St. Luke's Episcopal Church labyrinth

[UPDATE BELOW] The outdoor labyrinth at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 6030 Grosvenor Lane, Bethesda, MD, is always available. This is one of many labyrinths in the DC and Baltimore areas supported by grants from the TKF Foundation.

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Update on Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 2:48PM by Sue Mosher

Since I walked the St. Luke's labyrinth a year ago, I've walked two dozen others. Coming back today, I noticed several things that help this labyrinth really "work" for me: 

• The center is big, much bigger than most medieval labyrinths, which has two noticeable effects: It makes the 11 circuits longer, long enough for me to complete a full round of my paidirean or prayer beads. Plus, it leaves plenty of room in the soft, grassy center for a solitary walker to dance, to turn around with arms stretched wide, or even to lie down. I can imagine all sorts of things that a small group could do with that spaciousness. 
• It has a lovely balance of enclosure and openness: A low wall and well tended plantings augment the natural bowl in which it sits, yet it is also fully open to the sky and the trees elsewhere in the garden.
• There is balance, too, between privacy and awareness of outside activity: I felt completely free to spin around and lie down, yet I was still grounded "in the world," because the background traffic noise from Old Georgetown Road never fades. It instead becomes part of the atmosphere, a constant reminder that everything we do to further our own inner awareness becomes part of our interaction with the wider world. 

I recommend this labyrinth highly if you happen to be in Bethesda for any reason at all. I'm curious whether others find these same qualities helpful or whether you get a different vibe.