Plateaus (4th day of retreat)

Plateaus (4th of retreat) In the Labyrinth there are areas that have some very sharp twist and turns, and also sections where it continues without any variation. Just a steady rhythm, no quick changes, or starts and stops to be contended with, only movement around the circle. Perhaps this reality points to the necessity of plateaus, which for most people take up the bulk of their lives, well it does in mine. We adapt to whatever is going on in our lives and in many instances it is only looking back after some new level has been reached, a sudden turn, that we actually see if we were truly happy, or miserable, or somewhere in between. Also there can be astonishment to where one ends up at. Relationships often start at a high point, be it friendship, or courtship leading to marriage….well really in every area of our lives. Then things settle in and for a time just living the day in and day out happens. It gives the illusion of permanence….until we suddenly find ourselves ill, or old, or perhaps it is our parents, who have brought the reality of their mortality to light by a sudden turn for the worst, or we lose our jobs…. the list is almost endless. Again, a friend of many decades reveals something about themselves that totally turns over years of thoughts about them. There are always going to be crises in our lives, events that upset the reality of simply living through our days robotically. In the long run both are probably of equal importance, each playing off the other as we make our journey through life. We need the routine perhaps for rest, but crisis, to wake us up again. Though the pain as well as the joy can be overwhelming at times, until again things settle, and equilibrium of a sort is again established….but going back to what was before is impossible. In the spiritual life the same dynamic plays out. There can be deep personal experiences that can be existentially transforming, the world shifts, a new depth is reached…..then things settle and a period of dryness sets in, and the search continues. No permanent state is allowed, or final resting place, just a taste of what could be, or perhaps what is, but the long walk around the circle is needed. Conceivably the sudden turns, or in fact a glimpse into a deeper reality that opens and we move into a place of deep inner turmoil or joy; possibly both equally significant as we continue our pilgrimage. Inner and outer stability are simply not possible, yet this journey gives strength to the center of the labyrinth that simply is, like the center of the spoke in a wheel, it is empty, it does not move, it just is. I believe that it is in this emptiness that the mystery of who we are is present. In the Christian tradition there is a saying: “God works in secret”. I believe that is true. It is our openness, our readiness to start anew at every turn, that inner hope that starves off despair…. is I believe what we are about. I have found that in doing this, something deeper goes on; it is grace, the gift of God’s love that is what is going on. This is a process that works outside any kind of religious thought or belief. All that is needed to come to that conclusion is to listen to the life experiences of family and friends, or even those that we meet on the way. Yes we are on a journey, together and for me at this time of my life, the labyrinth is teaching me that.