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INDEX
Emphasis Mine In Bible Verses
Part I THIS PAGE
What is a Labyrinth?
Labyrinths Vs. Mazes. Ancient Labyrinths. Greek Mythology.
From Greek Mythology to Catholic Churches
Labyrinths found their way into Christianity sometime during the Middle Ages
The Gothic Cathedrals
Apparently more than twenty of the eighty Gothic cathedrals housed labyrinths
From Chartres to San Francisco and Beyond
Lauren Artress and Veriditas
Walking The Labyrinth In Our Day
Labyrinth walks are often accompanied by trappings usually seen to "spiritualize" the atmosphere,
Part II HERE
Labyrinths and Contemplative Prayer. Labyrinths and An Altered State Of Consciousness. How do labyrinths Facilitate an Altered States of Consciousness? Labyrinths - A Connection with the Divine... For Everyone? Is Labyrinth-Walking Compatible With Christianity? Quislings in The Church
What is a Labyrinth?
Although frequently confused, labyrinth and mazes are not the same thing.
Mazes are essentially a game and a test of skill. They can have more than one entrance, numerous choices of path and direction and several dead end cul-de-sacs. The walls are usually high enough to block one from seeing the way out. They are designed to pose some difficulty in finding ones way in, or out of them.
Labyrinths: Unlike the maze the labyrinth is not designed to be difficult to navigate. It has only a single winding path that leads from the entrance on the perimeter to the center and out again with no diverging paths or dead-ends along the way. The path winds back and forth in a series of concentric rings until you reach the center where you pause, turn around and retrace your steps. Because there is only one path, the word 'circuit' describe the number of times the path circles around the center of the labyrinth.
The Cretan or Classical 7-circuit labyrinth that goes around seven times is perhaps the oldest and most used of all labyrinth designs. The eleven circuit labyrinth meanders around the center eleven times.
Labyrinths can be made of large stones or bricks that border the path, or simply a path cut into grass. They can be patterns set into a tiled floor or printed on canvas. They can be elaborate and very expensive or cost nothing at all.
Ancient Labyrinths
Although the word itself is closely tied to Greek mythology labyrinths have been found in cultures around the globe. Although the earliest are often difficult to date accurately some are believed to have been constructed as many as 3,500 years ago. For example, one of the most famous labyrinths of the  ancient world was housed in an Egyptian pyramid complex built in the 12th Dynasty (1844-1797 B.C.) at Hawara by Egyptian pyramid complex Amenemhet III. [01]
The Solovetsky Islands are located in the Onega Bay of the White Sea. Bolshoi Zayatsky island is less than one square mile in total, but is covered in dozens of labyrinths that date back some 3,000 years. [02]
One of the oldest dateable labyrinth designs was found inscribed on a clay tablet from Pylos, Greece that dates back to 1200 BCE. A 56 X 56 foot 2,000 year old square labyrinth discovered in the south of India, bears exactly the same pattern as the Greek Pylos tablet. [03]
The symbol has appeared in various forms and media (petroglyphs, classic-form, medieval-form, pavement, turf, and basketry) at some time throughout most of the world, from Native North and South America to Australia, Java, India, and Nepal. See Footnote I The Universal Labyrinth.
Greek Mythology:
The word labyrinth comes from the from Greek labyrinthos "maze, large building with intricate passages," [04]
In Greek mythology the Minotaur, a mythical monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull was the offspring of Minos' wife Pasiphae and a snow-white bull sent to Minos by the god Poseidon. Minos had the architect Daedalus construct a labyrinth to house the monster and ensure it wouldn't escape. However,
A son of Minos, Androgeos, was later killed by the Athenians; to avenge his death, Minos demanded that seven Athenian youths and seven maidens should be sent every ninth year (or, according to another version, every year) to be devoured by the Minotaur. When the third time of sacrifice came, the Athenian hero Theseus volunteered to go, and, with the help of Ariadne, daughter of Minos and Pasiphae, he killed the monster and ended the tribute. Theseus escaped with Ariadne. [05]
Intriguing clues including coins from Knossos (on Crete) struck with simple seven-circuit labyrinth symbols, spiral labyrinth designs on coins and pottery, hundreds of bull horns carved in stone and wall paintings of young men leaping over charging bulls have led many to conclude that the huge Minoan palace at Knosso is the site of the Minotaur's labyrinth.
