Reflections from the Retreat February 2026

A while ago I spilt some white paint on the grey concrete of the courtyard, which at the time I was quite annoyed about. However, until that point, I had never really considered the concrete floor of this small, enclosed outdoor space. I had created a herb garden in the planters that border the space and had originally thought of having chairs there. But over time I had realised that it is often too hot to sit in that area, though it is a good star gazing spot at night. I then started to ponder about this concrete floor and how to cover the white splodge of paint. My musings moved from tiling it, to creating a mosaic and then to painting a labyrinth.

The labyrinth idea was just forming when I went over to Trinidad for a conference and I just happened to sit next to someone who designs and builds labyrinths. He suggested that I sat in the space and allowed an image to come to mind. When I returned home, I was keen to see how it would develop and as I pondered the space, two significant symbols surfaced– the tree of life and the spiral. Recently I have been reading Jung, and I have restarted a dream journal and so I have been more mindful about archetypal symbols. These two symbols can represent our spiritual and personal growth, our journey through life, and so they seemed fitting symbols to be included in a labyrinth. It wasn't until yesterday that I realised that I had used these symbols on the cover of my book to represent Holistic Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, so they have been part of my journey for a while.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with labyrinths, they are like mazes that consist of a path to follow, but unlike a maze, you can’t get lost. You just keep walking and you will reach the centre. They are often found in retreat houses because they are a useful way to reflect on your life journey or faith journey, to do a slow mindful walk and meditate or pray as you walk. Like life, the path has twists and turns and sometimes you can feel that you are almost at the centre and then the path takes you right back to the outside edge.

The first labyrinth I walked was at Goosebury Hall, in Essex, which is a grass path cut into long grass and wildflowers. This is about a mile’s walk whereas our small labyrinth is tiny in comparison, but it is a small example of a 3-circuit medieval pattern.

Labyrinths have been around for over 4000 years and became popular in Medieval times amongst Christians. They were painted onto cathedral floors, with the most famous one being in the Chartres Cathedral, in France (in the photo below) which dates back to about 1200. During this time, people went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and so labyrinths were seen as an alternative way to take a reflective journey, for those not able to travel.    

Over the years I have walked various labyrinths and with some, I have recalled some significant memories, made connections with aspects of my life and had some meaningful insights. As I can now walk our own labyrinth, it’s interesting just to reflect on the journey of how this labyrinth came into being - all from a supposedly random mistake that annoyed me, a splodge of paint that needed covering up.

As well as labyrinths, I have walked a few mazes, such as the one in Hampton Court Palace, but they feel very different. There are high hedges and so you are walking blindly not knowing the way. You can’t relax and enjoy the process because there is a slight fear of getting lost or the possibility of bumping into others coming the other way. There is a sense of relief in finding the centre but then the pressure builds again as you must find your way out. In mazes there is more of a chance for people to give up on the journey and turn back.  A labyrinth feels very different – it feels safe and the centre beckons you rather than hides from you – you feel drawn to keep walking, knowing that if you keep going you will reach your destination.

This reminds me of a picture I had when I was a teenager, at a time when I was praying about my future direction. As a young person I remember feeling that there were so many options and so many paths that I could follow, that it felt overwhelming at times and there was a sense of pressure to find the right one. I saw an image of a sign to turn off on a motorway and a sense that I had to keep going in the same direction, in order to see the sign. It would become obvious when I reached it, but I couldn’t stop and look for a sign, I needed to keep moving in the same direction. This image helped me to keep moving and trust that the way would become clear.

I was reminded about how it felt to be a teenager when I visited NEWLO a few weeks ago. NEWLO stands for New Life Organisation and is a vocational college which was set up in the 1980’s by a church committee made up of different denominations on the island. Initially it was aimed at disadvantaged young people who had not passed the primary school exams which they needed to attend secondary school. The college provided an alternative route to those less academically able and for those more suited to vocational training. However, the college has now extended to welcome all ages and for anyone wanting to learn new skills in various industries such as hospitality, construction and healthcare.

One of their courses is housekeeping and so I went to discuss the possibility of finding some housekeeping staff to work at the retreat house. Unfortunately, the students all lived too far away from Bathway, but it was good to make the connection with the college and to hear about the great work they do.

I watched while the students had their morning assembly in the large courtyard at the centre of the college buildings (in the photo below). They always begin the day with the Lord’s prayer, then the national anthem, the school song and the school motto. Then each department takes it in turn to do a short assembly ending with a quote for the day. On that day the small group of students went through the alphabet each suggesting a positive aspect for a healthy life such as having a Quiet time, a ‘You can do it’ attitude and Xcellent time keeping! They certainly seem to live up to their motto of ‘a commitment to our God, our country and our future.’

Sitting in the reception, watching the students come and go and chatting to a few of them, reminded me again of what it’s like being a teenager. That stage in life when you’re wondering what the right path is for your life and if you are going in the right direction. Now that I have more years behind me than ahead of me, I can see that the path has always been there, but I’ve needed to trust the unfolding of it. I have also needed to become more in tune with my inner compass, which is the name of one of the most significant books I’ve read. The Inner Compass by Margaret Silf introduced me to Ignatian spirituality and was key in helping me discover a more contemplative path.

It’s been three years now since I moved here and living in Grenada has given me more time for reflection. I have a greater awareness of being in a Divine flow and how, like the image of the motorway, I just need to keep flowing with it. When I went river tubing for a friend’s 60^th birthday (which is a slightly scary but exhilarating activity!), the instructor reminded us that the water will take you the way it knows – to just trust that the water always finds a way through, even if there are rocks ahead.  I'm learning that is true in life too.

I recently read the following quote in The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell, another fascinating book,

‘....if you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of your bliss, and they open the doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.’

Some people call it God, some the universe but whatever you call it, I would suggest that we follow it. Find what your heart desire is, ‘your bliss,’ that which energises you and live it to the full. Then you can 'go with the flow' and put yourself on that 'track'. Even if you can’t see the whole path, you can see the next step and so you can just keep walking. We can physically only walk one step at a time, so we only need to know where to place our foot next and trust the rest will become clear when we need it. When we find that track or follow the flow, we discover that we are walking a labyrinth and not a maze.