By Sharon Ray
On the 21st of December we celebrated the winter solstice; the day of least sunlight had arrived. From that point forward day length has been increasing by about one minute each day, and will continue to increase until the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Winter solstice is a joy because light is on the increase!
We had a bonfire before dawn, by the labyrinth—the NEW labyrinth. As the sun rose over the eastern hills, Craig and John Henry set a marker where the tall, winter solstice stone was to stand. Later a huge stone pillar replaced the marker, completing the new labyrinth. Every winter solstice the sun will rise exactly over that tall stone—we have marked the spot!
When I saw the smooth-looking, crushed granite pathways of the new labyrinth, I wanted to take off my boots and socks, despite the bitter cold temperature. Barefoot, I stood at the entrance and made my way in.
Immediately, I felt my feet freeze and the cold rising up painfully through my ankles and calves. I felt the tiny pieces of granite pierce the tender bottoms of my feet. I wanted to turn around and walk (preferably run) out of the labyrinth and put my socks and boots back on.
Straightaway my mind flashed back to a lesson I had previously learned regarding a doable, if hardly bearable, challenge. The lesson was: “You have started this thing; now you finish!” I perceived this predicament as a test of my will and desire for mastery over myself; “How strong is that desire?”
I walked on. Every once in awhile I’d brush off the tiny stones sticking to my feet, like pins in a pincushion. “A measure of mercy should not be considered cheating!” I told my doubtful mind. My agonizing was made bearable by my memory of Paramahansa Yogananda’s poem, “The Boatman” in which he vows:
I will come again and again!
Crossing a million crags of suffering,
With bleeding feet, I will come—
If need be, a trillion times—
As long as I know
One stray brother is left behind.
Finally reaching the center of the labyrinth I renewed my dedication to live for God alone. Miracle of miracles—on my long return walk back to the entrance, I felt no more pain!
What a powerful morning it was, preparing for the new year in a good way: a labyrinth adventure.
