St. Mark’s Memorial Garden Labyrinth
Meditation labyrinths have been around for over 4000 years. Used by nearly every religious tradition, they facilitate prayer, meditation, and personal reflection. A labyrinth, unlike a maze, has only one path, leading to the center and back again.
Traditionally speaking, there are three phases to the labyrinth: purgation, illumination, and union. Purgation is the walk from the beginning of the labyrinth to the center. This phase helps you to clear your mind. Illumination occurs at the center of the labyrinth. Here, is where you receive insight. Union is the walk from the middle of the labyrinth to the end. In this phase, you feel empowered, having received the insight to tackle your issue.
One such example of this can be found at the Memorial Garden Labyrinth found in the courtyard of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in downtown Johnstown, PA. Visitors can access the garden from the Locust Street entrance, which provides an area for peace and meditation within the typical rush of the city. This particular labyrinth is an eleven-circuit labyrinth similarly designed as the one in the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France. The labyrinth was built and dedicated in 1999 as a way for members of the congregation and the public to experience and embrace the tradition “that seeks for a connection to God on a personal nature.” Many visitors to this garden have traveled a labyrinth for the first time and are surprised by the overall positive impression received from practice.
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church is located at 335 Locust street in Johnstown (click here for a map). The Memorial Garden Labyrinth is open to the public.
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This entry was posted on Saturday, March 27th, 2010 at 11:12 am and is filed under History & Landmarks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
