A labyrinth is sometimes confused with being a maze. But a maze is different and has a different purpose, mazes meant to confuse the walker, they are full of trickery with false starts, stops and exits. Whereas a labyrinth only has one way in and one way out. When walking a labyrinth, you can always see the center, it is not hidden from view. The route is a circuitous path. This allows the walker to free themselves of worry about their destination and to move into a meditative state of just putting one foot in front of the other as they move forward along the journey.
Where does the labyrinth come from? Some would say, look closely at nature and you will find the spiral pattern of the labyrinth in the swirl of a snails’ shell or the unfolding of a flower, along within many other forms in the natural world. The mystery is that the we don’t know the origin of the labyrinth (Artress, 2006). The design is found in almost every religion in the world.
The labyrinth has been incorporated into many ancient motifs in petroglyphs, on stone tablets, coins, pottery, dating back at least 2000 years BCE. There are at least nine different types of labyrinths (Facilitators guide, 2019). The labyrinth is considered a form that connects to the concept of “sacred geometry”. Which is an architectural concept that brings into balance structures to ease the mind and create harmony (Artress, 2006). Currently there are two forms of the labyrinth that are being built most often in modern times, the Cretan design (named after the island of Crete) and the Chartres labyrinth (the design found set into the floor of the Chartres Cathedral, France) (West, 2000). Labyrinths have been around for over 4000 years (Artress, 2006).
The design has been said to represent the “archetypal map of the healing journey” (West 2000, p. 6). It is also thought to be a representation of the journey that people make when on a pilgrimage like the Camino de Santiago. Allowing the walker to reflect on milestones in their life.
In the United States one will find labyrinths integrated into hospital campuses, college/universities campuses, church yards, private backyards, retreat centers, conference centers, and public parks. It is non-denominational and not connected to any one spiritual path. You could say it is universal.