Labyrinth: Walking the Path of the Heart

On the messy road of life, it is often challenging to determine what your next step will be, what direction you will take, which way you will turn. Perhaps that is one reason why walking a labyrinth as a meditation is so appealing: the journey is clearly marked, unobstructed and in full view. Although it twists and winds its way to the center (you do have to pay attention if you don’t want to wander off), there are no tricks, wrong choices or dead ends. To reach your destination, all you have to do is follow the path. 

A labyrinth was used as a meditation tool at the 2007 Inner IDEA® Conference, and labyrinths can be found today in spas and retreat centers, churches, medical centers, schools, parks, hospitals, prisons, memorial gardens and people's backyards. Typically, labyrinths used for meditation are based on patterns that date back thousands of years and have roots in many cultures and spiritual traditions, including those of the Celts, Mayans, Greeks and Native Americans. The labyrinth pattern is similar to the Medicine Wheel in Native American tradition and the Kabbalah in mystical Judaism.

The labyrinth commonly consists of a circular path that moves clockwise from the entrance to the center, traveling through all four quadrants. The same path is used to walk in and out of the labyrinth. The geometric structure for most labyrinths is designed to recreate archetypal patterns associated with numerous cultural and spiritual symbols: the four quadrants representing the four gospels or the four elements, seven circuits representing the seven chakras, eleven circuits plus the center representing the 12 months of the calendar, and so on. The most famous labyrinth pattern is the eleven-circuit medieval labyrinth found in Chartres Cathedral in France, inlaid into the stone floor in 1201. Labyrinths can be constructed elaborately and permanently or made quite simply, as with a portable canvas or with a dirt path marked by rocks or masking tape.

Regardless of the design or the materials used, the process of walking the labyrinth involves three phases: walking toward the center, the stage of releasing or letting go of thoughts or cares; reaching the center, the stage of receiving new insight or spiritual grace; and walking back out, the stage of union or of returning to the world with new awareness. The labyrinth can be walked individually or as a group (single-file), and is often done slowly, in silence or to soft music.

Pilgrim notes that the labyrinth experience is ideal for many types of people, regardless of their spiritual background or experience with body-mind practices. “It is very well received by most spa guests, though it is usually a completely new experience for them,” says Pilgrim. “They can do it as part of a guided group or on their own. It works really well because many guests don’t want to sit still for a meditation twice a day, but they like the idea of a walking meditation. This is a bit more of a ‘doing,’ rather than just an experience of being. For fitness professionals or their clients who are more comfortable being active than still, the labyrinth is a nice opportunity to meditate, or [to] make the transition to seated meditation.”