Labyrinth

The Granary provided the setting and space for the installation of a Chartres-style labyrinth that was privately funded by a local donor, and constructed by community service labor. Patrons of Avera St. Luke's Holistic Center as well as the general public use the labyrinth. Open sunrise to sunset all year.

The labyrinth is an ancient pattern found in cultures all over the world. Some of the places it has been found are in cave art, on ancient Cretan coins, in patterns on the ground in South America and Scandinavia, in the American Indian Hopi culture and in Gothic cathedrals.

What is a labyrinth? It is a very special pattern. There is only one path that leads the walker to the center, and then out again on the same path to return to the entrance. You cannot get lost on a labyrinth. The labyrinth is a sacred space, where we can move into deeper contact with our spiritual dimension.

When you are walking, treat all your experiences on the labyrinth as metaphors for your life experiences.

There are two major patterns of labyrinths: the classical 7-circuit labyrinth and the 11-path Chartres-style. The following is an illustration of a Chartres-style labyrinth:

All over the world, there has been a recent revival of the use of labyrinths. The Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress, a Canon at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, California, has founded a non-profit organization, Veriditas, The Worldwide Labyrinth Project, to help spread the knowledge and use of labyrinths. Artress gives retreats and workshops at Grace Cathedral, as well as traveling across the country to give workshops and assist communities in building their own labyrinths. Grace Cathedral now has two permanent Chartres-style labyrinths, one indoors and one outdoors, that are available for use by anyone. Members of the Labyrinth Society, an international organization, provide education and information about labyrinths worldwide.

Labyrinths are being used as tools for meditation experiences during retreats, for celebrations such as weddings, for community celebrations such as New Year's Eve events, to assist with problem-solving, and even to assist in the healing process. California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco has installed a large, outdoor Chartres-style labyrinth outside the hospital's main entrance. Nurses, doctors, patients and visitors who have walked the labyrinth describe the experience as peaceful, and a way to relieve stress.

Walking the Labyrinth

The labyrinth has only one path, and that path leads from the entrance to the center, and then back out again on the same path. You cannot become lost on the labyrinth.

View all your experiences on the labyrinth as metaphors. Metaphors just mean something that stands for something else. Reflect on your experiences with this in mind.

We usually speak of the labyrinth walk in three phases:

1. Walking from the entrance to the center: release, surrender, letting go, letting be.
2. In the center: illumination, insight, receiving.
3. Walking from the center to the exit: integration, union, understanding.

Before you start walking, you may want to spend a few moments in silent reflection, as preparation for your walk.

When you step on the labyrinth, let go of expectations. Start at the entrance, allow yourself to reach the center, then follow that same path back out to the entrance. Stay as long as you want in the center, or at any point on the labyrinth.

There is no right way or wrong way to walk a labyrinth. Find and honor your own pace, and realize that your pace may change throughout the walk. Walk, dance, skip, stroll, or move as you please.

Because the path of the labyrinth is a two way street, people will be coming out when others are going in. Just move as needed to allow passing.

When you leave the labyrinth, if you don't feel quite settled or finished, then walk around the outside of it clockwise, or re-enter the labyrinth, and walk it again.

When you finish your walk, again spend a few moments in quiet reflection. Sometimes it helps to write some brief notes about thoughts or ideas that came to you during the walk. Reflect on these notes a few days or weeks after your walk.