Labyrinth welcome addition to Fairfield

To the editor:

I would like to thank the members of the First United Methodist Church for constructing the seven path labyrinth, located on the southeast corner of Hempstead Avenue and Court Street. I appreciate your vision and effort to complete this wonderful project. I learned about labyrinths some 12-15 years ago from Dr. Wayne London, a Harvard Medical School graduate and Board Certified Psychiatrist, who at the time had spent five years studying the physical and spiritual healing effects of the labyrinth. He said: ?The seven path classic labyrinth is found throughout the world. It?s the Hopi Indian symbol of Earth. It?s found on the island of Crete, 500 years before the birth of Christ. It?s found in the Middle East. The highest concentration is found in Scandinavia, where fishermen would walk it before going out to sea, and for other spiritual purposes. It?s at least 4,000 years old. So we?re talking about something universal, a fundamental sequence societies discovered independently of each other. It corresponds to the seven days of creation story in the Old Testament and it turns out the number seven is the most common number in the New Testament. So you basically have a 4,000 year old metaphor that?s universal, found throughout the world.?

For me the labyrinth is a walk ?whose effects are known.? I?ve wanted one accessible to our community for a long time. Thank you members of the First United Methodist Church very much for making this labyrinth and offering it freely to the community!

Is this heaven? Yes, it?s Iowa.

Happy trails to you. 

? Bruce Miller, Fairfield