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What is the Labyrinth?
The labyrinth is a an ancient and archetypal symbol that dates back over 4000 years and was found in many cultures across the world (for example: Celtic, Greek, Scandinavian, Native American, Indian, Mayan, African and Aboriginal). Labyrinth symbols were found in the landscape, on coins, tiles, pottery, tablets, jewellery and so on. This powerful pattern was associated with healing rituals, spiritual pilgrimage, community cohesion, fertility and birth/rebirth. The pattern itself is a combination of the imagery of the circle and the spiral, where one path meanders purposefully towards the centre.
A labyrinth is not a maze; in a maze, there are many paths, dead-ends and blind alleys to lose oneself in...whereas in a labyrinth, we find ourself! There is only one path so our choice is simple…we have only to decide whether to enter or not. The path is unicursal - the way in is also the way out! This single path is a vibrant metaphor for Life’s Journey, a journey to our own centre/essence and back out again into the world, where we return to our community with a better insight into who we are and how we can contribute with our particular gifts (comparable to the Hero’s Journey).
Why walk the Labyrinth?
Walking the path can aid relaxation, meditation, reflection, insight, comfort, creativity and transformation. It teaches us about wholeness and how to ‘re-member’ ourselves and our path. The action of moving through the labyrinth can produce a sense of well-being and balance as it stimulates the vestibular system in the brain, and engages both the right and left brain hemispheres.
Walking the labyrinth invites mindfulness: we can turn our focus to letting go/welcoming in, resistance & surrender/acceptance, clarity & disorientation, the lost & the found…in short, paying attention to all of your experiences in the labyrinth will yield insight into how you walk through Life’s Journey!
The Cretan Labyrinth (also known as the Classical and seven-fold labyrinth)
This design is the oldest labyrinth form and was found on Cretan coins at the palace of Knossos; it also has obvious associations with the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. The seven folds within this design also correlate to the seven chakras, or energy-centres, in the body.
My journey with the Labyrinth
My own journey with the labyrinth began as a child when I became drawn to the Cretan Labyrinth whenever I was in Greece and could find the symbol on ceramics, jewellery and so on …I was instantly bewitched! Then, years later, in a women's spirituality group, I walked my first community-built labyrinth on the beach; this was a powerful experience and set in motion my rediscovery of the response I felt to the 'call' of the Cretan Labyrinth. After working with this labyrinth within a mystery tradition I then began to facilitate labyrinths for groups and individuals from 1997 to the present day.
Whilst I have enjoyed many of the other beautiful labyrinth forms, it is with this ancient pattern that I feel the most depth, healing and resonance. Consequently it is the Cretan form that I predominantly choose to work with as a labyrinth facilitator.
The labyrinth is a an ancient and archetypal symbol that dates back over 4000 years and was found in many cultures across the world (for example: Celtic, Greek, Scandinavian, Native American, Indian, Mayan, African and Aboriginal). Labyrinth symbols were found in the landscape, on coins, tiles, pottery, tablets, jewellery and so on. This powerful pattern was associated with healing rituals, spiritual pilgrimage, community cohesion, fertility and birth/rebirth. The pattern itself is a combination of the imagery of the circle and the spiral, where one path meanders purposefully towards the centre.
A labyrinth is not a maze; in a maze, there are many paths, dead-ends and blind alleys to lose oneself in...whereas in a labyrinth, we find ourself! There is only one path so our choice is simple…we have only to decide whether to enter or not. The path is unicursal - the way in is also the way out! This single path is a vibrant metaphor for Life’s Journey, a journey to our own centre/essence and back out again into the world, where we return to our community with a better insight into who we are and how we can contribute with our particular gifts (comparable to the Hero’s Journey).
Why walk the Labyrinth?
Walking the path can aid relaxation, meditation, reflection, insight, comfort, creativity and transformation. It teaches us about wholeness and how to ‘re-member’ ourselves and our path. The action of moving through the labyrinth can produce a sense of well-being and balance as it stimulates the vestibular system in the brain, and engages both the right and left brain hemispheres.
Walking the labyrinth invites mindfulness: we can turn our focus to letting go/welcoming in, resistance & surrender/acceptance, clarity & disorientation, the lost & the found…in short, paying attention to all of your experiences in the labyrinth will yield insight into how you walk through Life’s Journey!
The Cretan Labyrinth (also known as the Classical and seven-fold labyrinth)
This design is the oldest labyrinth form and was found on Cretan coins at the palace of Knossos; it also has obvious associations with the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. The seven folds within this design also correlate to the seven chakras, or energy-centres, in the body.
My journey with the Labyrinth
My own journey with the labyrinth began as a child when I became drawn to the Cretan Labyrinth whenever I was in Greece and could find the symbol on ceramics, jewellery and so on …I was instantly bewitched! Then, years later, in a women's spirituality group, I walked my first community-built labyrinth on the beach; this was a powerful experience and set in motion my rediscovery of the response I felt to the 'call' of the Cretan Labyrinth. After working with this labyrinth within a mystery tradition I then began to facilitate labyrinths for groups and individuals from 1997 to the present day.
Whilst I have enjoyed many of the other beautiful labyrinth forms, it is with this ancient pattern that I feel the most depth, healing and resonance. Consequently it is the Cretan form that I predominantly choose to work with as a labyrinth facilitator.