Labyrinth Prayer Walk

LABYRINTH PRAYER WALK - QUIET VIEW, KINGSTON, 18TH JULY 2011

I attended a Prayer Walk at ‘The Quiet View’ at Kingston, near Canterbury today. The Quiet View is a privately run site at the home of a former Chaplain to the Pilgrim’s Hospice in Canterbury and is located at a high point in a quiet, large house and garden on the Borders of Kingston, with outstanding views of the surrounding countryside.

The Quiet View was established as a development of Ministry in Paliative care by the owner, particularly after the installation of a labryinth at the Pilgrims Hospice. Now retired, the Chaplain  involved has developed her family home, over the past 30 years, to provide a quiet place for retreats, quite days and with excellent facilities for residential visits, small groups, and a wide range of activities suited to religious or secular activities, framed in a quiet, peaceful place, conducive to both prayer, spiritual development and just ‘being’. She installed a Labyrinth several years ago for personal and wider community use.

The day visit was organised by our Curate, in response to a prompt that I had felt a few weeks before. I needed to repeat in a different place from the last time. The Quiet View was chosen as a guide was available to facilitate the prayer walk. It was offered benefice wide, with a number expressing interest. In the event, most of those expressing an interest could not come. 3 of us actually, met a the parish church and travelled to Kingston, with another travelling separately, joining us at Kingston.

We were welcomed by our guide who showed us the newly installed ‘Churt’ in the ground, which is a modern, temporary dwelling based loosely on the design of a Mongolian Church, but purpose designed as a multi-use space for groups of up to 20 or more to meet for a wide range of activities. The circular shape of the Churt, with its internal accommodation height and light, is unique space and might be considered a sacred space, although, not consecrated. Further development is underway to extend its usability and to encourage wider use across the community.

Our Guide, gave us a brief on the history of her site, her ministry and the development of The Quiet View. She outlined the history of the labyrinth going back to pre-history, and its connection to spirituality. She had been instrumental in the installation of one at the Pilgrims Hospice and had studied the history in different places in the world, including some ancient sites. There was a definite connection with spirituality. ¹In the Middle Ages, walking a cathedral labyrinth was a substitute for going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Not everyone could make the long and arduous journey to the Holy Land, so walking a labyrinth in a church was a devotional activity. Today meandering labyrinths are often used as walking meditations, to focus the mind and put the walker in tune with the greater reality metaphorically represented by the labyrinth”.

Our guide outlined the ‘Three R’s’ of a prayer walk in the labyrinth. “² 1. Releasing:  Letting go of the details of your life. This is the act of shedding thoughts and distractions and a time for opening the heart and quieting the mind. 2. Receiving: Reaching the center and contemplating what is there for you to receive. 3. Returning:  Following the same path out of the center as you walked in, and entering the third stage, which is joining with your Higher Power, or the healing forces at work in the world. It has been said that each time you walk the labyrinth you become more empowered to find and do what your soul is reaching for.

After the introduction, we were invited to pursue our own path to the labyrinth, by strolling the garden, thinking or considering those things which might be on our minds. I was able to visit a small shrine in a tent, which had an Icon portraying friendship. There was also a Celtic Cross and a modern statue, which I visualized as portraying a mother and child, which I took to be Mary with the baby Jesus. I offered  a prayer here.

I had a number of things which I had been praying and reflecting on, the most urgent of which appeared to be to do with the ill-health and apparent onset of Dementia in an elderly relative. Whose future care is currently in the hands of social services, which might mean of loss of independence and move into a nursing home.

After I while I felt prepared to start the labyrinth. On the way in, I was able to stop, take stock and to offer the situations to God, to lay them at his feet and to ask that they, through divine providence, might be make the way forward clear. As I approached the centre point, I seemed to sense that pressure was being lifted from me. A feeling of light headedness and even a little giddy. The sensation was as of something being let out, of perhaps breathing out the issues I had. On reaching the centre, I was able to pause and to reflect briefly, that I was feeling relieved. It seemed to me that a prayer specific to the situation was the Lord’s Prayer, which I offered up, silently it was heart-felt. I was prompted to move on. As I came towards the exit, the thought came to me, that I needed to let it go. The situation was out of my control, it was my relations immediate family who should deal with the situation, my practical support and prayers were enough.

