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The Labyrinth - A Walking Meditation
A labyrinth is:
- a tool for focus, stress reduction, team and community building.
- a mystical tradition for spiritual growth and prayer.
- a tool for quieting the mind and honoring silence.
- a tool for clarity and creativity.
- an opportunity for the inner and outer worlds to meet.
- holy ground where two worlds touch.
- an organic, fluid experience.
- an activity for wholeness.
- a process of trust.
- a circular walking path.
It is:
- grounded in history from the middle ages.
- found cross-culturally all over the world and in all religious traditions.
- not a maze. There is only one way in and one way out.
- Mazes confuse; labyrinths calm, quiet and focus.
- The Chartres and Classical 7-circuit labyrinth patterns are: ancient, archetypal, universal and collective.
- The Chartres has four quadrants that move circuitously.
- The Chartres pattern was put in floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France around 1220 and was used by the early Christians for prayer.
- The Classical pattern comes from ancient Crete and has been found in caves and on broken bits of pottery.
A labyrinth pattern, usually circular, has been associated with pilgrimages, rituals and self-discovery and represents the life journey. Since they were first built, labyrinths have appeared in civilazations in times of great turmoil and crisis.
The energy of the labyrinth harmonizes and balances the masculine and feminine. It symbolizes a connection to a higher source and brings one to the center of the self. Thus, offering a powerful opportunity for new images, reflections and insights. The labyrinth creates a safe, open place where inner and outer worlds can meet to become one.
A Chartes pattern has eleven circles. The path is narrow enough that you need to focus to stay on, wide enough to step to the side to let another pass and the amount of time it takes to get to the center allows one to lose the outside world. There is no one way to walk a labyrinth. It is walked at your own pace. Our journey is never direct or straight. It takes unexpected, unplanned and authentic turns. By the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other, we arrive where we are supposed to be. What happens in the labyrinth can be a metaphor for life.
For some people, a labyrinth is a time for peaceful reflection, a stroll in the woods. For others, the experience is profound and comes with transforming insights. People use labyrinths in times of uncertainty, when facing difficult decisions, for healing emotional wounds, during illness and grief. It is used as praise, thanksgiving, prayer, hope, inspiration and joy. The experience can calm, energize, clear, give meaning or understanding. It can facilitate letting go, change, transition or reconciliation. Reflecting on where you are can turn the simple experience of walking into a mind, body, spirit connection with the potential for wholeness.
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