Labyrinth
Our labyrinth in the floor of the South Transept is a 5-circuit Medieval style labyrinth of inlaid wood.
Our labyrinth was laid in the floor of the South Transept during the re-ordering of St. Mary’s Church in 2010. The church organ in the south transept was removed and a new digital organ installed at the west end of the church, thus space became available. Our Vicar Alec and his wife Kim had seen the Labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral whilst on a family holiday in France and the idea of a permanent labyrinth was born. Ours is a 5-circuit Medieval style labyrinth of inlaid wood. When the sun shines through the stained glass windows the reflection is beautiful.
But what is a labyrinth?
A labyrinth is a sacred space where we can spend time with God and focus on our life and journey in Him. Unlike in a maze, it is impossible to get lost in a labyrinth. There is only one way in and one way out. The only choice we have to make is whether or not to follow it.
In following the single path that leads to the centre and back out into the world, this physical journey reflects the inner spiritual journey we all make. The twists and turns of the path both echo the ups and downs of our everyday lives and force us to slow down and calm our minds. Just as in our lives we may think the path is taking us away from our destination, in a labyrinth we do eventually reach the centre.
There are no set responses or expected results from ‘walking a labyrinth’, but on the journey we are enabled to be aware of God’s presence with us. We have time and space to make our own prayers and responses to God as He meets us where we are.
In 2015 we received a Mission Grant from the Diocese of Durham to design and commission a portable labyrinth made of PVC, in the same style as our own which we can take to schools and village halls and lend out to other churches.
During Advent 2015 we laid the portable labyrinth out in the Parish Hall and encouraged people to populate the walls of the labyrinth with donated items for the local Foodbank. We collected 15 boxes of food. People walked the labyrinth during the event.
The children from our Church School, Green Lane Primary School, loved to walk the labyrinth on their visits to the Church. We had the idea of creating their own labyrinth in an unused enclosed yard within the school. We spent a day replicating the Church labyrinth in primary colours with masonry paint. This area is now used as a calming, peaceful space for quiet time and reflection.