Mission Statement

Our Mission is to provide ministry to the church and community by facilitating regular labyrinth walks and offering education about the labyrinth. We are committed to the ongoing responsibility for maintaining our labyrinth's physical and sacred well-being. An integral part of our ministry will be outreach to the greater community. We envision sharing our labyrinth with other religious communities, people with terminal illness, people with AIDS, schools, medical caregivers, human service providers and all others who connect with the labyrinth as a spiritual tool. We hope to share the healing power of the labyrinth with children, youth and adults.

Labyrinths available at TMJC-UU

TJMC-UU is blessed with three labyrinths. Available daily during daylight hours is our permanent outdoor Santa Rosa labyrinth; available one weekend most months is our indoor 11-circuit Chartres-style canvas labyrinth; and available for outreach is our 7-circuit classical concentric 'versatile' labyrinth.

What does it mean to walk the labyrinth?

Walking the labyrinth puts contemporary people in touch with a ritual dating back thousands of years.  Labyrinths have appeared in diverse cultures across the globe from Crete to native America.  Our indoor canvas labyrinth is a replica of one created in 1220 as part of the stone floor of the cathedral at Chartres, France.  This eleven-circuit spiral was used as a pilgrim path before falling into disuse several centuries ago.Its origins are unknown.

How do you walk a labyrinth?

There is no "right" or "wrong" way to walk a labyrinth.  However, it is often helpful to view this meditative walk as a three-step process.  First, moving toward the center, walkers release or let go of cares and concerns which distract them; in the center, one pauses, perhaps for several minutes, to receive clarity or illumination; on the way out walkers may perceive a sense of unity, bringing back a renewed vision and experience a refreshed spirit.

For more information about labyrinths, see the book Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Sacred Tool by the Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress, Canon at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.