Dear Editor,

It is part of an ancient tradition - a tradition that ranges from the maze that held the Minotaur, to the floor of the Chartres Cathedral, to the hopscotch painted on your neighborhood playground. It symbolizes life, and pilgrimage, and wisdom. And you can find it at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Ballard.

It’s the prayer and meditation labyrinth on the church’s north lawn, officially opened and dedicated on Sept. 13, 2009. Located at 6512 12th Ave. N.W., just east of Ballard High School, St. Paul’s has long worked to make its grounds a welcoming, healing, and reflective space, open to the whole community.

Its Serenity Garden, designated an official Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary, provides a peaceful, shady respite to all who enter it.

Its monthly pancake breakfast nourishes bodies as well as souls. And now, with the addition of the labyrinth, St. Paul’s offers a space for walking prayer and meditation, one of humanity’s oldest spiritual traditions.

Built over the course of the summer by a crew of volunteers led by church member Janet Hall, the small labyrinth replaces a neglected and overgrown corner of the yard on the north side of the property. It remains a work in progress, freshly planted with native species which will grow in and fill the earthen berms that form its outside edge.

It is a personal meditative path, with only one course that meanders into the center, and then out again. Labyrinths contain no tricks or dead ends: the only choice to be made is to enter or not, allowing focus and mindfulness once the path is begun.

The new labyrinth is open to the public. The St. Paul’s community encourages all to come and take a walk through the path and personally experience its peace and beauty.

Christina Bogar
Ballard