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The Labyrinth: A
Path to the Sacred
by Tricia Kibbe |
The labyrinth is much discussed and
asked about these days. Where does it come from? Why
does it look the way it does? How was it used originally
and why would we want to walk it today? Those of us
walking it in our yards and bringing it on canvas to
others are finding much deeper questions and sacred
responses.
It is true that the labyrinth is often confused with
a maze. Just the word, labyrinth, brings to mind a
puzzle to be deciphered with dead ends and no exit. For
some, labyrinth evokes the myth of Theseus and the
Minotaur. The sacred labyrinths of Crete and Chartres
being walked by many today hold no tricks; they are
unicursal paths. Hence, the only decision needed is when
to enter. Once that first step is taken, the path takes
you to the center and back out again. This simplistic
design is the first hint of the labyrinth’s power.
It is not known how the labyrinth was used in ancient
Crete but its use in France and Northern Italy is more
widely understood. The records that would document this
were destroyed during World War II but the story lives
on. Pilgrims ventured to the Holy Land as a sacred
journey from all over Europe during the early Middle
Ages. When the Crusades began, travel became very
dangerous and the Church wanted to prevent a greater
loss of life. Cathedrals were being built in France and
Italy at that time and the labyrinth was placed in the
floor of many of these churches to represent the sacred
pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The pilgrims came to the
cathedral and walked the sacred path arriving at the
center called the "New Jerusalem". Over time,
the labyrinths’ use became unpopular and its power
came under suspicion. It was torn out or painted over in
many of the church floors where it had been widely used.
In Chartres Cathedral, the labyrinth remains. It is
an intricate part of the Cathedral’s grand design. The
stones that make up the path are not painted with the
pattern as you might imagine; the stones are the
pattern. The path is laid out in eleven concentric
circles intricately woven in a sacred geometric pattern.
It is surrounded by lunations, twenty-eight semi-circles
per quadrant creating a quarter year’s lunar calendar
around the labyrinths’ perimeter. The labyrinth’s
relationship to the magnificent stained glass Rose
window in the church’s entry is also significant. If
the front wall were placed down flat on the floor, the
entire window would exactly cover and match the size and
shape of the labyrinth. The Sacred space is created in
part by the labyrinth’s presence.
All of this being said, the question still remains,
why would we walk the labyrinth now? In its simplest
form the labyrinth is a walking meditative path. It can
be used individually as an alternative to sitting
meditation. Because it requires no figuring out, one can
simply walk, allow the mind to quiet, and let the body
take over. We may walk, dance, or crawl the path, do
what the body calls forth; there are no rules, there is
no right or wrong way. The labyrinth is also widely used
as a group meditation activity. Walking on a painted
canvas that is a replica of the Chartres labyrinth or
outdoors between the stone outline of the Cretan
labyrinth evokes thoughts of our interactions with each
other on life’s journey. It becomes a metaphor for
life.
The labyrinth is metaphorically a three-fold path.
Upon entering one begins the symbolic path of purgation
of releasing and letting go. The center represents
illumination and opening to the Divine. The return path
is union; taking the walk’s benefits back into our
lives. But we do not walk the path alone; others share
our journey. On the labyrinth someone may be walking
ahead of us at a pace we find difficult to follow. Our
choice then becomes to stay behind and walk at another’s
pace or go around them and honor our own body’s
rhythm. There are times when we may come face to with a
fellow journeyer. Will we greet them with a smile or
even a hug or will we remain within ourselves and
continue on the path? There is no right or wrong way,
the choice is ours to make. It is in these moments that
the labyrinth’s mystery and sacredness become
apparent. We begin to take a look at how we are in life
about our chosen path and at those with whom we walk. We
have the opportunity to consider what is important, what
we call sacred.
Intention is an important part of the labyrinth
journey. Certainly those who walked it in the Middle
Ages came to the Cathedral with a very specific purpose.
The pilgrims intentionally emulated their ancestors’
walk to the Holy Land in a new and venerable way. How
might we bring intention and purpose to our walk today?
One way is to sit quietly before walking and focus on an
aspect of life that seems important or of concern at the
moment. Then, as the walk begins, with the intention of
gaining clarity, release the thought and enter the
labyrinth. Wonderful stories abound of the insights and
peace found when this idea is used. At the very least a
deep sense of peace is experienced -- and what a gift
such peace can be, especially during troubled times.
As mentioned earlier, there are those who bring the
labyrinth on canvas to church groups, hospitals, even
prisons, making the path to the sacred available to
those seeking peace. The labyrinth has also been used in
cancer support groups with great success. My experiences
with the labyrinth have profoundly changed my life. I
would never have imagined that what seems like a simple
path could make such a difference for so many people.
Just placing the canvas in an otherwise normal room
creates sacred space. People entering the room
immediately soften and brighten; many have spoken of a
feeling of coming home. The sense of community that
walking together brings, right from the start, helps
those who might feel isolated and alone to begin feeling
part of a new family.
The idea of walking with intention combined with
walking in community can create a breakthrough
experience. Imagine for a moment the staff of company,
wrestling with a difficult problem related to how they
work together. They spend some time talking about the
strong and weak points of their interactions. They
brainstorm about some possible solutions to the
challenges before them, and then walk the labyrinth with
the intention to adopt a new, more beneficial way of
working together. During the walk they begin to see how
they share the same path. They walk in front or behind
one another and notice that their pace may be different,
some moving slowly while others hasten to the center,
all on the same path. They find themselves face to face,
each headed in a different direction but still on that
same path. When they are finished everyone seems much
calmer and willing to look at the opportunities
available to work things out. Just imagine how that
would be. This is a path to the sacred.
Now imagine bringing the labyrinth out into the
community. How often do we walk with people in our
neighborhood, or even the members of our own family?
What if we began to create parks with labyrinths in
them, where we could walk with our friends and
neighbors? What if a canvas labyrinth was available for
town officials or local church groups to walk? Let’s
make the dream a bit bigger. Let’s imagine people
walking the path to the sacredness of our common
humanity. What if we created an intention to walk
together in small and large groups all over the planet
in peace and harmony? What if we had a walk of that kind
to commemorate the anniversary of 9-11? The Labyrinth
Guild of New England is dreaming that dream and would
love to partner with others interested in making it a
reality.
Working with the labyrinth is a true honor and
privilege. I am often asked about it being just another
New Age thing. My response is, "It’s so old it’s
retro!" I hope you’ll consider walking the path
either by yourself or in your community. I think that,
like so many others, you will find it a true path to the
sacredness of who you are.
© 2002 Tricia Kibbe. All Rights Reserved.
Tricia Kibbe,
president of the Labyrinth Guild of New England is a Veriditas
labyrinth facilitator trained at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco in August,
1997. She has facilitated many workshops and walks throughout the Northeast. Visit:
www.labyrinthguild.org.
For the past three years Tricia has participated as a facilitator and
co-coordinator of the program at Chartres Cathedral in France,
"Let Us Walk With Mary" Retreat sponsored by Veriditas, the World-Wide Labyrinth Project. Tricia cherishes each moment spent with those walking the path and
searching for fulfillment.
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