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PASTORAL CARE
There are a number of issues to possibly stress over lately and it can be challenging to maintain a non-anxious presence, both inside and out. There are many things that we can do to help center ourselves. These include but aren’t limited to Yoga, other forms of exercise, being more mindful of our food and caffeine intake, getting adequate sleep, setting boundaries, balancing care for others with care for yourself, sharing your fears and frustrations with a trusted outlet, and of course prayer.
There are multiple tools to aid you in prayer, one of which is walking a labyrinth. Labyrinths are ancient human symbols known to go back at least 3500 years and probably much older, appearing on most inhabited continents in prehistory. The labyrinth symbol was incorporated into the floor of the great Gothic pilgrimage cathedrals of France in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The most famous design is the example in the nave floor of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Chartres outside of Paris. This labyrinth was built of honey colored limestone with marble lines around the year 1200 and assuming it survived the fire, is over 800 years old.Why walk a labyrinth? The labyrinth is a meditation device with a single winding path from the edge to the center. The same path is used to return to the outside. Combining a number of even older symbols, including the circle, spiral and meander, the labyrinth represents the journey inward to our own true selves and back out into the everyday world. It is a tool which can connect us to God, clear the mind, calm our anxieties during periods of transition and stress, guide healing, deepen self-knowledge, allow for reconciliation, restore feelings of belonging to a community and lead to personal and spiritual growth. In fact, research conducted at the Harvard Medical School’s Mind/Body Medical Institute by Dr. Herbert Benson has found that focused walking meditations are highly efficient at reducing anxiety and eliciting what he calls the “relaxation response”.
The Office of Pastoral Care invites you to our office to walk a labyrinth through April. We have set aside time for this purpose, when you can come without needing an appointment, Mondays from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. and Thursdays from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. If these times are not convenient, call our office at (330) 456-0486 and we can arrange a time for you to come.
The East Ohio Conference Pastoral Care Office:
Diane Moreno Zerby, LISW-S
Interim Director
Lynn Smith
Office Administrator
E-mail
Address:
1445 Harrison Ave. NW, Suite 301
Canton, OH 44708
Phones/Fax:
Local: (330) 456-0486
Toll Free: (866) 456-3600
Fax: (330) 456-6421
Office Hours:
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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