Labyrinth walks

Labyrinth walks

At Ursuline Center

Ursuline Center, 4280 Shields Road, Canfield, will offer labyrinth walks now through September that will alternate between Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Schedule: “Journey of Mary” will be at 6:30 p.m. May 22; “Journey of Summer” at 6:30 p.m. June 21; “Journey of Freedom” at 6:30 p.m. July 24; “Journey of Harvest” at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 23; and “Journey of Learning” at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 25. The last walk will be at 2 p.m. Oct. 21, the Feast of St. Ursula, on the theme “A Journey of Autumn.”

Assistance: The center will provide a facilitator for groups. Call the center at 330-799-4941.

Background: The labyrinth is an ancient pattern found in many cultures around the world. Labyrinth designs were found on pottery, tablets and tiles dating as far back as 4,000 years. Many patterns are based on spirals from nature. One shared feature is one path that winds in a circuitous way to the center.

Rebirth: There is an 11-circuit labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral in France. This pattern, once central to cathedral culture, was inlaid into the stone floor in 1201. It has been reintroduced as a spiritual tool.

Use: Labyrinths are being used worldwide as a way to quiet the mind, find balance and encourage meditation, insight and celebration. They are open to all people as a nondenominational, cross-cultural tool of well-being.