Here it is... the second part of chapter 1 of my new book The Aquarian Labyrinth - a New Pattern for a New Age.
I look forward to hearing your feedback as you work your way through this book. As always, you can order this book on Amazon at the link below. Otherwise, you can just wait and I will be releasing this book, here on my blog, week by week.
Thank you!
Llynnette VanHooser - Author of The Aquarian Labyrinth - A New Pattern for a New Age.
The second day of workshops was supposed to be mostly outside. However, Mother Nature had other ideas. The rain started in heavy around 11:30 am so we had to move the workshop indoors. Before we got wet, I had the opportunity to take my first walk on the labyrinth. For me, this was perfect, as I tend to like rainy days.
As I stood in the autumn drizzle admiring the beauty and simplicity of the seven-circuit labyrinth stretched out before me. All I could think of, is how it lacked an exit path, but who was I to judge?
I wasn't doing it consciously, it was more like a passing thought. So despite its flawed nature, for my arrogant part, I found myself standing at the entrance to a new experience.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath as if getting ready to jump into the water. Exhaled as I took my first step onto the path. Upon my exhalation I breathed the words - “Help me, to know you.” As I walked along this path of meandering, I found myself feeling as if I was making a sacred journey. My mind drifted near and far but I found my thoughts consistently came back to the beauty of the spiral. The spiral of life, and spirals in nature.
Our DNA is made up of spirals. Spirals within spirals. In our everyday modern lives, we rarely come across spirals. Modern man has made this live, flowing, spherical world that we were created to live in and on, into a dead, stagnant, square world, that HE has built. It made me question how tuned into the earth, are we? How tuned in am I?, and before I knew it, I was at the center, asking myself, How did I get here?
I stayed in the center for only a moment or two. Other students had begun their journey to the center and I didn't want to cause a bottleneck. Besides, I had been watching a big thunder cloud come over the valley and it looked like it was going to dump in about 10 minutes or less. Which was about how long it would take to walk back out and over to the hotel. As I felt the drop in temperature creep up my spine I knew it would be soon. I so wanted to stand in front of the fire in the hotel lobby right now.
As I made my final pass around the center and stepped back onto the path, I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. So much so, I choked on what were becoming tears. My heartbeat quickened and I began to praise and thank spirit for the gifts laid before me. I began to give thanks for all of the things in my life no matter how big or small. Thanksgiving for things as simple yet profound as my very breath. The spiral continued in my mind and moved around my heart. I could feel the healing power move through my body as if the labyrinth path had entered me somehow. This experience was much more profound than I had ever anticipated. I walked away from the labyrinth with the feeling that something ancient and sacred had happened. Almost like a type of initiation. The goddess had touched me yet again.
As I walked back to the hotel lobby, it began to rain. I was already wet and cold from the early morning drizzle., and now the actual rain had come. Interesting how that scenario was so well-timed.
I entered the lobby of the hotel and went straight to the fireplace. I was standing there warming my hands and drying my hat when Sig walked in equally wet. It had really started pouring after I came in and now it was hailing. I guess that the thunder cloud I was watching was right on time. He too made a beeline for the fireplace as did those who filed in behind him; all seeking warmth and dry.
As I was standing in front of the fireplace I noticed the painting that resided over it. It was what I would call an “elder” He had a beard and long white hair. He was standing in a very spiritual looking pose. His left arm was bent at the elbow and a 45-degree angle, which put his left hand directly over his heart, palm facing up, forefinger pointing, thumb, and middle finger touching. His right arm was also bent at a 45-degree angle with the lower part of his arm and hand pointing upwards or skyward. His hand was in a pointing position with the index finger extended and pointing straight up, thumb and middle finger touching.
I saw this painting before, but I never really “saw” it. It was always just background. Now it was making its presence known. I was intrigued. I stood in front of the painting and began to physically copy the pose. I stood in the same position and stared into those eyes of compassion.
