Labyrinths

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Labyrinths and Spirituality

by Magi

Please forgive the pun, but everywhere I turn these days, I seem to come across articles and books about labyrinths and spirituality. So I thought I would look into this a bit. Here’s the result.

A 60 second history (from wikipedia.org)

Prehistoric labyrinths serve either as traps for malevolent spirits or as defined paths for ritual dances.

During Medieval times the labyrinth symbolized a hard path to the God with a clearly defined centre (God) and one entrance (birth). Usually labyrinths can be thought as symbolic forms of pilgrimage; people can walk the path ascending themselves towards salvation or enlightenment. Many people could not afford to simply travel to holy sites and lands, so the use of labyrinths and prayer substituted that need.

Starting from the Renaissance labyrinths lose their central point: the person in the labyrinth is its centre, a reflection of humanistic teachings.

Today the labyrinth has moved into higher layers of reality, the Internet with its hypertext feature being a good example (the symbol of labyrinth merges with a symbol of book). Also, many labyrinths today exist in churches and parks, to provide people with a meditative way to relieve stresses and regrets.

There is evidence of the existence of labyrinths that can be traced back as far as 3500 years. The labyrinth as a symbol has been found in Europe and around the Mediterranean. Many labyrinth carvings are found on boulders, tombs, religious buildings (in cathedral pavements). Many clay tablets, mosaics, manuscripts, stone patterns, hedges, patterns woven into baskets and fabrics and pottery fragments throughout Europe seem to bear the same motif. They are also found carved in rock from the mountains in Arizona to caves in Spain. A Labyrinth-inscribed clay tablet from Pylos, Greece, could possibly be one of the earliest examples (approx. 3200 years old). Some equate the Mayan pyramids and Stonehenge with magical geometric forms that define sacred space. Prehistoric labyrinths have also been found carved on rock faces at Pontevedra, Spain and at Val Camonica in northern Italy, these latter ones are attributed to the late Bronze Age. The Rocky Valley labyrinths in Cornwall, England are supposed to be from the Bronze Age. The labyrinth is found etched into the sands of the Nazca Plain in Peru, in use among the Caduveo people of Brazil and scratched on boulders and rock-faces in Northern Mexico, New Mexico and Arizona.

‘Walking the labyrinth’ is something that seems to cross almost all religious and spiritual boundaries. You will find just as many, if not more, Christian references to the practice than you will pagan. Not only that but they are found in many countries and the major religious traditions in the world: India, France, Egypt, Scandinavia, Crete, Sumeria, America, the British Isles, and Italy.

Because the labyrinths have been built by various cultures around the earth, some claim they represent a universal pattern in human consciousness. Native Americans had them, and they continue to be used in the sacred ceremonies of the Hopi. The Hopi Indians called the labyrinth the symbol for “mother earth” and equated it with the Kiva (called it Tapu'at, or Mother-child.)

The Labyrinth as an architectural term derives its name from the famous ancient or mythical labyrinths of Crete and Egypt. The most famous Labyrinth from ancient times was the Cretan one, associated with the legend of the Minotaur, the monster half-man half-bull which dwelt in the heart of a labyrinth on the island of Crete. It was at the centre of the Labyrinth that the Minotaur devoured unsuspecting humans. Taken as an allegory, this myth tells the story of spiritual development as part of the mystery school teachings where one’s journey takes many twists and turns, involves overcoming many difficulties (represented by the Minotaur) in order to reach the truth (whatever that may be!) and then successfully return to this world.

A Roman mosaic showing Theseus and the Minotaur. From Rhaetia, Switzerland

If you consider the design of a ‘typical’ labyrinth, this I think, gives a clue to how it can be effectively used as a mediation tool and an aid to spirituality:

Starting at the entrance is the beginning of a journey into the self, maybe to find the answer to a particular question, maybe something more esoteric with a not so easy to define purpose. As one enters the labyrinth, so begins the journey within. There will be many twists and turns. But what I like about this particular design is that, unlike a maze, there are no blind-alleys or wrong turns; no need to have to double-back on one’s self to find the correct path as the path leads, eventually to the centre. Or to put it another way, as we journey within, right and wrong does not exist. It is the journey that is important. “There and back again”, as Bilbo Baggins put it. To run through the labyrinth will lead to one becoming very dizzy and losing all sense of direction, just as any journey within that is rushed will likewise lead to one feeling lost. It is far better to take one’s time, not worrying about where the journey will end because the finish is nowhere in sight. And indeed, will not even come into sight until one gets there. This is similar to journeying within, maybe looking for a particular answer, when something totally unexpected comes along. Then there is the slow journey back out again; a time for contemplation of what has been learned or gained. Again, this is not always obvious at first, and the twists and turns will provide the necessary clarity. This can be similar to a realisation gained during meditation when one thinks “ok, so what the heck does that mean”, which requires further contemplation to find the hidden meaning.

How to Walk the Labyrinth

You can either physically walk a labyrinth if you can find one near you, or you might walk it in mediation by visualising it in front of you and then entering and walking its pathways.

Whichever way you choose, walk at your own pace, and in the spirit of the moment. You will find you may walk it in different ways at different times.

It could be for fun, for peace, for healing. You might want to relax from stress, or take to the centre a question for discernment or a quest for guidance. You might use it for Zen walking or centring prayer. It may be for meditation or reflection or a search for the depths of your own spirit. You may want to repeat a mantra, a word or phrase with special spiritual meaning for you.

Take time beforehand to recollect yourself, or to form an intention or a question. Walk at your own pace within the lines, moving aside only to pass a person moving slower than yourself or coming in the opposite direction. When you reach the centre pause there a while before starting out again.