Scrapbook Retreat ~ Part 6

I love this photo and how the afternoon sun softens everything.

While on our daily walks during our week of scrapbooking we decided to pop into the Youth Centre which we have driven past and walked past many times before when entering The Good Shepherd's property.  We were shocked to find how amazing this place is and we didn't even know that it existed.

Our special find was this Labyrinth ...At first we were not too sure what it was but then we found some information on what a Labyrinth is.

Labyrinth peace walks are a time to reflect, pray, meditate on peace within yourself, your community and global family.

Walking The Labyrinth : The Labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint, found in all religious traditions in various forms around the world.  By walking a replica of the Chartres Labyrinth, laid in the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France around 1220, we are rediscovering a long-forgotten mystical tradition.  The labyrinth has only one path so there are no tricks to it and no dead ends (unlike a maze).  The path winds throughout and becomes a mirror for where we are in our lives.  It touches the sorrows and releases our joys.  Walk it with an open mind and an open heart.

Three stages of the walk :

• Purgation (Releasing) ~ A releasing, a letting go of the details of your life. This is the act of shedding thoughts and distractions. A time to open the heart and quiet the mind.
• Illumination (Receiving) ~ When you reach the center, stay there as long as you like. It is a place of meditation and prayer. Receive what is there for you to receive.
• Union (Returning) ~ As you leave, following the same path out of the center as you came in, you enter the third stage, which is joining God, your Higher Power, or the healing forces at work in the world. Each time you walk the labyrinth you become more empowered to find and do the work for which you feel your soul is reaching.

 Guidelines for the walk :Quiet your mind and become aware of your breath. Allow yourself to find the pace your body wants to go. The path is two ways. Those going in will meet those coming out. You may "pass" people or let others step around you. Do what feels natural.

The paths in the labyrinth are made up of small stones which crunch quite loudly when you are walking which makes you focus on your steps and drowns out everything else which makes the walk even more awesome.

We also found these HUGE wind chimes and figured that they are 'restrained' as when the wind blows they would get out of control if left loose.

A place to contemplate the wind chimes ...

And last but certainly not least ...

and so I raked ...

We cannot wait to go back and show the other girls what we found!!!