Although the story is myth, Christian researcher, Carl Teichrib makes a very valid point, (Emphasis Added)
"The labyrinth containing this Minotaur was not the typical single-path labyrinth of today, but rather a complex maze containing halls and chambers. However, esoteric philosophers have long understood that the Minotaur maze directly corresponds to the ancient (and now modern) spiritually connected labyrinth walk; the long soul journey with its many twists and turns, the ultimate arrival at the central convergence point, the struggle with the inner monster - and the final victory over the forces of darkness and ignorance (which can only happen when one is illumined at the center), and the repeated journey back to wholeness and the light of day. This esoteric significance of the Cretan story has never been lost on the initiates of the Mystery Schools.
Don’t forget this Grecian/Cretan story was immersed in the pagan religious context of the day, that's the metaphysical origin of the labyrinth as we can trace it. Hence the story of Pasiphaë, with its labyrinth journey and inner battle, is of interest first and foremost to the world of occult lore: for the simple reason that this is the intended context. [06]
From Greek Mythology to Catholic Churches
Although how or why labyrinths found their way into Christian churches and cathedrals is shrouded in mystery but get there they did. There are several schools of thought as to what they were used for. For example,
While the history of labyrinths is sketchy, their entry point into Christianity appears to be during the Middle Ages. Many Christians during that time attempted to make pilgrimage to the Holy City of Jerusalem at some point in their lives but the Crusades made the visits increasingly difficult, if not impossible. Labyrinths were constructed in and around many Catholic cathedrals as a substitute, allowing Christians to fulfill their obligations (some seemed to believe these pilgrimages were necessary for salvation) symbolically. [07]
Some proponents believe that medieval Christians walked through labyrinths as a substitute for pilgrimages to the Holy Land. To support their theory, they point to the placement of labyrinths on cathedral floors as opposed to walls or ceilings.
Labyrinths in medieval cathedrals and churches almost certainly had symbolic meaning, although documentation is scarce to nonexistent. One possibility is that the ancient Greek myth was Christianized, so that the Minotaur represented the devil, and Theseus represented the victorious Christ. Doreen Prydes, a professor of medieval history at the University of Notre Dame, says there is absolutely no evidence of labyrinth walking in the Middle Ages. She believes that Christians of that era saw the labyrinth as a symbol of redemption, not pilgrimage. [08]
What we do know is that one woman who uncovered a previously hidden and long forgotten relic in an old Gothic Cathedral in France opened the door to one of the churches latest fads causing thousands of Churches, numerous Christian organizations, and many individual Christians all over the world installing labyrinths in their yards and gardens.
The Gothic Cathedrals
In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries medieval labyrinth designs came into their own with the construction of hugely ornate labyrinths in various cathedrals. Several lie just a short distance from Paris - ex. the octagonal labyrinth in the Cathedrals of Amiens which is almost 800 feet long, and the unique path pattern labyrinth in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame at Reims in the shape of a complex square.
Chartres Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres):
However the most famous of these labyrinths is the large eleven-circuit one (43 feet in diameter) embedded in the paving stones of the nave floor of Chartres Cathedral (50 miles from Paris). However, it had been long hidden from view covered seats or pews and, as far as anyone knew, hadn't been used in decades. In fact, until recently the cathedral was better known for its stained-glass windows than for its labyrinth.
So how did it go from being an almost forgotten relic in an old Gothic Cathedral in France to being the prototype for countless thousands of labyrinths around the world?
From Chartres to San Francisco and Beyond
Lauren Artress is an Episcopal priest, spiritual director and licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of California. She is also Canon Emerita of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and the founder of Quest: Grace Cathedral Center for Spiritual Wholeness and the creator of the Labyrinth Project. Her web site states that
Her introduction of the labyrinth into contemporary awareness imbues new meaning of this ancient practice that ignites the imagination, fosters intuition yet is devoid of sin and guilt. Through her personal work with the labyrinth, Lauren lives out her ‘soul-assignment’. [09]
How it all started,
In her book, Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool, Lauren Artress wrote that in 1991, in preparation for an invitation to serve as Canon for Special Ministries, she decided "to return to a Mystery School seminar with Dr. Jean Houston" (Footnote II) whom she had studied with a few years earlier. It was here that she says she first encountered the labyrinth, described as a "a powerful spiritual tool whose path would lead each of us to our own center".
