Experiencing Mysticism

It sweeps across your whole being when you take in a breathtaking view from a mountain, or you are transfixed by a river, or the beauty of a tree. For me, I am constantly stopped in my tracks by this world. Not only by nature, but by almost anything, if I am in the frame of mind. I have found that this has only escalated from meditative practice. It can be experienced anywhere, anytime, but sometimes your surroundings can inspire particularly powerful feelings. You can meditate next to a highway, or on top of a solitary mountain. I find the mountain more powerful, but today's experience, breathtaking.  

For the first time this year, I have not been sleeping enough. I have been getting four hours a night and it is really causing anxiety. After my third class today, I was finally free to take a nap, but for some reason, I was inspired rather than tired. After taking care of business regarding my application to graduate school (I have to get into graduate school to do the BA/MA program in Economics, so I will be in both schools simultaneously), I power ate and with 35 minutes of daylight left, I felt driven to ride to Boston College. For some reason BC always seems to call when I am feeling sleepless, considering that the last time I went it was after taking two final exams, and with one more the next day, and on no sleep, I rode out there.  

It was a race against the sundial. With zeal I pedaled up and down the hills that take you to Boston College if you go far enough. Finally I passed the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. BU has the Charles River, BC has the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. Here it is at twilight as I passed it.

Upon arriving at BC, I had to make a decision as to what next.  Take pictures of beautiful buildings?  I was losing light fast and I knew the campus was tricky to navigate as it practically has a small cliff that cuts it in half.  AH-HA!  The Labyrinth, where is that church with the Labyrinth?  You see, in Catholicism during the middle ages, a pattern was designed that would serve as a religious walking meditation path.  It was called the labyrinth and it was full of symbolism and mysticism.  Nowadays however, few catholics practice walking meditation and few people know what a labyrinth is.  In fact, to find the church, I asked a man, who happened to be irish and was walking with his wife and two little daughters, where the labyrinth was and he had no idea what I was talking about.  Here is the church I was looking for

And here is the labyrinth I was seeking.  Note that it is still twilight, the lights in the labyrinth haven't turned on yet.

In order to show respect for this catholic, and yet universally spiritual journey, I make the sign of the cross at the entrance and begin slowly walking as if I was practicing walking meditation at Won Buddhist Temple back in Philadelphia (Except a little faster than what we practice there).  A minute after entering, the whole thing lights up, and a brisk autumn wind heightens my awareness.  Walking the path:

It takes me close to the center, far from the center, left, right, up down, around the edge, in and out in and out.  It was as if I was going inside of myself, sometimes closer to the eternal, sometimes farther, always walking.  I felt like a catholic, a buddhist, a druid.  Particularly druid.  I felt as though my ancestors at some point had experienced this at places like stonehenge.  I felt oneness, I felt totality, the universe was present, I was vanishing, awe and joy overcame me.  As I walked farther, the night got darker, and this only made the lights of the labyrinth seem brighter.  I felt as though the light was symbolizing something inside me, and I was turning it on, I was becoming a brighter light.  The irish family walked by and the little girls yelled with an american accent "Look!  Its the boy with the weird bike, that must be the thing he was looking for!"  When I reached the center, I left my trance, and looked at the seal of BC.  I decided to take a picture

When I walked backwards through the whole thing, it was like coming out of myself and coming back into the world as perceived through the senses.  I was back, but I was different.  Here is the labyrinth when I exited

I looked at it and I thought to myself, this can be done anywhere, but this is like feeling the universe the way the ancients did.  It was as though I had activated it through using it the way it was meant to be used: to experience deep meditation.  I will be back.

Beautiful day, beautiful night, I may die, but may the crossing be bright.