Labyrinth

When our children were small we stopped here at Alkborough on our way from  the New Holland Ferry  before the Humber Bridge made life less of an adventure. We had a Mini Traveller Estate in 1977. It was no joke fitting 3 small children into it , the packing of the roof rack was a masterpiece and a journey home to London from Yorkshire took about 6 hours .

 We had seat belts-just , but I seem to think the carrycot bearing the new baby just rested in the back of the car with luggage all round it to keep it in place.  Alice 21 months old in 1977 is watching her Aunty Alice in our family Home blowing bubbles.  Nothing has changed. I am looking now at the window sill next to this laptop ,where my sister has left 4 pots of bubble stuff . Baby Alice has her own small girls, and sister Imogen has her own small boys.  Now it is Alice who travels from the south to Yorkshire, but over the Humber Bridge.

That visit to Alkborough all those years ago was a response to my plea to investigate what looked interesting on the OS Map and called Maze. We didn't stop long . Two tiny children were not really suitable visitors for a few cuts in the lawn in a shape. A long journey with 'when will we be there' and 'can I have a biscuit'  loomed ahead for hours.

For 30 years I have wanted to go back to Julians Bower and  explore and decide, then categorize it into the folder in my brain which says Fascinating Old Places.   So this weekend the  pull is back, the urge to go again  has re surfaced and is flashing 'do it' 'do it'.

I have just been to Wydale for a Parish weekend. I have been enthralled by the Labyrinth.  So I now know that Julians Bower is not a maze.  It is a Labyrinth. 

A labyrinth does not invite choice. A labyrinth is a safe flat way to walk a virtual life . It is not a fantasy , it is not only a David Bowie Movie, but an  small piece of land where a path has been laid out which has a beginning, and an ending, and if you wish a going back to the beginning. This path is just wide enough for one person to walk. It takes the longest possible way to get to the end. The path never crosses itself.  You have no idea when you have reached the middle of the journey to the end. You may walk it quickly.  You may run. What is certain is that it will REALLY make you think.  It is like a Suduko with no correct solution and everyone is a winner, for everyone will get to the end.  You can cheat. You can turn back, jump over and give up.  You can forget what you were doing when you started. You will not be the same when you have finished.
You will have taught yourself Meditation in one easy 20 minute walk, and when you do it again another day you will not repeat the first experience. If this is what a medieval religious did to get close to God I am glad  it has been rediscovered. It does  to  Christian Spirituality what the Cloud Appreciation  Society has done to Meteorology.

Here it is then-
I'll do the meditation bit on the Filey parish blog soon, here are the illustrations