A labyrinth is a meditation tool that has a history connected with ancient and medieval times. It can be represented either symbolically in art, or physically as pathways constructed on the ground. This article will be focusing primarily on physical labyrinths, which are used as a walking meditative act and can greatly enhance your spiritual journey. People who follow a wide variety of spiritual and religious paths integrate the use of labyrinth walking into their spiritual practices. There are also individuals who use labyrinth walking for non-spiritual purposes and instead focus mainly on psychological transformation and right brain enhancement.
Sometimes confused with mazes, a labyrinth is different in that a maze offers many choices along its route while a labyrinth offers only one. In a labyrinth there are no dead-ends or confusing choices, rather there is a unicursal path that takes you to the center and then back out again. This path, referred to as a circuit, is a single unobstructed path that winds its way toward the center of the labyrinth and then back out again. Labyrinths can be indoors such as the labyrinth in Grace Cathedral, San Francisco and many of them are outdoors such as the Maze in Saffron Walden, England, which is the largest surviving turf labyrinth in England. As they grow in popularity, labyrinths are becoming much more common and some people even create labyrinths on their property for their own personal use.
When used for spiritual enhancement, the labyrinth can offer a symbolic three-fold path and this is what gives a labyrinth its power. Upon entering you begin the symbolic path of release, of letting go, then you make your way toward the center which represents illumination and opening up to the Divine in whichever form you recognize this to be. Your returning journey then brings union or taking the benefits of your walk back into your life. But a labyrinth walk has little or no benefit unless you form an intention before entering. It is very important to quietly reflect on an aspect of your life that you wish to focus on before walking a labyrinth. Then, as you begin the walk, you release the thought and hopefully gain greater insight and clarity as you follow the gentle, precise path. The release is a surrender of judgment and preconceptions. It is a release of all the myriad of busy thoughts in our minds that cause our spiritual journey to become stagnant. The beauty of the labyrinth is that it allows your mind to grow quiet as your body takes over. It doesn't force you to problem solve but rather allows you to peacefully reflect as the path guides you.
Aside from focusing on intention beforehand, there is no “right” way in which to walk a labyrinth. Some people walk at a very slow pace while quietly reflecting, while others may stop from time to time along the way in moments of meditation. Some people may pray aloud or silently, others may offer a smile or hug to someone they know; it’s all up to the individual nature of each person. This is one of the beauties of the labyrinth because it teaches us a valuable lesson that reflects our journey through life. The lesson is that although each of us are unique individuals with different ways of approaching life, we are also share a common path in this life, that of going in and going out. The labyrinth can help in bringing us a greater understanding of who we are, yet it can also help us to understand and be patient with the differences of others while together we walk this sacred path called life.
