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Lesson 22: Labyrinths

Written by Isa Moon

This lessons contains a ritual! Click Here!

I thought of a labyrinth of labyrinths, of one sinuous spreading labyrinth that would encompass the past and the future and in some way involve the stars.
- Jorge Luis Borges

A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.

A labyrinth is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can walk it. It is a metaphor for life's journey. It is a symbol that creates a sacred space and place and takes us out of our ego to "That Which Is Within."

A labyrinth is a right brain task. It involves intuition, creativity, and imagery. With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. With a labyrinth there is only one choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not. A more passive, receptive mindset is needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.

At its most basic level the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who you are.

Myth and History of Labyrinths...

The Hopi Indians of North America had a symbol for Mother Earth known today as the "Classical Seven-Path Labyrinth." It was this symbol of the Mother, which identified the sacred in nature - that spiraling form found throughout nature. Labyrinths were woven into objects to personify man's connection to his source and were often placed at sacred places in nature to remind him of this union. When one walks the labyrinth it is in recreating this very ancient expression of thanks and remembrance of the divine in all things.

Revelations...

Revelations from nature are a part of humankind's connection to the creative nature of the Universe. Nature can be thought of as a reflection of the laws of creation. In many cultures from ancient Europe to the Americas it was considered a rite of passage to have a vision quest - to spend time totally alone in nature, in a spot chosen by the elders as a sacred place. From this time of solitude and of humility would come a vision. This vision could occur in the form of a bird whose spirit would teach or from an animal, a rock, or even the wind and water. Although the guidance came from within their being, often it was linked to a place in nature.

Healing...

The Labyrinth is an extension of man's desire to co-create with nature. When man consecrates space in nature as sacred he heals a part of himself. The earth has the capacity to heal us just as we have this capacity to heal the earth; it is a symbiotic relationship. In ages past when people worked closely with the earth the first and best fruits of the harvest were always returned to the Mother in thanks for her many gifts.

Gifting...

The Labyrinth is a beautiful form of this gifting process between man and his environment -- a precious spiraling pathway uniting us with our natural habitat. The conscious intent of creating this Sacred Space originates in our awareness of the divine and how we use the universal language of color, sound, movement and form to heal and regenerate our land, ourselves. We reveal ourselves by what we do and say, how we build, paint, and sing. The joy of unveiling the true self-freed of emotional restraints cannot be surpassed.

Transcend...

Labyrinths are temples that enhance and balance and bring a sense of the sacred - a place where we can confirm our unity with the cosmos, awaken our vital force and elevate our consciousness. These structures are space/time temples where we can behold realities that oddly enough transcend space and time. The orientation, form and geometry of a labyrinth have symbolic as well as spatial importance. It is a mirror for the divine, a place to behold the beauty in nature.

Intent...

Labyrinths are known as sacred gateways and have been found at the entrance of ancient sites around the world. Often located at the center of subtle 'earth energies' these temples enhance, balance, regenerate and confirm our unity with the cosmos.

Meditation...

A type of Labyrinth known as a Yantra was used as a meditation by Hindu midwives to assist in childbirth and served as a means of relaxation for the birth canal, another labyrinthine form.

Spirals...

The spiral is the most generative form of subtle energy. When its coil is unwound the stored energy is released. The areas where straight ley lines cross, or where underground water run are places to build sacred temples, labyrinths. These places are rich in both yin and yang (yin underground water crossing yang energy lines). The labyrinth resonates to this numinous spiral, the Phi ratio known as the 'Golden Mean' found in all of nature.

Labyrinths have always been associated with ancient pilgrimage routes and rituals of self-discovery. They were worn as a form of protection and ornamentation and were often found carved on doorways to bless a dwelling.

Magic...

Labyrinths are time windows, portals, where time stands still. They are known to facilitate altered states of consciousness and have parallels with reincarnation, initiation, prosperity, and fertility rites. Ancient Scandinavian sailors believed the labyrinth had magical properties and when walked could control the weather and ensure a good catch.

Movement...

Many Sacred Dances have taken place within the Labyrinth such as the "crane" dance recounted in the Greek legend of Theseus and the Minataur. It is believed that the action of "dancing" a labyrinth magically activates its inherent powers!

Ancient Temples...

As a universal symbol the Labyrinth appears throughout history dating some 4,500 years and appears cross-culturally over the face of our world throughout our known history.

