Thursday morning dawned dreary and rain-swept and quiet. For participants, this was a day of rest–a mid-week Sabbath. A continental breakfast was served in residence, allowing sleep-deprived youth an extra hour or two of rest. Spiritual resources were included in each welcome package, giving them a place to begin if they wished to spend the morning in personal prayer or contemplation. And the Spirit Grove, a spirituality centre, was at their disposal.
The centre occupies a glass-walled room looking out on a waterfall cascading into a lily-filled pond. Bread bakes, filling the room with its scent. Watercolour paints, molding clay, pencils and pens allow you to explore thoughts, reflections, or prayers artistically. A box of sand permits a more unique and tangible–if impermanent–worship experience. Baskets of books offer a place to study. Prayers written on cards and tied with ribbon can be added to a “prayer tree.” Bibles encourage reflection on scripture. And headphones encourage an experience of God through music.
At its centre, a large labyrinth dominates the space. Once a symbol of pilgrimage, the labyrinth has been resurrected in recent years as a tool for prayer and spiritual contemplation. Although it resembles a maze, it is actually formed by a single path which loops back on itself, leading inevitably toward its centre. Walkers are encouraged to reflect and pray as they walk the path and to stop for a time when they reach the middle.
Spirit Grove runs throughout the week.
