The low rumble of thunder seemed to be only a soothing murmur for those beginning a thoughtful and meditative walk inside the Duke Chapel. One by one, participants untied their shoes and stepped solemnly onto the expansive labyrinth canvas which contained a single, convoluted pathway for them to follow.
The first to enter were friends of Jeanette Stokes, who was responsible for bringing the labyrinth to the University last Saturday. She said this was the fourth or fifth time the labyrinth has been here since its first debut at the Duke Youth Academy one summer. Some local residents return to the labyrinth each year to benefit from the spiritual meditation it offers.
Durham resident Judy Schlegel is one of these visitors, having come back to the labyrinth every year for the past four years.
"The first time I did it I was unemployed and suicidal," Schlegel said, her tone somber. "I was a bit skeptical, but I went to find out what it was like."
Schlegel said that, surprisingly, the labyrinth had a tremendous calming effect. "My mood changed completely."
Others, seeking sanctuary from the rain, stumbled upon the labyrinth and glanced cautiously at the scene before them. The 'walkers' - some with heads bowed in prayer or others with eyes raised towards the ceiling - quietly proceeded through the twists and curves of the painted canvas. In turn, some of the observers sat down and watched in curious wonder, while others unlaced their own shoes and entered the labyrinth, beckoned by its tranquility and strangeness.
Among the labyrinth 'walkers' was a young girl with a thoughtful expression on her face who journeyed in a delicate and solemn fashion. She took her time, deliberately placing each step - pausing in prayer every now and then.
"Take off your shoes," a father quietly instructed his two daughters.
One daughter whispered back, "Where's the starting point?"
The father ushered the two girls over to the entrance of the labyrinth, which was set between the first two pews of the Chapel. There, they began their meditative journey.
Stokes looked on, occasionally skirting forward from her seat to introduce visitors to the labyrinth. She told them what it was, who inspired it and why it was here. She also provided them with a sheet of helpful guidelines for walking through the labyrinth. She suggested they relax and let go of their concerns to attain a more spiritual and peaceful mindset. But these are only suggestions, Stokes reiterated.
"Because [the labyrinth] is so new, there are no rules or established guidelines for walking in it," she said. "I want to leave it as open-ended as possible."
When Stokes called the labyrinth "new," she was referring to its novel purpose as a tool for spiritual meditation. Historically, the labyrinth has existed since 1220, originally constructed in the Chartres Cathedral, France. The Chartres Labyrinth remained forgotten until the latter part of the 20th century, when Episcopal priest Lauren Artress, of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, decided she wanted that such a labyrinth in her own cathedral could benefit her congregation. Artress and 15 others from her church went to Chartres Cathedral, where they discovered the labyrinth almost completely covered by wooden chairs.
"Chartres is known for its beautiful stained glass windows, so they would have these chairs for you to sit down in and look up at the stained glass," Stokes described. "[Artress and the others] had to take these chairs out of the way so that could measure the angles, the widths [of the hidden labyrinth]."
"Someone came in there and asked them, 'What are you doing?'" Stokes added, chuckling.
The addition of the Chartres Labyrinth to Grace Cathedral was a huge success, leading Artress to initiate a world-wide labyrinth project. News of the meditative labyrinth spread, reaching others like Stokes who were eager to start a labyrinth project of their own.
In 1997, armed with paint and brushes, Stokes and her friends toiled for 180 hours before they finished painting the labyrinth - an effort that was rewarded by helping participants in profound ways.
"A particular thing that people [come to the labyrinth] for is during times of grieving [because] they've lost a loved one," Stokes said. "They pray about that."
She added that people will frequently report feeling lost or scared during their walk. "They will notice other people walking beside them and suddenly they won't be there anymore - their paths will veer away from each other. It's like life; people will enter and leave your lives."
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