After experiencing the Labyrinth at Jean Houston's Mystery School Artress notes that she was (Emphasis Added)
hardly prepared for the force of my own reaction. As soon as I set foot into the labyrinth I was overcome with an almost violent anxiety. Some part of me seemed to know that in this ancient and mysterious archetype, I was encountering something that would change the course of my life. [10]
Veriditas
is a non-profit organization founded by Lauren Artress that promotes the labyrinth experience as a tool for transformation, healing and peace. The site gives us a little more information...
In 1991, while on a brief sabbatical, Lauren walked an informal taped labyrinth through the work of Jean Houston. The idea gestated for a few months and then she was compelled to go to Chartres Cathedral, where she moved the chairs and walked the medieval labyrinth. This courageous act has led to the rediscovery of the labyrinth. Lauren not only introduced the walking meditation back into the Christian tradition but also introduced the labyrinth back into Western culture.
By December 1991, she had replicated the Medieval Eleven Circuit Labyrinth at Grace Cathedral beginning in canvas form. Due to the enormous response of people desiring to learn a walking meditation, the tapestry labyrinth was installed inside the Cathedral in 1994. The outdoor terrazzo labyrinth was installed in the Interfaith Meditation Garden in 1995. In 2007, Grace Cathedral installed a permanent limestone labyrinth in the floor to replace the tapestry labyrinth. Veriditas is storing the carpet until it can realize its vision of a retreat center where the tapestry labyrinth will once again have a home. [11]
Veriditas' Reasons To Be:
The initial vision for Veriditas was (Emphasis Added) "peppering the planet with labyrinths. And she certainly got a good start.
The Labyrinth Society and Veriditas worked together to create the "World Wide Labyrinth Locator". A search for labyrinths in Washington State alone resulted in over 190 results, 82 of which were connected with churches.. A large number seemed to be Episcopalian churches with a few Methodist, Lutheran etc. thrown in for good measure.
After successfully launching thousands of labyrinths in churches, hospitals, cathedrals, prisons, spas, community parks, hospices and other settings, a new mission for Veriditas emerged (All Emphasis Added)
Mission: Veriditas is dedicated to inspiring personal and planetary change and renewal through the labyrinth experience. We accomplish our mission by training and supporting labyrinth facilitators around the world, and offering meaningful events that promote further understanding of the labyrinth as a tool for personal and community transformation.
Our Vision is that the labyrinth experience guides us in developing the higher level of human awareness we need to thrive in the 21st century. [12]
Walking The Labyrinth in Our Day
Labyrinth are “open to all people as a non-denominational, cross-cultural blueprint for well-being. The practice of labyrinth walking integrates the body with the mind and the mind with the spirit. [13]
The walks are often accompanied by candles, soothing music, flowers and/or fragrance - trappings usually seen to create a setting 'conducive to reflection' or, if you will, "spiritualize" the atmosphere,
While every one seems to agree that there is no right way to walk a labyrinth, some suggestions include - Taking time to transition from everyday life to the labyrinth experience, slowing your breathing and stilling your mind while opening yourself to possibilities. It is often suggested that you spend time in the center standing, sitting, or kneeling since this part of the journey is about being present to your inmost self and to the "power of the divine".
One of the points in How to Walk the Labyrinth by Jean Ando, Labyrinth Ministry Coordinator at Marble Collegiate Church in New York. (Emphasis Added)
As you walk, repeat a word, mantra, phrase, or an affirmation over and over. For example: Be Still and Know. [14]
Grace Cathedral that now boasts both indoor and an outdoor labyrinths says there are three stages of the walk (Emphasis Added)
Purgation (Releasing) ~ A releasing, a letting go of the details of your life. This is the act of shedding thoughts and distractions. A time to open the heart and quiet the mind.
Illumination (Receiving) ~ When you reach the center, stay there as long as you like. It is a place of meditation and prayer. Receive what is there for you to receive.
Union (Returning) ~ As you leave, following the same path out of the center as you came in, you enter the third stage, which is joining God, your Higher Power, or the healing forces at work in the world. Each time you walk the labyrinth you become more empowered to find and do the work you feel your soul reaching for. [15]
Footnote I - The Universal Labyrinth:
The Romans: The labyrinth was a design commonly used for ancient Roman floor mosaics usually derived from simple classical labyrinths. An image of a minotaur often appears in the center of these mosaic labyrinths.
