On Wednesday I shared the experience I have with walking with a Rosary. Another cool meditation tool for walking is walking a labyrinth.

I heard about labyrinth’s a few years back when I got very involved with studying Catholic Mysticism. After that I looked for opportunities to walk one, and while there aren’t many around here, there are a couple – one at Kingsfold Retreat Centre, and one at the FCJ Christian Life Center

I love walking the Labyrinth because there’s a slow rhythm, there’s mindfulness, and there’s peace. You go into the centre with something on your heart, seeking God’s will, and come out with peace. It’s a very long walk covering a very small space, and unless you’ve walked that particular labyrinth or pattern several times, you are always suprised at where you end up, at how the path unfolds. It’s kind of like life. I just wish I could walk life with the same kind of mindfulness as I walk a labyrinth!

This morning I stumbled on this article about the labyrinth, and thought it was a helpful piece to understand how it works and how to walk it. This article from Kingsfold is also very helpful.

If you want to find a labyrinth near you, check this Labyrinth Locator

If you want to read more about the Labyrinth, here’s a great book: Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth

Happy Walking!

Darlene

PS – you can even get a labyrinth on your iPod Touch (I ♥♥♥♥♥♥ my iPod Touch!) here: iPause

I’m a sucker for gadgets. Anything that helps me move forward is a friend. Today’s tool is no different.

I have a total ADD brain. I can’t think a whole thought to the end without being distracted at least twice. I’m one of those people who – with a lot of help – gets through quiet time, and before I get out the bedroom door I’ve already worked through 12 tangents and have completely forgotten about God altogether.

I’m a sad case, really.

A couple of years ago, while researching ADD and how to live with it, I discovered today’s cool little tool, and it’s helped me keep track of myself spiritually.

You see, once upon a time something called a “prayer clock” was popular. It was a clock that chimed every hour as a call to prayer. I was intrigued by that thought.

Having read that, I tried to set my watch alarm to beep every hour, but I soon stopped hearing it. So I then set an alarm to go off every hour, but that got really bothersome in meetings and other gatherings. Thus the discovery of this little gadget has made a real difference. It’s a timer that either beeps or vibrates, and there are about 3 million ways you can set it up. It can happily buzz all day, and no one but me notices it.

So, here’s what I do. I set it to buzz every hour. When it buzzes I turn my thoughts toward God. It’s that simple. Sometimes I choose a prayer that I recite every hour. Sometimes I just ask God what He wants to say. Sometimes I just tune in to His presence. Sometimes I take time to praise Him.

Yeah, sometimes I just ignore it. I do try, however, to make the effort to do some kind of tuning in every time it goes off.

Sounds crazy, I know, but with a brain like mine, I need all the help I can get! LOL

Keep buzzing!

Darlene

PS – want to read a rather funny account of someone else’s prayer clock? Click here