Meditation Garden and Labyrinth
The Mission of Advent’s Meditation Garden and Labyrinth is to provide an outdoor sanctuary for
spiritual gardening to:
After years of thought and visioning, and after consultation with Advent’s building committee and council, approval was granted to construct a Meditation Garden east of the church and north of the parking lot. In the event that the final phase of the property development plan was implemented, the garden was originally envisioned with the idea that it might be temporary –and our plans were made as much as possible to limit permanence.
However, as soon as the plan was made public, offers of "not quite temporary" materials and contributions began to pour in. A large load of landscape stones arrived, and construction began on September 4th, 2004. With many donations of time, money, flowers, and physical work, an outline of a garden was completed before winter set in. The labyrinth was taken on as an Eagle Scout Project by Aaron Brockmeyer. Spring of 2005 brought amazement at the blooms and growth of the garden. The labyrinth was walked, the benches were sat on and prayers were uttered. Summer of 2005 brought yet another Eagle Project to the garden with the construction of a pergola by Eric Morris. Flowers continued to bloom through out late fall and early winter, and worship opportunities included the All Saints Prayers and Silent Labyrinth walk. The ground continued to be cultivated and watered with many loving hands. Spring 2006 started with great bursts of color and new growth, even as we marked Good Friday with Prayers in the Garden. Other Eagle Projects are in the making for the future. Watch for an archway to the garden and a bridge over the mostly dry creek bed.
Stations of the Garden
As you enter the garden from the doorway of the choir room hall (the Prayer Nook,) cross over the twelve apostle stones. What great guides to begin your pilgrimage. Benches on either side invite you to stop, rest, and clear your mind.
Take a candle from the entryway to light and place on the rock mountain to the left by the bench. Wander through the pathways and soak in the beauty of God’s creation.
Rake your troubles out in the sand space, empty your soul to allow God to refill and redesign it. The pergola is an outdoor sacred space to communicate with God and perhaps a fellow traveler.
The door is always open to take a prayerful walk through the labyrinth.
The prayer wall outside the pergola along the stream beckons for you to leave a burden rock on the wall or a written note stuffed in the cracks.
If you have lost an animal companion, bring a stone on your next visit and place it among the Pet Rocks.
For needs of healing, write a name on a ribbon material and tie to the healing tree.
Sit for a moment by the angel with a harp and watch the swallows soar and the killdeer and rabbits skitter round about you. Now thank Our Loving Creator, who has provided us this refuge.
Listen, Look, Pray
Enjoy the garden with respect.
About Our Labyrinth
By stepping into a labyrinth we are choosing to take a spiritual journey. The labyrinth is a prayer path, an opportunity to focus, a meditation tool, a blueprint--where our interior and exterior work together. Historically, the labyrinth was used by pilgrims and those in religious orders, but today the labyrinth is once again growing in appeal for a widely diverse group of spiritual seekers..
Walking a labyrinth is a spiritual practice that dates back to ancient times. Although there are a variety of forms, the pattern used for the labyrinth in Advent’s Meditation Garden is the most popular-the eleven-circuit labyrinth that is embedded in the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France..
The difference between labyrinths and mazes can cause confusion. Mazes are multi-cursal, which means they offer many entrances, dead-ends and cul-de-sacs which frequently confound the mind, and the journey! Labyrinths are uni-cursal, offering one path only. By entering the labyrinth and following the path, the seeker will always arrive at the center, using the journey to quiet the mind and find peace and illumination at the center of one’s being. .
As soon as you enter the labyrinth, realize that it serves as a metaphor for your own spiritual path. The walk, and all that happens on it, can be understood as your life journey: walking alongside those who travel parallel to you for a while, facing those who you encounter on the way and yet who do not travel with you, and being aware of those who are journeying at the same time as you are, but in an entirely different area of the path. .
Around the labyrinth are tools to help direct your thoughts and prayers as you walk. You may choose to pause and ponder these items, or simply acknowledge their presence and walk on. The genius of the labyrinth is that it reflects back to the seeker whatever they need to discover from the perspective of a different level of conscious awareness..
Our labyrinth was constructed by Aaron Brockmeyer in 2005, as an Eagle Scout project. The garden's primary caretaker is Melva Anderson; however, we welcome anyone who wishes to contribute to its maintenance. Feel free to contact the church office at 681-2074 for more information.
