Today I am going to review and compare 3 different labyrinth books by Rev. Jill Kimberly Hartwell Geoffrion. If you are not familiar with the author she has her own website where you can learn about all her writings, labyrinth pilgrimages, and ministries. If you are interested in the spiritual aspect of walking labyrinths she is a resource you will want to be familiar with. On her website, in her about section it notes that she “is a world-renowned expert on labyrinths, labyrinth prayer, and the Chartres Cathedral.”. I couldn’t say it any better than that. Some of you will want to read all 3 books, but I will aim to show you the differences if one is more to your liking. Short summary is at the end. Let’s get to the reviews.
Living The Labyrinth (2009) - 88 pages. AMZN.
This third book is the least spiritual of the tomes and the one I like best. It is broken into 11 parts which groups different ways of approaching a labyrinth together.
What I learned in this book:
This book is all about 101 different ways to walk / approach a labyrinth. The supposition is that there is no right way to walk it. This gives you options on how to walk the labyrinth.
I really liked the quote below which has been added to my maze/labyrinth quote page. What follows is a discussion of the passage which I really enjoyed.
Although most of us acknowledge the desirability of labyrinths, when it come down to it, we generally see our lives as mazes, not labyrinths
What this book does best: It is very creative in coming up with ways to walk a labyrinth and how those ways can be thought about. If I asked you to come up with 101 ways to walk a path when would you get stuck ? After 10 ? And could you give meaning to each ‘way’. This author can.
If you want to experience labyrinths in a new way, this is the book for you.
Pondering The Labyrinth (2003) - 112 pages. AMZN.
The book has fifteen short chapters broken into 4 parts. Part One is a nice overview of Labyrinths. Each of the next 3 parts deal with questions to ponder in different stages of walking a labyrinth. The author is a Reverend and the book is spiritually based.
This is the follow-up book to Praying The Labyrinth from 1999 from the same author. The books are similar.
What I learned in this book:
This book is not about facts as much as it is about reflection. Reflection when you walk a labyrinth.
What this book does best: I really like the historical labyrinths that are featured, one in each chapter at the beginning and end. The questions are very good and plentiful - while not all will have meaning for you, you will find meaning in some in the depth and breadth presented here.
If you are a spiritual person that likes to walk labyrinths, this book is for you, similar to her previous book, but shorter and with less scripture than the book below.
Praying The Labyrinth (1999) - 181 pages AMZN.
The book has two main parts - Getting ready for the labyrinth and then walking it. It has many short one page sections (chapters), each with their own thoughts and accompanying prayers. The author wrote the book about her experience walking the Chartres Labyrinth in France.
What I learned in this book:
The Chartres Labyrinth in France has a unique design and the center is often called the rosette, which has a six-petaled rose shape
That walking a labyrinth can be a deeply religious experience. The book is a prayer guide that mixes thoughts on walking a labyrinth with scripture from the Bible.
What this book does best: Is a guide of the feeling, meditations, thoughts and prayers that go into walking a labyrinth with intense purpose. Full of Biblical scripture.
If you are a spiritual person that likes to walk labyrinths, this is the book for you.
Summary:
Praying the Labyrinth delves into a Biblical look at walking labyrinths.
Pondering the Labyrinth is focused on reflection, or basically how you think about walking the labyrinth.
Living The Labyrinth is the least spiritual of the books. It features 101 different ways to walk / approach a labyrinth.
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