My friend Michael Trotta, and amazing coach and teacher, has been schooling me in the art of “Sit Spot,” sitting outdoors for 30 minutes a day, rain or shine, and just noticing. When I sit outdoors and get still, I’m noticing the effects of nature on me, and the effect I have upon the environment. So many questions arise: What do I bring to the place I sit each day? What do I want to let go of while I’m there? What lessons will I be given by the gulls, ducks, water and other life forms that surround me in my seaside spot? How will I leave my spot and go back to my “regular” life?
And then there’s the labyrinth work. This month brought an opportunity to create one at a friend’s home in California. Tucked away in a secluded, sun-dappled spot between two steep hills, I began by drawing the circles that ultimately form the frame of the labyrinth while my friends searched the property for rocks. We all got into the act of rock placement, noticing which stones “felt” right and finding the spots in which we knew they belonged along the circles. As we tested out our creation, walking (and sometimes skipping) around and around, I thought of the three phases of the labyrinth journey:
- Releasing – walking into the labyrinth and letting go of whatever stresses, mind chatter, or concerns came before entering,
- Receiving – reaching the center and pausing to receive whatever messages or insights come as a result of being there, and
- Returning – taking whatever you’ve learned back out into the world.
