Labyrinth at Covenant Baptist Church - Garden Ridge, Texas USA
N 29° 37.176 W 098° 18.033
14R E 567717 N 3276838
This rustic labyrinth is a large traditionally shaped labyrinth measuring about 56 feet in diameter with 11 circuits walk to get to the center. The pathway is native soil with fist sized native limestone rocks providing the boundary of the trail.
Waymark Code: WM17Z4R
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/24/2023
Views: 0
The Covenant Baptist Church is in the Northeast quadrant of the Greater San Antonio Metropolitan area. Technically the church and its associated labyrinth is in the city of Garden Ridge, so if you use Garden Ridge or San Antonio, your GPS should get you there using either one. Covenant Baptist street address is 19204 FM 2252/Nacogdoches Road, Garden Ridge (or San Antonio), Texas.
Pull into the entrance and drive to the back edge of the parking lot. You will see a walking path leading from the end of the parking lot unto the grove of trees and its undergrowth. The path is easy to walk and is quite pleasant to walk. At the beginning of the trail, the path forks. Take the right fork to continue on to the labyrinth. The left fork takes you a short distance to a terminus where a bench and table are arranged for sitting to talk or read. Taking the fork to the right will meander gently through the peaceful grove for a few minutes of walking until you see the trees thin out and a meadow comes into view. This meadow is bursting with native red, brown, blue, and yellow wildflowers and the cactus plants are blooming large bright yellow flowers to feed the bees, beetles, flies and other nectar-loving bugs. The pathway continues on and integrates itself into the pathway into the labyrinth itself.
Follow the path into the center. Take your time. There are no designated stops for meditating or for doing the Stations of the Cross unless you think to add that in yourself as you travel the path. This is a large labyrinth, so if you are walking it alone you can travel at your own pace. If the limestone rocks defining the edge of the path have gotten bumped or tumbled into the pathway, simply nudge the stray stones back into the edge with the other stones. The center has no central bolder or tablet of stone but there are six points that form from the edge circle and extend into the center for a foot or two.
A labyrinth is a single pathway into its center and the same path is used to exit the labyrinth. The concept for walking a labyrinth is to allow yourself to meditate and release your tensions and worries on the way in. At the center, you can release those frustrations and leave them there in the center. Return on the same path back with a more relaxed attitude of hope and contentment.
To return to the parking lot, simply walk back the same way your walked in. The labyrinth will blend into the trail into the grove of trees and you will meander back to the parking lot.
Before you travel to this Garden Ridge location, you can print out the online copy of this church's page suggesting how to walk their labyrinth. It is worth reading prior to arriving. Print a copy and bring the guidelines with you.
As a side note, there is another Covenant Baptist Church located in Houston, TX which also has a large outdoor labyrinth. That one is a commercially made labyrinth modeled after the Chartres Cathedral's design in France.
Covenant Baptist Church, Garden Ridge's "Covenant Labyrinth Guided Pilgrimage":
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visit link)
Covenant Baptist Church of Houston's waymarked labyrinth:
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visit link)