What is a Labyrinth?

In Chartres Cathedral, the labyrinth remains.  It is an integral part of the Cathedral’s grand design, and contributes to the sacredness of the space.  The stones that make up the path are not painted with the pattern as you might imagine; rather, the stones comprise the pattern.  The path is laid out in eleven concentric circles intricately woven in a sacred geometric pattern.  It is surrounded by twenty-eight semi-circular lunations per quadrant, creating a third of the year’s lunar calendar around the labyrinth’s perimeter. 

Still the question remains, why walk the labyrinth now?  In its simplest form the labyrinth is a walking meditative path.  It can be used individually as an alternative to sitting meditation.  Because it requires no figuring out, one can simply walk, allow the mind to quiet, and let the body take over.  We may walk, dance, or crawl the path, doing what the body calls forth; there are no rules, there is no right or wrong way.  The labyrinth is also widely used as a group meditation activity.  Walking on a painted canvas that is a replica of the Chartres labyrinth or outdoors between the stone outlines of the Cretan labyrinth pattern evokes thoughts of our interactions with each other on life’s journey.  It becomes a metaphor for life.

The labyrinth is often described as a three-fold path.  Upon entering one begins the symbolic path of purgation, or releasing and letting go.  The center represents illumination and opening to the Divine.  The return path is union, taking the walk’s benefits back into our lives.  But we do not walk the path alone; others share our journey.  On the labyrinth someone may be walking ahead of us at a pace we find difficult to follow.  Our choice then becomes to stay behind and walk at another’s pace or go around them and honor our own body’s rhythm.  There are times when we may come face to with a fellow journeyer.  Will we greet them with a smile or even a hug, or will we remain within ourselves and continue on the path?  There is no right or wrong way; the choice is ours to make.  It is in these moments that the labyrinth’s mystery and sacredness become apparent.  We begin to take a look at how we are in life about our chosen path and at those with whom we walk.  We have the opportunity to consider what is important, what we call sacred.

Intention is an important part of the labyrinth journey.  Certainly those who walked it in the Middle Ages came to the Cathedral with a very specific purpose.  The pilgrims intentionally emulated their ancestors’ walk to the Holy Land in a new and venerable way.  How might we bring intention and purpose to our walk today?  One way is to sit quietly before walking and focus on an aspect of life that seems important or of concern at the moment.  Then, as the walk begins, release the thought and enter the labyrinth.  Wonderful stories abound of the insights received from walking with the intention of gaining clarity.  At the very least, a deep sense of peace is experienced -- and what a gift such peace can be, especially during troubled times.

As mentioned earlier, there are individuals and organizations that bring the labyrinth on canvas to church groups, hospitals, even prisons, making the path to the sacred available to those seeking peace. The labyrinth has also been used in cancer support groups with great success.  The Labyrinth Guild of New England recently hosted a daylong labyrinth festival, at which more than 100 attendees and presenters from all over North America participated together in labyrinth workshops and open walks.  Attendees and presenters alike reported gentle insights, healing interactions, and the feeling of wanting more such opportunities for self-reflection and joy in community. 

Our experiences with the labyrinth have profoundly changed our lives.  We would never have imagined that what seems like a simple path could make such a difference for so many others and ourselves.  Just placing the canvas in an otherwise normal room creates sacred space.  People entering the room immediately soften and brighten; many have spoken of a feeling of coming home. The sense of community that walking together brings, right from the start, helps those who feel isolated and alone to experience being part of a new, loving family.

The idea of walking with intention combined with walking in community can create a breakthrough experience.  Imagine for a moment the staff of a company, wrestling with a difficult problem related to how they work together.  They spend some time talking about the strong and weak points of their interactions.  They brainstorm possible solutions to the challenges before them, and then walk the labyrinth with the intention to adopt a new, more beneficial way of working together.  During the walk they begin to see how they share the same path.  They walk in front or behind one another and notice that while their paces may differ, with some moving slowly while others hasten to the center, they are all on the same path.  They find themselves face to face, each headed in a different direction but still on the same path.  When they are finished everyone seems much calmer and willing to look at the opportunities available to work things out.  Just imagine how that would be.  This too is a path to the sacred.

Now imagine bringing the labyrinth out into the community.  How often do we walk with people in our neighborhood, or even the members of our own family?  What if we began to create parks with labyrinths in them where we could walk with our friends and neighbors?  What if a canvas labyrinth was available for town officials or local church groups to walk?  Let’s make the dream a bit bigger.  Let’s imagine people walking the path to the sacredness of our common humanity.  What if we created an intention to walk together in small and large groups all over the planet in peace and harmony, in observance of the anniversary of 9-11-2001?  The Labyrinth Guild of New England is dreaming that dream and would love to partner with others interested in joining us to make it a reality.

Working with the labyrinth is a true honor and privilege. We are often asked about it being just another New Age thing.  Our response is, “It’s so old it’s retro!”  We hope you’ll consider walking the path either by yourself or in your community.  We think that, like so many others, you will find it a true path to the sacredness of who you are.