Labyrinths

Week 23 - the letter "L"

We have a labyrinth (photo below) in one of our local parks.  It's quite beautiful and I love having it so close to where we live.  It is a meander-type labyrinth in the Chartes-style.  Prior to it being installed here, I knew of labyrinths (both the maze [which some do not consider an actual labyrinth] and meander type) but hadn't had the opportunity to truly experience one.  When I saw it for the first time, I felt something unexplainable.  When I walked it for the first time, I found something amazing.

I'm a very grounded person and some call me a "natural ground."  It's easy for me and I can aid others in achieving the same.  But walking the labyrinth took me to an entirely new level of being grounded, but more so, relaxed.

Imagine taking a long, luxurious bath where the water is the perfect temperature and the perfect depth.  You are completely undisturbed by any outside forces and your brain is calm and quiet.  No aches and pains, no stress, no worries.  When you are ready, you leave the bath, put on something extremely comfortable, and climb into bed.  This bed is the ideal blend of softness and support and before long you drift off into a deep and restful sleep.  You awake naturally and find yourself in a very zen-like state.  This is what the labyrinth does for me.

Walking the labyrinth is a meditation for me.  It is something that is mindful enough that the gremlins don't creep in and start up their chatter, but also mindless enough that I can just be present. 

From Awakenings: Lessons for Living:

"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

We are all on the path... exactly where we need to be. The labyrinth is a model of that path.

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." 

Labyrinths and mazes have often been confused. When most people hear of a labyrinth they think of a maze. A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is like a puzzle to be solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It is a left brain task that requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct path into the maze and out.

A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. The way in is the way out. There are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and out again.

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.

More on my experience with labyrinths next week.