Committee News & Notes

Solvitur Ambulando
"It is Solved by Walking"
(St. Augustine)

A Labyrinth in a geometric pattern that has a well defined pathway that winds to the center and back out again. Unlike a maze, there are no tricks in the pattern, no wrong turns, no dead ends. It is not designed to confuse or bewilder. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other and follow a meandering path, and you will reach the center and come back out again. If you should cross a line, the worst that can happen is that you will end up back where you started.

Labyrinths have and ancient history and are found all over the world and in all cultures. The TCC Labyrinth is a 36 sq ft painted canvas, a replica of the 42 sq ft Labyrinth that is set in stone in the nave of the great cathedral in Chartres, France and dates back to the early 1200s.

Prayfully walking the Labyrinth can be a helpful spiritual tool to quiet the mind, open the heart and bring a new clarity. Take a moment to calm and center yourself. When you feel ready, enter the labyrinth, find your own pace and follow the path. There is no right way to walk the Labyrinth, there is simply your way. One may listen to ones breathing, or repeat a prayer or mantra. One may enter the Labyrinth without expectation, or with a specific prayer, question or purpose in mind.

However on chooses to walk the Labyrinth, it is sometimes helpful to imaging it more as a journey than a destination. If you meet someone coming the other way, simply turn slightly and allow each other to pass. If you wish to pass a slower walker, it is easy to do so at the turns. If you wish to stop for awhile, you may stand on one of the labryses, the white area where the turns meet. After reaching the center, and perhaps lingering there for a moment, simply retrace your steps

TCC Labyrinth Program

We are happy to share our Labyrinth with any organization or group seeking to use it for spiritual renewal or meditation. There is no charge for its use, but a donation to our Outreach Mission Fund is always welcome.

The Labyrinth is approximately 36 feet square and requires a space much larger than that in order for it to fit well and be most effective.

It is made of canvas and is portable and comes in three panels. We advise that you set up th middle secttion first and then the right and left sides adjacent to the central panel. The panels are connected by velcro strips. Alwasys begin connecting them from the center out to the edge for ease in attaching the panels, gentley stretching the fabric so that it lines up with the painted lines of the Labyrinth. If you intend to use the Labyrinth outdoors, please position the tarps first.

Please try to fold the Labyrinth as you received it and we ask that you do not use lighted candles on the Labyrinth. Please remove shoes before walking on it. Sox and bare feet are permissable.

For additional information, please call the church at 860-923-2431. Thank you for your interest in our beautiful Labyrinth.

Jean G. Cole, Labyrinth Co-ordinator, TCC