Presented to the community as a gift by St. Luke’s United Methodist Church
Open daily from dawn to dusk (access from North Parking Lot)
Labyrinth: A Symbol
It symbolizes the journey to the center of one’s being, the life journey or path of life, or the spiritual journey. It also speaks to the ongoing cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth, and to the process of healing.
The labyrinth is not to be confused with a maze. A maze is a puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage with choices of path and direction, most of which lead nowhere. The labyrinth has a single unambiguous path leading to the center and back, and is not designed to be difficult to navigate.
Labyrinth paths meander much like the paths of our lives. We walk along methodically until we are suddenly led to the far side, to the very edge before we are gently turned back toward the center. No matter how far we wander,if we are centered or focused, we will be pulled back. The labyrinth experience is to help one to find one’s path, not to lose it
Walking the Sacred Path
- Pause at the entrance to the labyrinth.
- Choose a quotation or use your own words.
- Begin walking the path. Repeat those words as you walk.
- Walk to the center, pausing to meditate.
- Then begin the walk out in deep silence as you reflect inwardly.
The path winds throughout and becomes a mirror of our lives; it touches our sorrows and releases our joys. So, walk it with an open mind and an open heart!
Sacred Geometry
“This labyrinth brings together seven circuits, equal armed quarter markings, and a small space on the fourth path where no one walks. This “heart-space” is approached from all four directions and can be used for contemplation of the heart while traversing the labyrinth,” writes the designer, Lea Goode. The Heart Space may be used for the placement of any symbol that may enhance the spiritual use of the labyrinth.
The labyrinth at St. Luke's was designed and copyrighted by Lea Goode in 1997. This is the first time this design has been installed in stone permanently in the ground, as well as the first permanent labyrinth installed in the state of Louisiana.
Marty Kermeen was commissioned as the stone artist.
Phillip Mayo was the local contractor for site preparation.
Akins Nursery did the landscaping.
The labyrinth at St. Luke’s is 37 feet in diameter, covers 1,200 square feet and has 40 tons of gray and beige tumbled bricks within the containment circle. The path is 680 feet long.
If we are alive, we are on the path right where we need to be!
The labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is full of tricks and false starts. In a maze, we lose ourselves. In a labyrinth, we find ourselves!
For more information, call 318.868.3613.
Donations gratefully accepted and will be used for upkeep of the garden