The Prayer of the Six Petaled Rose and the Mysteries of the Labyrinth
In the heart of France, about fifty miles southwest of Paris, stands the magnificent Chartres Cathedral—a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and a living testament to centuries of devotion.
Within its sacred walls lies one of the most famous labyrinths in the world: the 11-circuit Chartres-style labyrinth, embedded into the cathedral’s stone floor. Pilgrims have walked this winding path for centuries, tracing its loops in prayer and contemplation, symbolizing the soul’s journey toward union with the Divine.
Among the many spiritual traditions connected to Chartres is the mystical image of the six-petaled rose, which appears both in sacred art, stained glass and in the center of the labyrinth on the cathedral’s floor.
The pilgrim walks the labyrinth, and then stands in each petal to contemplate an aspect of the Lord’s prayer— a pathway for the soul to align with divine will.
The following excerpt comes from The Book of Love, a work of historical fiction by Kathleen McGowan. While it is a fictional novel, McGowan’s writing is rooted in over two decades of research into Mary Magdalene, Jesus Christ, and early Gnostic Christianity.
This prayer offers a deeply symbolic reimagining of the Lord’s Prayer, inviting the seeker to step, petal by petal, into a fuller embodiment of divine love.
“Working from the left to the right, we embrace the first petal of the holy rose
First Petal – FAITH
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
To our Father Who is Benevolent and Reigns in Heaven—your names are hallowed and sacred.
Contemplate here our faith in the Lord and the grace of the Holy Spirit. Give gratitude for the gift of life and for the beauty of the Earth.
Faith is the root from which the rest of the petals unfold.
Second Petal – SURRENDER
Thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
Your Kingdom comes to us through obedience to your will. Thy will be done.
Listen to the voice of God, the Divine until you hear their will clearly. Carry it out without fear or hesitation.
Stay in this petal for as long as needed, until you feel the blessed release of surrender.
Third Petal – SERVICE
On Earth as it is in Heaven.
Here we reaffirm our promise—to God and to ourselves—to become awakened.
If you are not yet in remembrance, confirm your commitment to create Heaven on Earth through the Way of Love: loving God above all else, and loving your brothers and sisters as yourself.
Pray for enlightenment, realization, that through direct knowing (gnosis) we may remember our eternal promise.
Fourth Petal – ABUNDANCE
Give us this day our daily bread.
Give thanks to the Divine for all they have provided.
When you live in harmony with Divine will and honor your promise of service, you will know the bounty of abundance.
Trust that nothing you truly need will be withheld when you live in the flow of God’s grace.
Fifth Petal – FORGIVENESS
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Forgive us for our errors and debts, as we forgive ourselves and all others.
List those who have harmed you—pray for their awakening and wholeness.
Ask forgiveness from those you have wronged.
And most of all, forgive yourself for the actions and thoughts that have brought you shame.
All forgiveness is the balm of our compassionate Mother, but self-forgiveness is needed most of all.
Sixth Petal – STRENGTH
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Keep me on the path of righteousness. Deliver me from the temptations of avarice, hubris, sloth, lust, wrath, gluttony, and envy.
These are the temptations that keep us from remembering our Divine promise of realization.
Contemplate these sins and pray for release from anything that tempts you away from your divine path.
Pray in this manner, and teach your brothers and sisters to do the same. For it is through living this prayer that we create Heaven on Earth, and it is through this prayer that we live as love expressed.
Love conquers all.
For those with ears to hear, let them hear it.”
As I integrated these teachings into my own divine knowing, walked the labyrinth and reflected in its center, this translation of the Lord’s Prayer emerged through me:
Great Spirit, Mother, Father God, all that is Sacred,
May I see this life as a gift.
May I trust in the Mystery.
I offer my will to your will, to divine will.
Allow me to be a sacred chalice for something greater than myself.
May I create Heaven on Earth through aligning with Divine Will, and Becoming a vehicle of the Divine, by uniting with the inner cosmos.
May I trust in the abundance of the universe…
That when I am acting in alignment with divine will, may I trust that I will always be provided for.
May I be humble and ask for forgiveness for where I have caused harm. May I open my heart to forgive others. And most of all, may I forgive myself.
Please God, help me to live in alignment with this prayer and help me stay true amidst all the temptation in this world. May I align myself with your Kingdom, that which is good, holy and true, a path that will lead me beyond suffering and into a state of oneness with all.
With Love,
Meredith
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