- Radiate the beauty of God’s creation
- Provide a pleasant space to sit quietly
- Be outdoor sanctuary for worship services
- Offer experiential "tending" of a garden
After years of thought and visioning, and after consultation with Advent’s building committee and council, approval was granted to construct a Meditation Garden east of the church and north of the parking lot. In the event that the final phase of the property development plan was implemented, the garden was originally envisioned with the idea that it might be temporary –and our plans were made as much as possible to limit permanence.
However, as soon as the plan was made public, offers of "not quite temporary" materials and contributions began to pour in. A large load of landscape stones arrived, and construction began on September 4th, 2004. With many donations of time, money, flowers, and physical work, an outline of a garden was completed before winter set in. The labyrinth was taken on as an Eagle Scout Project by Aaron Brockmeyer. Spring of 2005 brought amazement at the blooms and growth of the garden. The labyrinth was walked, the benches were sat on and prayers were uttered. Summer of 2005 brought yet another Eagle Project to the garden with the construction of a pergola by Eric Morris. Flowers continued to bloom through out late fall and early winter, and worship opportunities included the All Saints Prayers and Silent Labyrinth walk. The ground continued to be cultivated and watered with many loving hands. Spring 2006 started with great bursts of color and new growth, even as we marked Good Friday with Prayers in the Garden. Other Eagle Projects are in the making for the future. Watch for an archway to the garden and a bridge over the mostly dry creek bed.
Stations of the Garden
As you enter the garden from the doorway of the choir room hall (the Prayer Nook,) cross over the twelve apostle stones. What great guides to begin your pilgrimage. Benches on either side invite you to stop, rest, and clear your mind.
Take a candle from the entryway to light and place on the rock mountain to the left by the bench. Wander through the pathways and soak in the beauty of God’s creation.
Rake your troubles out in the sand space, empty your soul to allow God to refill and redesign it. The pergola is an outdoor sacred space to communicate with God and perhaps a fellow traveler.
The door is always open to take a prayerful walk through the labyrinth.
The prayer wall outside the pergola along the stream beckons for you to leave a burden rock on the wall or a written note stuffed in the cracks.
If you have lost an animal companion, bring a stone on your next visit and place it among the Pet Rocks.
For needs of healing, write a name on a ribbon material and tie to the healing tree.
Sit for a moment by the angel with a harp and watch the swallows soar and the killdeer and rabbits skitter round about you. Now thank Our Loving Creator, who has provided us this refuge.
Listen, Look, Pray
Enjoy the garden with respect.
About Our Labyrinth
By stepping into a labyrinth we are choosing to take a spiritual journey. The labyrinth is a prayer path, an opportunity to focus, a meditation tool, a blueprint--where our interior and exterior work together. Historically, the labyrinth was used by pilgrims and those in religious orders, but today the labyrinth is once again growing in appeal for a widely diverse group of spiritual seekers..
Walking a labyrinth is a spiritual practice that dates back to ancient times. Although there are a variety of forms, the pattern used for the labyrinth in Advent’s Meditation Garden is the most popular-the eleven-circuit labyrinth that is embedded in the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France..
The difference between labyrinths and mazes can cause confusion. Mazes are multi-cursal, which means they offer many entrances, dead-ends and cul-de-sacs which frequently confound the mind, and the journey! Labyrinths are uni-cursal, offering one path only. By entering the labyrinth and following the path, the seeker will always arrive at the center, using the journey to quiet the mind and find peace and illumination at the center of one’s being. .
As soon as you enter the labyrinth, realize that it serves as a metaphor for your own spiritual path. The walk, and all that happens on it, can be understood as your life journey: walking alongside those who travel parallel to you for a while, facing those who you encounter on the way and yet who do not travel with you, and being aware of those who are journeying at the same time as you are, but in an entirely different area of the path. .
Around the labyrinth are tools to help direct your thoughts and prayers as you walk. You may choose to pause and ponder these items, or simply acknowledge their presence and walk on. The genius of the labyrinth is that it reflects back to the seeker whatever they need to discover from the perspective of a different level of conscious awareness..
Our labyrinth was constructed by Aaron Brockmeyer in 2005, as an Eagle Scout project. The garden's primary caretaker is Melva Anderson; however, we welcome anyone who wishes to contribute to its maintenance. Feel free to contact the church office at 681-2074 for more information.