Egypt: During the 19th century, the remains of the Labyrinth were discovered some 11.5 miles from the pyramid of Hawara. This complex of buildings with galleries and courtyards was called a "labyrinth" by Herodotus.
Scandinavia: Some ancient stone labyrinths have been found in Scandinavia, Lappland, Iceland and the former Soviet Union. These were made on grass or on flat areas of bare rock, their paths usually marked out with stones, most often in the simple classical form. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries some 500 or more non-ecclesiastical labyrinths were constructed in Scandinavia. "Ancient Scandinavian sailors believed the labyrinth had magical properties and when walked could control the weather and ensure a good catch".
Spain: A collection of labyrinth designs carved on rock outcrops along the coastline of Galicia in Northwest Spain and a panel in León some 200 km away seem to date back to c.2500-1800 BCE.
Britain: The earliest known use of the classical labyrinth pattern in the British Isles is on the Hollywood Stone - an incised granite boulder from County Wicklow, Ireland, dating from c. 550 AD. One ancient turf maze, called Julian's Bower, still survives at Alkborough in North Lincolnshire. "the nearby Alkborough church has a copy of the maze inlaid into the porch floor, and this is used as a template for the periodic re-cutting of the turf".
Native American: The Hopi Indians called the labyrinth the symbol for "mother earth" while.. "Labyrinth petroglyphs found throughout Arizona, New Mexico and the northern states of Mexico are difficult to date, but provide the earliest evidence for labyrinths in the Southwest. Today the labyrinth remains popular and is found as the familiar "Man in the Maze" motif on hand woven baskets, silver work and pottery produced by the native peoples of Arizona, especially the Tohono O'dham (from the Sonoran Desert of the southeastern Arizona and northwest Mexico) and Navajo." {PLACE IN TEXT}
Footnote II - Jean Houston
Jean Houston, author of 26 books, has been called one of the foremost visionary thinkers and doers of our time and long regarded as one of the principal founders of the Human Potential Movement. She has been working with the United Nations Development Program since 1993.
In 1965, along with her husband Dr. Robert Masters, Dr. Houston founded The Foundation for Mind Research. She is also the founder and principal teacher, since 1983, of the Mystery School, now called the Renaissance of Spirit, a school of human development, a program of cross-cultural, mythic and spiritual studies, dedicated to teaching history, philosophy, the New Physics, psychology, anthropology, and the many dimensions of human potential. [16]
{PLACE IN TEXT}
Continue on to Part II - Labyrinths and Contemplative Prayer. Labyrinths and An Altered State Of Consciousness. How do Labyrinths Facilitate an Altered States of Consciousness? Labyrinths - A Connection with the Divine... For Everyone? Is Labyrinth-Walking Compatible With Christianity? Quislings in The Church HERE
End Notes - The Labyrinths Part I
[01] Walk the World’s Most Meditative Labyrinths.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/walk-worlds-meditative-labyrinths-180957823/#rhWwXgq462MlOz0F.99
[02] Dylan Thuras. Bolshoi Zayatsky Island. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bolshoi-zayatsky-island
[03] Geordie McElroy 10 Mysterious Ancient Labyrinths
https://listverse.com/2017/02/26/10-mysterious-ancient-labyrinths]
[04] https://www.etymonline.com/word/labyrinth
[05] Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Minotaur
[06] Carl Teichrib. The Labyrinth Journey: Walking the Path to Fulfillment?
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/teichrib/labyrinth.htm
[07] Pastor Gary Gilley. Mysticism Part 4. https://tottministries.org/mysticism-part-4/
[08] Mark Tooley. Maze Craze. Labyrinths Latest Fad for Spiritual Seekers. Touchstone Magazine
http://touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=13-07-046-r
[09] https://laurenartress.com
[10] Lauren Artress. Walking a Sacred Path: Publisher: Riverhead Books; Revised and Updated ed. edition (March 7, 2006). Pages 1-2
[11] Founder: The Reverend Dr. Lauren Artress. https://veriditas.org/staff
[12] https://www.veriditas.org/page-1863725
[13] Intro to the Labyrinth. Stepping in the Sacred https://veriditas.teachable.com/p/introduction-to-the-labyrinth
[14] Labyrinth. https://www.marblechurch.org/labyrinth
[15] Grace Cathedral Web site. Our Labyrinths https://gracecathedral.org/our-labyrinths/
[16] http://www.jeanhouston.com/Jean-Houston/
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