The Mystery and Magic of the Labyrinth
Spiritually connect with this walking meditation
by Melanie Bowden
My first labyrinth walk was in a garden at a retreat center. I skeptically entered the stone-lined circular path to look for answers regarding a conflict with a family member. Within minutes I was so overwhelmed at the insight I discovered that I stopped dead in my tracks and gasped out loud. I not only found understanding for the other person’s behavior, but also felt a strong wave of forgiveness and sympathy wash over me.
I have since returned to the labyrinth many times, either to ponder a conflict, look for direction or just to quiet the chatter in my brain.
What is a Labyrinth?
For centuries the pattern of the labyrinth has been utilized to help people connect with their spirituality. The labyrinth is not a maze, but a set of concentric footpaths. A person enters and exits at the same point, following a path that winds into the center of a circle, and then takes that same path back out. Labyrinths can be found in a variety of places: gymnasiums, hospitals, playgrounds, prisons, etched in the dirt of a California canyon and mowed into the cornfields of an Illinois farm.
According to Melissa Gayle West, a psychotherapist and the author of Exploring the Labyrinth: A Guide for Healing and Spiritual Growth, the labyrinth evolved from the spiral, the universal symbol of growth and transformation. We see spirals in the scalar patterns of a pinecone, the chambers of a nautilus shell and in our own fingerprints. West says, “The spiral is literally encoded into the universe. The labyrinth, echoing the spiral’s transformational theme, has invited journeyers and spiritual seekers through the ages to contemplate the mysteries of life. Each time we walk the labyrinth we walk into a world that contains far more mystery and magic than our literal minds could ever grasp.”
Renewed interest in the labyrinth has surged since the early ‘90s, largely due to the work of Reverend Lauren Artress of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Artress founded “Verditas: The Worldwide Labyrinth Project” in 1991 after traveling to Chartres Cathedral in France. The Chartres labyrinth was built into the cathedral floor during the Crusades, around 1220, to provide a spiritual journey for those who couldn’t make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Artress found walking Chartres’ stone labyrinth so transforming that she dedicated herself to spearheading a labyrinth movement.
Benefits of the Labyrinth
Like Artress, thousands have discovered that the labyrinth is a powerful tool, accessible to all. Walking the labyrinth can deepen spirituality, help access intuition and creativity or provide a way to connect with your community. People have been known to cry, laugh out loud and even jump for joy during their labyrinth walks.
Of her first walk Darcy Spence says, “Even though I walked with a group of 10 people, I felt calm, peaceful and relaxed at the end. I know my blood pressure went way down!”
Other comments from labyrinth walkers include:
“I feel centered, grounded, and more in touch with my spirit. The labyrinth quiets my anxiety and leaves me in peace.”
“I have a labyrinth in my yard that I walk every day. My husband says that since I started walking the labyrinth regularly I am more directed, passionate about my work, more calm and more loving.”
“It’s a guided walking meditation and you can’t get lost — really! I just walk and pay attention to what comes up. I find it very quieting.”
Preparing for a Labyrinth Walk
There is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth. You may walk slow or fast, skip, run, sing or dance; there are no rules. As the labyrinth is different for everyone, do not get discouraged if your first attempts are awkward and uneventful.
The three parts of the labyrinth are: walking in, remaining in the center, and walking out. Walking in is a time to let go of the details and concerns of your life; the center is a time of meditation and prayer; and walking out is symbolic of taking what you received back out into the world and incorporating it into your life.
You will gain more from your labyrinth walks if you enter with an open mind. West suggests you ask yourself, “Am I really willing to receive guidance that may lead me in a new direction? Is my commitment to knowing the truth greater than my commitment to having the answer be the one I’m demanding?” If you can honestly say yes, then you are ready to begin your walk.
West also finds using “mindful preparation” for a walk makes for a deeper, more transformative experience. Before you go to the labyrinth, or as you take a moment at the entrance to become clear about your intentions, try one of the following suggestions to mindfully prepare for your walk:
* Think of a question or issue that concerns you right now, either big or small. My own concerns have ranged from “How do I keep my kids’ fighting from getting to me?” to “What am I suppose to learn from the recent death of my Grandmother?”
* Pray for someone or for healing in a particular situation.
* Walk the path as your life journey, with all of its twists and turns. In the center meditate on what you need to do on your life path at this point.
* On a birthday or anniversary reflect on the past year or plan for the upcoming year.
* Give thanks for all of life’s gifts and ponder how to better foster a life of gratitude.
* Pray or ask for guidance regarding a relationship issue.
The Power of the Labyrinth
The healing power of the labyrinth works in mysterious ways. Research is still to be done to determine the brain/body connection for those undertaking a labyrinth walk and why so many experience deep spiritual and personal healing.
Georgiana Lofty, a labyrinth facilitator and author of the book, Step by Step: How to Introduce the Labyrinth, believes in the labyrinth’s power. She says, “The labyrinth teaches that we need to trust our sacred walk in life. Just put one foot in front of the other and walk toward God, Home, Center, Higher Power. The [labyrinth] patterns are complex enough that a walker has to give up some control of knowing where they are going. Isn’t this a wonderful metaphor of what our sacred walk in life’s wonders has to offer?”
Melanie Bowden is a California writer currently writing a book on the issue of postpartum. [click to e-mail].