After we had all been around the labyrinth, we all gathered in in the Site Caravan and took tea and discussed our experience and had a lovely conversation where we learned something about each other, we might not have shared before. This was definitely, for me the ‘returning’ being affirmed as we each returned to our day to day lives and normality.

What did I get from this experience:

1. For me, this was one of those golden times, where, I had a tangible experience of God. It seems to me that we struggle sometimes, to feel and know God within our lives. He can become a disconnected entity, with a strained relationship. I have learned that at times like this, it is important to actively seek the face of God in others we meet and inter-act with, but also to seek a quiet space, away from our routine. Here we might experience him on a more personal, one-to-one basis. Short retreats at sites such as The Quiet View, provide this outlet. We need some prepare for them. I spent some quiet time in prayer in St Peter’s Church to prepare. I said Morning Prayer aloud in an empty church, which just seemed right at that time.

2. I seem to have a tendency to visualize much of my experience of God.. I close my eyes and seek to see a sign, shape or colour which reminds me of his essence, whose face I have never seen, but hope to one day. In this experience, while walking I sensed rather than saw anything, which is something new. The gift of sensation is to precious to waste, and I thanked God for it.

3. I know that some will say that I have an overactive imagination, but what may be unreal for them, is real for me. It’s yet another sign to me of God remaining active in my life, minute by minute, hour by hour, each day. This is a gift which I feel draws me even more towards active Ordained Ministry, to serve and to share something of what God has so generously given to me. Thanks be to God.

1 John Algeo, Quest Magazine, Issue 1276, http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/1276, accessed 18 Jul 2011

2http://www.pilgrimshospices.org/patient-care/labyrinth/about-our-labyrinth/ accessed 18 Jul 2011

The English Patient

This month the DDO gave me the film The English Patient to review. It is part of the Ordination Criteria of Personality and Character. The idea being that I watch the film making notes as I go, and then follow up with a brief review of the theme of the film and and identify any characters that resonate with me and why. I had not read the book, so perhaps I need to do so to compare with the films interpretation of what I understand to be a modern classic.

Having never seen the film (despite it winning 7 awards) I was pleasantly surprised by its depth and coverage. The Characters are expressive and speak volumes, even if not in words. So does the setting of the Libyan Desert and the times just before and during WW2.

The film is basically about love (forbidden or unrequited) broken people, forgiveness and renewal. But I actually found it to be full of hope, that despite some desperate circumstances, something good can come from hard situations. Almasi the central character is complex as is Katherine as his lover and another man's wife, but the most complex character is Hannah. She appears to be a victim from several bereavements (a good friend dying right at the start) who takes Almasi, her patient and see's something Christlike in his suffering. Her relationships with everyone she encounters appear to work out on several levels, even with Kip the Sikh Sapper, who becomes her lover. She believed that she was cursed, due to the bereavements she suffered personally, and also allowed her compassion to overwhelm her, becoming much to emotionally involved with those she treated, leaving her extremely vulnerable to their suffering, perhaps helpless to do anything effective to help them. So taking Almasi, who was going to die whatever she did and allowing him to die in peace, medicated and lovingly cared for seemed to be the solution to her problems. Off course, it wasn't the solution for her, but it was for Almasi, who having learned who he was, asked to be put out of his misery. Her developing relationship with Kip allows her to become once again fulfilled both as a women and a lover and to cope with her vulnerability.

Another very understated character was Sgt Hardy. From saving Hannah's life in the minefield, throughout the film, his trust in, love and respect for Kip as his superior, friend and commander, gained from years working together in dangerous situations seems to be me to speak of a selfless, sacrificial love and life. Only after his unfortunate death by a booby trap bomb, did Kip discover that Hardy actually had been courting a local italian girl and was actually engaged.

