The Labyrinth Is Not A Maze

Labyrinth:  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."

A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal.  (Ed Note: Unicursal is an excellent word).  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.

There was a labyrinth at the retreat center.  Because I didn't know the purpose of a labyrinth I had never given one a shot.  Contempt prior to investigation, right?

I did a little research on the history of the labyrinth as a prayer and meditation tool - the above definition is a distillation of what I found.  Then I did a little research on suggested techniques for strolling the labyrinth.  Such as . . . 

1. Releasing (Purgation). From the entrance to the center is the path of shedding or "letting go." There is a release and an emptying of worries and concerns.

2. Receiving (Illumination).  At the center there is illumination, insight, clarity, and focus. It is here that you are in a receptive, prayerful, meditative state.

3. Integrating (Union). Empowerment and taking ownership.  The path out is that of becoming grounded and integrating the insight.  It is being energized and making what was received manifest in the world.

So I walked it twice, each trip taking about a half of an hour.  I tried to get rid of those things that are hindering me on the way in and then to open up to new suggestions and ideas on the way out.  (Ed Note: The original text for The Fellowship was called "The Way Out.")

My wish was that I would be able to leave some things there.  Not forget about them but move past them into the present, into the now, to feel as if I've been released from a hold that each of them had on me.  I'm not naive - I don't expect this to be a White Light experience but more a transformation of the educational variety.

I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time.