding the quickest possible exit.
This weekend, the Raymond Village Community Church is hosting a different kind of creative pathway – one offering visitors a chance to slow down, linger a bit longer and perhaps discover some respite from their busy lives.
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The church is installing a portable canvas labyrinth in its vestry, where it may be experienced by the public from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The work, featuring a painted design on a 28-foot diameter canvas, is on loan from Bowdoin College.
Both mazes and labyrinths have been around since ancient times and come in many different patterns and forms.
While mazes are comprised of a walled network of deliberately placed wrong turns and dead ends, labyrinths feature one continuously winding pathway that leads to a center point and back out again.
Both systems focus on escape, though each interprets the word in a completely different way. People navigating mazes are fixated on finding the fastest way out, while those entering a labyrinth are deliberately seeking escape from hectic schedules or fast-paced lives by engaging in a meditative walk that offers a visually appealing backdrop.
The Rev. Nancy Foran, pastor of the church, has walked many labyrinths over the years. While on sabbatical five years ago, she had one installed on her 24-acre property in Naples.
That labyrinth features a winding network of stone pathways that lead to a large granite bench and maple tree at its center. The spot serves as a sanctuary and place of meditation for Foran, who has, on occasion, invited others to walk it.
‘A WALKING MEDITATION’
“Labyrinths are spiritual tools that have been used by many cultures and religious traditions, with many different designs found at ancient sites all over the world,” said Foran, who noted that she is not aware of any others in the Lakes Region where others can come for a place of reflection.
Foran invites the community to drop by the church this weekend for a thoughtful stroll.
“There are many ways and reasons that people walk them, including as a form of prayer, for centering oneself, problem solving, reflection or inspiration,” she said.
“A labyrinth experience is a walking meditation, a path to quiet the mind, nourish the spirit, and become more closely attuned to yourself and to God. Unlike a maze, there are no tricks, wrong turns or dead ends – and you cannot get lost.
“This is also an opportunity for us to reach out to the community and offer a unique way to connect with and deepen or express their spirituality. For some people, coming to church on Sunday does that, for others it does not.”
Foran said the project came together in an interesting way.
“For some time, I’d been interested in offering a labyrinth walk for people as a way for our church to reach out to the community – to show them that our church is more than some big white building that people visit on Sunday mornings. I knew that we could rent one from the Labyrinth Guild in the Boston area – but that would have been too expensive and a long ride to procure. We needed something that would fit in our space and was affordable.
“I mentioned it to a friend, who offers a labyrinth ministry for the First Parish Church of Brunswick, and she said she had worked with a group of Bowdoin College students years ago to create a labyrinth that she thought would be a perfect fit for the (church). When I called the college’s chaplain to request borrowing it, he wasn’t even aware that it existed. However, he told me that his grandmother had, at one time, been pastor of the Raymond Village Church.”
That personal connection spurred the chaplain on to track down the students’ labyrinth – it was found in an obscure location on campus – providing yet another connection point that is in keeping with the spirit of the project.
Foran said that the labyrinth is capable of accommodating many walkers at the same time, though participants are encouraged to respect the space of others.
“It’s kind of like real life – you never really walk alone. Sometimes other people walk with you and sometimes they walk in the opposite direction, but there is a place for everyone.”
Some bring Bibles as part of their meditation while others bring objects that serve as focal points during their walk.
“Every labyrinth walk is different and every walk is personal, there is no right or wrong way to do it. People do it for many different reasons: some to clear their head or others for a time of prayer.”
The church is located at 27 Main St.
For more information, email Foran at revnancy@rvvcme.org or call 655-7749.
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