An elegant tool for meditation found in many cultures, labyrinths wind their way into Corvallis.

A bouquet of tulips sat in the center of a sun-dappled floor, purple and white heads nodding peacefully downward. A little farther off, a candle burned, gleaming as brightly as the reflections of sunlight off the stained-glass windows lining the upstairs gathering room of the United Methodist Church on Monroe Avenue.

Soft music played and tealights flickered as several people slowly walked around the room, their bare feet slapping lightly against the hardwood floor. Occasionally someone would pause, contemplate, sway slightly and then resume their path. Someone else would dance a little, perhaps spin with their arms out and eyes closed. They were all on the same path, but everyone was taking a different journey.

The people were gathered on a labyrinth walk at the Methodist church. The walk takes place weekly at one of four churches around Corvallis. Labyrinths can be found at the Children's Farm Home, Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship as well as the Methodist church. Each has a monthly walk offered on alternating days. But once a season a special walk takes place, which is what happened Saturday at the First United Methodist Church.

Labyrinths are winding pathways that spiral toward and away from a central sacred space. They are based on ancient designs and are intended as places of meditation, healing and connection with God. Corvallis resident Joan Brown first brought the idea of labyrinths to Corvallis in 1996, when she helped get a portable labyrinth at the Corvallis Senior Center.

"She's responsible for planting the seed in our community," said labyrinth host Joanie Stevenson, who walked the labyrinth herself Saturday.

The labyrinth painted in an upstairs room of the Methodist Church came about through help from Brown and others at the church. While a traditional Chartres-style labyrinth was too large to put in their small space, they discovered another labyrinth pattern designed by Lea Goode, of Santa Rosa, Calif.

The design, with some adaptation, fit perfectly in their space, and two years ago they painted it in pale lavender on the floor. The labyrinth is now open to the public and groups meet monthly to walk it.

Around the labyrinth are 12 scarves of all colors. They not only tie to Native American and other spiritual ideas of color being used in religious ceremonies but also represent emotions.

"I've seen people pick up the black scarf if they've lost someone recently, and carry it around. If they've lost a child, I've seen them cradle it to the center (of the labyrinth)," Stevenson said. "I picked up the yellow scarf because I'm so happy about what's going on here, and the people who have come and the program we're going to give."

Joan Brown spoke to a small group in the church at noon to share not only the history of labyrinths but their spiritual meaning as well. She explained that the roots of the labyrinth go back to the spiral paintings found in caves in Europe and to the ancient spiritual practices of people around the world. She showed images of a very similar labyrinth found in Hopi, Greek, Finnish and Roman cultures. Those labyrinths gradually became more sophisticated and culminated in the great labyrinth at Chartres, France.

The labyrinth's design is based on the principle of the golden mean, a kind of spiritual geometry using perfect proportions. The golden mean is found in many natural forms, from seashells to leaf bracts to human hands.

As a healing tool, Brown likens labyrinths to communication tools for speaking with God.

"They tune us into receiving messages, and it switches us from the left brain to the right brain. We lose all track of time. We're tuned in to receive intuitive insights," she said.

Intention is important in a labyrinth walk. The walker must first reflect on an issue or event they want to resolve or explore, and once they embark on the walk they let go of everything but following the path.

"Try to keep it open ended," she said. "You surrender control."

Walkers often experience intense emotions, including happiness, exhilaration, sadness and sometimes release that includes tears. In the center, most people pause to reflect. That, says Brown, is where intuition and messages most often take place.

"We slay our dragons of fear," she said. "And the parts we cannot heal we give to God to heal."

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