by Paz de la Calzada
Parish Picnic: Sunday September 29th, 2013
As a way to get more folks from the Saint Ignatius Parish involved in art making as a spiritual tool, Manresa Gallery commissioned a hands on art making project with a professional artists during the annual parish picnic.
Artist Paz de la Calzada guided a finger labyrinth workshop that involved the creation of a labyrinth printed on something small enough be traced with a finger. Finger Labyrinths have proved exceptionally popular as a tool to introduce the labyrinth to new groups and as a personal relaxation and meditative device.
The labyrinth is an ancient symbol representing our journey through life. It has a single unicursal path that takes you directly to the center and out again. Labyrinths are found all around the world in many cultures and civilizations, carved in rock, ceramics, clay tablets, mosaics, manuscripts, stone patterns, turf, hedges, and cathedral pavements. The labyrinth is one of the oldest contemplative and transformational tools known to humankind, used for centuries for prayer, ritual, initiation and personal and spiritual growth.