Discover the Labyrinth

A Sacred Path of Connection
Being in communion with Nature offers a deep connection with my Inner Self and with Spirit. Walking a labyrinth is another practice I have found that provides this sacred connection.

What is a Labyrinth?

The labyrinth is a single winding path that leads you to a centre and back out again. It is not a maze. A maze is designed to confuse you and has dead ends and a labyrinth does not.

Origins

Labyrinths are found in different cultures all over the world. They take many different forms and are made of a variety of materials. Labyrinths are part of religious and non-religious traditions. They can be made of tile in cathedrals, stone on hillsides, painted on canvas, carved in wood, or woven into hospital rugs.

The first labyrinth design appeared around 4,000 years ago. The purpose and origins of early labyrinths are unknown. It is believed that labyrinths evolved from the spiral patterns found in Nature.

My first labyrinth experience happened in 2003 when I walked a canvas labyrinth. I did not know what to expect – it was a canvas with lines painted on it. But I decided I would just be open to the experience. I discovered that there was much more to the labyrinth than lines painted on canvas. I didn't know anything about sacred geometry or the labyrinth as a spiritual path, but I fell in love with the labyrinth that day. It was a living experience of the sacred. It is a path that speaks very clearly to me. An energy of grace and love lives in the labyrinth. 

When you walk the labyrinth with your feet or with a finger, you resonate with something that is beyond your thinking mind. It invites you to go beyond your usual thinking or feeling and experience the world differently.

Why Walk?

The labyrinth is a sacred space. It is a place to move into the heart of your Being and the heart of the Divine.

It is a liminal or thin space where the divide between the worlds is fluid. It is a place where the seen and unseen worlds flow together. It is a safe place to experience the sacred within and around you.

At its simplest, a labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to one's own center. People walk the labyrinth to find their center and connect with eternal truths.

People walk, dance, or crawl the labyrinth to find clarity, peace, and insight, to pray, heal, celebrate, meditate, find wisdom, connect with Spirit, and build community.

The labyrinth is beautiful because it integrates body, mind, emotions, and Spirit in one practice. It invites you to connect with the depth of your intuition. As you walk, as you move the body, the mind quiets, and it is easier to hear your inner guidance and connect with the depths of your Being.

The labyrinth speaks to the intuitive, imaginative, and spiritual Nature of those who walk it. It is a path that leads from ordinary life to the deeper aspects of one's inner knowing, one's Soul and Spirit, and back again.

You walk the labyrinth for many reasons: to lessen anxiety, to reflect, to find guidance, to enhance creativity, to honour life transitions, to work, to grieve, to celebrate. You can take any question or theme to the labyrinth. It is always good to walk without expectation and be open to the gifts and insights you receive. The benefits are unique to each person.

The labyrinth is a path of peace, healing, clarity, inspiration, and creativity. It can be very grounding and meditative.

You can download a copy of the 11-circuit Chartres Labyrinth and use it to go on a finger walk – you walk the labyrinth with your finger. You can also go to https://labyrinthlocator.org to find a labyrinth near you.

How to Walk

The labyrinth has a 3 Fold Path

Remembering: Before any walk, you take time to be grateful for your life and to prepare your intention. Walk without expectation. Expectations can limit your experience – if you walk in the woods looking for a particular bird, you may not see that bird at all, and you may be so focused on finding the bird that you miss everything else around you.

Releasing: Begin your walk. Let go of daily concerns, quiet your mind, open your heart, and breathe. Go at your own pace. Take your time, let feelings arise, and focus on your breath.

Receiving: The time you spend in the centre is for receiving. Take as long as you like to connect with your inner knowing and a higher power. The centre is a place of reflection, connection and listening.

Returning: You return on the same path you walked in, with the gifts you have received. On the journey out, your experience integrates. You may experience a sense of well-being, calm, or excitement. Each experience is different.

Walking the labyrinth is your experience. You will discover what it is you need to discover. Of course, the best way to learn about the labyrinth is to walk with an open heart and mind and let your experience guide you.

A Finger Labyrinth Walk

Download the labyrinth. The labyrinth in your hand is more than a piece of paper. It carries the Spirit of the tree, the hands that created it, and the labyrinth itself. It is a sacred space.

Preparation for the Walk

You are about to enter a nourishing space rich with wisdom. You will journey through liminal space, crossing a threshold to transition from the outer world to the inner world, from who you are to who you are becoming.

How can you be fully present today? What do you need to let go of?  

Take a moment to reflect on this and jot it down. 

Set your Intention: What gift would you like to receive? How do you want the walk to go?

Do you seek the gift of peace, joy, strength, or inspiration? If you have walked before, ask a question in the labyrinth. Just make it an open-ended question—not a yes or no question. Have a gentle agenda—this is not about accomplishment.

What quality would you need to receive this gift? Receptivity, openness, curiosity, a beginner's mind, or wonder.

You may listen to quiet music while walking the labyrinth or do this outside in Nature. Please take your time and move at your own pace, releasing, receiving, and returning. When you finish your walk, you may want to jot down a feeling or a word that comes to mind—a guiding thought, not an analysis.

Journal Questions

What was your experience like?

What gifts did you receive?

What wisdom did you draw from the well of intuition?

Did you leave anything behind?

Did you find something in the labyrinth?

Some Eternal Truths of the Labyrinth:

You struggle to find a path you are already on.

Far into the path, you can find yourself on the outer rim. It can be hard to realize that the entire path is necessary—trust the path—trust life. Sometimes, a goal can be just within reach and then move away.

You can trust the path to take you to the centre – no matter how far away you are.

Closing

The labyrinth is a sacred space. It is a container that holds us. It is a place of integration, a place to reclaim the body, a place of connection with your inner knowing and with Spirit. It is a place to let the mind quiet and your intuitive, imaginative Self come forward. It is a place to open to the sacred and rediscover the sacred within. 

If you wish to learn more, visit http://veriditas.org.