When I stared into them long enough, I felt complete unconditional love, for the first time in my life that I was conscious of. I basked in this moment.
I stood there for close to an hour. At one point he seemed to come to life which was needless to say a little unnerving for a moment until I drifted back into basking in his eyes. This experience doesn’t have anything to do with labyrinths, other than the lesson of working with an oracle. If you work with one long enough, you will begin to unlock some of its secrets as you ask. This was the first time I ever had an experience with an oracle that I knew of. However, it would not be the last. Although this painting took me by surprise, I later realized that even the labyrinth is a type of oracle.
Because of the rain, which turned into an early storm, most of the afternoon activities were canceled for the day. We had a choice, we could go for a walk around the grounds, but who wants to walk in the rain, or we could find something to amuse ourselves or take a nap.
Some people were gathering together in one of the rooms in the lobby to practice what I describe as parlor tricks. I chose to go for a walk around the grounds, rain or not. As I walked, I noticed the birds and how a flock of them were flying in semi-formation, and how when they would come out of formation they would weave themselves into a spiral as they regrouped. I noticed the leaves as they danced and spiraled around each other on the breeze. I also noticed how the beautiful rare swans in the pond seemed to dance with one another as they spiraled around each other in the water. Then I found myself back in front of the labyrinth without consciously looking for it. I sensed that our last encounter was not yet finished. The rain had stopped and the remains of the day broke through the clouds to shine rays down from on high. Then suddenly and just for a moment, a rainbow shone over the pond. I have no other words to say, except picturesque, peaceful, perfect. To this day, when I need to find my “happy place”, I return to that particular moment. Some people have to create their happy place, I feel blessed in that I have actually been there.
So there I stood at the mouth of the labyrinth, looking fondly upon it like an old friend even though we had just met. This time I did not notice the “errancy” of it not having an exit. All the physical had passed away and only what was important remained. This time no one was around so I felt at liberty to take my time. I looked down at my feet as I stood again at the threshold of the labyrinth. Noticing how the basic design resembles the goddess - Arms stretched out, hair flowing, free form, graceful, captivating. It was as if an ancient time was reaching out to me, waiting for me to take the hand of the ancestors. As before, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and exhaled, as I took my first step. In the same moment I exhaled, I again said, “ help me, to know you.” I walked the path this time with much expectation and little hesitation. I found myself anticipating unlocking all of the wonders of this newfound tool. I meandered slowly, waiting for it to speak to me again as it did before. As I walked I started to get a feeling of disappointment. The feeling grew as I found my way to the center. Nothing profound happened... no visions, no messages, no lightning bolts, just a big nothing. At this point, I was truly disappointed. Why had I gotten something last time and nothing this time? What did I do wrong? What did I do last time that I didn’t' do this time? My good ole' ego and self-talk kicked in and my mind was full of questions as to why...
As I stood there feeling defeated, I quieted my heart enough to hear two little words... “Thank You”. It was at this moment I had the amazing revelation I was looking for. I remembered how in my last walk I was giving thanks as I left the center and was on my way back out. I had received this same thing last time also but it took me until now to get it all together in my mind. I'm just a little slow sometimes. The lightning bolt that hit me was this, Are you going to be thankful only when you receive something, or are you going to be grateful at all times?
I continued on my path as I gave thanks for receiving, and most of all for not receiving, for just being.
Although my heart was full of gratitude for what I had received, I still wanted more. As the day drew to a close and the sunset, I thought. My lessons were over for the day. Much to my joyful surprise, it wasn’t, and I am thankful!
Copied by the Author Llynnette VanHooser from the book - The Aquarian Labyrinth - A New Pattern for a New Age.
The above is chapter 1.2 of my first book The Aquarian Labyrinth - a New Pattern for a New Age. I am Llynnette VanHooser and I look forward to hearing from you on how you are enjoying the free book chapters. Feel free to click on the Amazon link below to order my book on Amazon or Kindle.
Have a Blessed day!
Llynnette VanHooser
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