The Brain...

Equated with the brain many cultures believed that the labyrinth could cure illness. Today the labyrinth is known to have a curative effect on certain ailments by producing a sense of well being and balance through a type of vestibular stimulation, accessing both left and right hemispheres of the brain.

Union...

Moving through a Labyrinth changes ordinary ways of perception connecting the inner and the outer, the right brain and the left brain, the involution and the evolution through a series of paths that represent the realms of the Gods and Goddesses. These realms are associated with planetary movement as a process that induces Union with the One.

How to walk a Labyrinth...

There is no right way to walk a labyrinth. You only have to enter and follow the path. However, your walk can encompass a variety of attitudes. It may be joyous or somber. It might be thoughtful or prayerful. You may use it as a walking meditation. Adults are often serious in the labyrinth. Children most often run in and out as fast as they can in a playful manner.

When you walk a labyrinth choose your attitude. From time to time choose a different attitude. Make it serious, prayerful, or playful. Play music or sing. Pray out loud. Walk alone and with a crowd. Notice the sky. Listen to the sounds. Most of all pay attention to your experience.

Some general guidelines for walking a labyrinth are:

1. Focus: Pause and wait at the entrance. Become quiet and centered. Give acknowledgment through a bow, nod, or other gesture and then enter.
2. Experience: Walk purposefully. Observe the process. When you reach the center, stay there and focus several moments. Leave when it seems appropriate. Be attentive on the way out.
3. Exit: Turn and face the entrance. Give an acknowledgement of ending, such as "Amen."
4. Reflect: After walking the labyrinth reflect back on your experience. Use journalizing or drawing to capture your experience.
5. Walk often.

Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love."
--Caroline Adams

Rituals to do in a Labyrinth...

Journey of Life

The most basic metaphor for walking a labyrinth is that of Life's Journey. Walk the labyrinth while mindful of your life. Envision your life's goal. Walk to your destiny and see what you learn. Pay attention to the sights and sounds. Do you feel lost at any time? If so, where in the labyrinth did it occur? What does that mean? Do you like one part of the labyrinth more than another? Why? What do the turns represent in your life? Do you resist some turns and like others. When you are outdoors notice subtle changes in the terrain � the ups and downs. Notice any synchronicities such as an overheard word or a bird's song. Consider all of your experiences in the labyrinth in relation to your life's journey. Walk alone and then journal your experience. Walk with a group and then share your experiences. What does the labyrinth teach you about your life?

Ritual of Goodbye/Hello

The person is asked to walk in first. Others follow after s/he completed the first circuit. Enter with about one minute separating the walkers.

When the person leaving/entering the group arrived in the center, s/he had time alone as s/he waited. One by one others enter the center with him/her and had a few moments to say a private goodbye. They then turned and slowly walked out. After the last goodbye, the person walks back out of the labyrinth to a group hug.

It can be a very meaningful and emotional experience. The labyrinth becomes the container for the emotions of parting/arriving and provides a safe and sacred place to share those feelings.

Joy Walk

The labyrinth is often approached with a very serious attitude. It is walked in a slow, solemn, deliberate manner. This is certainly one appropriate way of walking, and I have found it to be very helpful at times. However, the labyrinth also needs to be used in a joyous manner. It can be a place of celebration. Children instinctively know this and almost always run the labyrinth once they enter it. A planned Joy Walk can enliven a labyrinth experience.

**Play a rhythmic music CD such as Mickey Hart's Planet Drum.

**Give some of the participants children's musical instruments such as bells, rattles, tambourines, and drums.

Give some of the participants colorful scarves.

**Give some of the participants small bottles filled with a bubble blowing mixture and a wand for blowing bubbles.

**With the music playing the "bubble blowers" surround the labyrinth.

Their task is to blow as many bubbles as they can to the labyrinth walkers whom are making music or waving their scarves as they walk into and out of the labyrinth.

**When a walker completes the labyrinth, places are exchanged with a "bubble blower" who now takes the scarf or musical instrument and joyously walks the labyrinth.

One lesson is of spontaneous giving. The "bubble blowers" in their role want to insure that everyone has a good bubble experience while the musicians want to return music for the gift of bubbles. Everyone is giving to the others so that all will have fun.

Thanks to lessons4living.com and Labyrinthina.com for their wonderfully informative websites!