The Moth and the Labyrinth

Friday Morning.

Questhaven Retreat.

I walk the grounds. Roaming. Letting my feet take me into the wandering trails.

As I emerge through the tall brush to a grassy hillside, I realize I am in a familiar place. The labyrinth is just at the top of the hill and I notice several pinecones have been left, perhaps as an offering, in the center of the labyrinth. My eyes fall back towards my stepping feet and two little pinecones catch my eye. One thin, even colored, and the perfectly symetrical scales still tightly closed. The other had some dark spots, scales of all different sizes, some blooming and some still hugging tightly to the center creating an awkward spiral to the cone. My desire for perfection tempts me to pick the first, but my willingness to accept my spiraling, imperfect life urges me to pick up the latter.

I approach the mouth of the labyrinth, settle my little pinecone offering into my pocket, and slip off my sandals.

I walk.

Slowly.

Feeling all the little stones and pine needles beneath my feet.

Step.

By step.

By mindful step.

And then another pinecone. This one was large and centered right in the middle of the path. Like the wind had just blown it out from the center. I pick it up. I observe: pieces of webs, little stones, crumbs of earth wedged between the scales. I walk with it. My fingertips gently spinning it for my eyes to observe every detail. I accept every strand of web. Every stone. Every crumb of earth. And wedged deep between the scales I notice what looks like two little, beady eyes. Two little antennae extend from each side of those beady eyes. And what appears to be the fuzzy little face of a moth, just peering out into the big world, has his wings tightly tucked into the depths of the pinecone.

I continue to walk.

I continue to observe.

My mind wondered.

“Is he stuck?”

“Is he alive?”

Step.

By step.

By mindful step.

I approach the center of the labyrinth, and my eyes fall back down to the cone, the fuzzy face slightly braving the world from his deep, cozy shelter. I stop for a moment of reflection. I observe the brick work, creating a spiral to the seven pointed star in the center. I observe the little stones covering the earth between. I observe the displaced stones that had been kicked out from brick boarder. I observe natures offerings left at the center. All the energy pulling in to the point of oneness, the point of knowledge, of unity, of junction, of enlightenment. I step into the spiraling brick circle, noticing the fuzzy, little face with his wings fully emerged from the pinecone’s scales. And as both my feet land in the center of the labyrinth, pinecone held directly above the seven pointed star, the moth takes flight.

I smile in enchantment as he drifts off into the wind. I watch for a moment. Still. My eyes turn back towards my feet, I step off the star and offer the pinecone, still full of webs, little stones, and crumbs of earth.

The enchantment guides me out of the labyrinth, through the trailing property and back to my yoga mat. I kneel at the edge of my mat in obervation of my alter. My hands, chill from the morning air, fall into my fuzzy pockets.

First, warmth.

Then, the pinecone.

The little, spiraling, imperfectly-perfect pinecone.

I pull it out with a smile and place it onto my alter.

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