The Labyrinth
by Suzanne R Ballard on Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 9:25am
Today I am filled with Spirit. I feel so much love and gratitude for my family, for my friends, my life. And all because of a word.
Lately, I have been in one of those places widows go sometimes and it is always a scary thing. Many times, when I enter this place, I envision the ancient labyrinth of Greek legend for some reason. A dark, cold, dank place that I can almost feel, even though it is all in my head. I think that mental picture comes to mind because I have always liked mythology and the story of the Minotaur's labyrinth. Recently, that vision is hard for me to get out of my head, it was so prevalent it was positively unnerving. So I decided that I would look up the word "labyrinth" because when we are armed with knowledge, we are usually stronger for it. This is what I found.
"Labyrinths are believed to have served as traps for malevolent spirits or as defined paths for ritual dances. In medieval times, the labyrinth symbolized a hard path to God with a clearly defined center (God) and one entrance (our birth). Labyrinths can be thought of as symbolic forms of pilgrimage; people can walk the path, ascending toward salvation or enlightenment. Many people could not afford to travel to holy sites and lands, so labyrinths and prayer substituted for such travel. Later, the religious significance of labyrinths faded, and they served primarily for entertainment, though recently their spiritual aspect has seen a resurgence.
Many newly made labyrinths exist today, in churches and parks. Labyrinths are used by modern mystics to help achieve a contemplative state. Walking among the turnings, one loses track of direction and of the outside world, and thus quiets the mind.
As with other pagan cultural practices, the prayer labyrinth was adopted by the Church across Europe during the medieval times, being often used as a means to meditate, pray and connect with God in a higher spiritual way. Numerous cathedrals in Europe have prayer labyrinths embedded into their floors, with the Cathedral of Chartres (Notre-Dame de Chartres Cathedral), located about 80 km from Paris having one of the most famous prayer labyrinths in the world. Prayer labyrinths were often viewed and modeled as a journey to Jerusalem and were even called Chemin de Jerusalem (Road of Jerusalem) serving as a spiritual pilgrimage for those who could not afford to travel to Jerusalem, the center of the world.
The widest accepted prayer labyrinth in the Church was the eleven-circuit labyrinth, which is more symbolic of Christ's cross with its four quadrants, and grace being symbolized by the never-ending path to the center and back, allowing the pilgrim to walk the path at his own pace, stop for prayer and meditation as needed.
By the 17th and 18th centuries however, prayer labyrinths had lost much of their spiritual meaning. Some clergy and other believers now associate them with New Age mystical practices or even occultism. However, with the practice of walking the prayer labyrinth becoming popular again in contemporary Christianity, particularly in the Emerging Church movement, many Christian denominations from across the theological spectrum are again adopting the practice of walking the prayer labyrinth. Some churches opening their labyrinths to any pilgrim in need of contemplation and prayer. The prayer labyrinth is not a maze in the popular sense, and rather has one path on which one cannot get lost, serving a powerful symbol of individual life journeys and pilgrimage in faith.
The labyrinth is a universal symbol for the world, with its complications and difficulties, which we experience on our journey through life. The entry to the labyrinth is birth; the center is death and eternal life. In Christian terms, the thread that leads us through life is divine grace. Like any pilgrimage, the labyrinth represents the inner pilgrimage we are called to make to take us to the center of our being. In some Christian circles today the labyrinth continues to be used as an instrument to facilitate meditation, prayer, personal reflection, etc.
For example, when walking the Chartres style labyrinth, one meanders through each of the four quadrants several times before reaching the goal. An expectation is created as to when the center will be reached. At the center is a rosette design which has a rich symbolic value including that of enlightenment.."
Whoa....that was so much more than I expected. And the irony of the use of the example of the Cathedral of Chartres is that I have actually been there and visited that labyrinth. It is there, in the floor, you almost have to walk it.
Sometimes on the widows forums I frequent, the question is asked "do you ever see signs that your loved one is near?". Usually I toss those questions out the window because I am not a strong believer in the conventional idea of angels, heaven, hell, the afterlife, etc. Not that I don't believe in something, I just have my own very specific ideas and that is enough said about that. I do believe that there is a Greater Power than myself and I believe that strongly. Today I believe that maybe there is a possibility that this "vision" of the laybrinth and the word being so stuck in my head is because it was put there. I have had no other reason to even think the word. And it makes sense to me in a way. If my Spirit guide was trying to tell me something, to help me with my struggle, this is certainly the way it would happen.
Call me silly, but I believe that I will start paying much more attention from now on. And I will be creating my own meditation labyrinth as soon as I can decide where to put it. Thanks, Honey.