Another character David Carrigio, a vengeful, anger filled man, who had been mutilated by a German interrogator after being betrayed as a british agent, came to Italy, looking for Almasi, convinced that he had been responsible for his betrayal. After encountering Almasi and listening to his flashback memories, comes to accept that he might not have been directly to blame and is able to forgive. Wonderful to think that God works in people in such ways.

Off course, the love story between Almasi and Katherine is central to the story, revealing aspects of both of their characters. Almasi, very much a thoughtful, self contained loner, coping with new feelings of love of the unobtainable. Katherine, an self centered, slightly impractical, hut educated socialite married to Geoffrey and explorer and british agent, taking what she wants with Almasi, an affair, which is not just about the sex, but is about a deep and profound love and affection between them. Eventually sacrificing the affair for the sake of her marriage. The explosive outcome of Geoffrey discovering the affair and killing himself while also trying to kill Almasi and Katherine leads to the poingant ending of Katherine, injured left in a cave to die alone, while Almasi seeking help is imprisoned as a German spy. Almasi eventually returns to find Katherines body and takes it in a plane, which is shot down with Almasi being terribly burned, losing his memory and ending up as the English Patient.

A thought provoking film indeed, giving me much to reflect on. Now for the essay.

Vocation Day

I attended a vocation day last weekend.   The day it self was well organised and contained some really wonderful testimonies from people in forms of ministry on their journey and arriving where they are now.

The Ordained candidate was particularly inspirational in retelling his story as a series of post cards giving snapshots of his journey from Infant Sunday School, through unbelief and a virtual lifetime without God, until prompted by his children attending Sunday School, he discovered God and Christianity and later a vocation.   A remarkable journey indeed.  With God working throughout and only being acknowledged in Early middle age.

Considering where I am at the moment, waiting for an interview with a DDO, I actually got some direct feedback at the state of the Ordination Process in the Church at the moment, which if delivered in a different manner, might have been considered a discouragement towards offering for Ordained Ministry.

The path to Ordained Ministry is pretty well mapped out in the Ministry Division documentation, but the reality is that the Bishop makes the policy for their diocese and it is variable and each Bishop will have their own ideas and view on the process

Some factors are consistent across all diocese - Discernment via the DDO process, and recommendation for Bishops Assessment Panel and if successful a Recommendation for Training.   All stages including each part of the training package require a further recommendation up to and including Ordination itself - so a candidate can be found unsuitable at any stage and basically discontinued.

There appears to be issues with Stipendiary, with age limits applied, which require a candidate to be able to offer 7 years of service at incumbent status before retirement, after Training and Curacy - or it is not cost effective to pay for the training - how many good candidates have fallen through the net due to this?

What was obvious that if you put more candidates forward for training than the number of curacies your diocese can offer - at some stage, someone is going to either not be ordained or will have to scrabble around for a curacy external to their ordaining diocese.

For Non-Stipendiary Ministry and Ordained Local Ministry, while the same constraints are not applied - the reality appears to be, that they might be informally applied within a diocese to save money.

The deployment of Stipendiary and Non-Stipendiary Ministry is National, means that post ordination - they may be sent wherever the Bishop or Province might need them.  Even Ordained Local Ministry now means Diocese wide - therefore, those offering for Ordination within a Parish context have no guarantee of serving there - the bishop will deploy them, where they are needed, not where they wish to serve.

The message is to inject a sense of realism into any vocation where Ordained Ministry is discerned as the call - because it is going to be a rocky path, with the possibility of the door being slammed shut at any time, with little or no real choice in where you serve.

Despite all of this - I still feel that the path I am on cannot be just dropped due to a slightly negative message - it is to important to allow that to happen.

So, where and what is to happen - God Only Knows, as I don't.