The Labyrinth as a Sacred Journey
"Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love."
Caroline Adams
We are all on the path... exactly where we need to be. The labyrinth is a model
of that path.
A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the
imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The
Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the
world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.
A labyrinth is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can
walk it. It is a metaphor for life's journey. It is a symbol that creates a
sacred space and place and takes us out of our ego to "That Which Is Within."
Labyrinths and mazes have often been confused. When most people hear of a
labyrinth they think of a maze. A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is like a
puzzle to be solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It is a left brain
task that requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct
path into the maze and out.
A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. The way in is the way out. There
are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and
out again.
A labyrinth is a right brain task. It involves intuition, creativity, and
imagery. With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to
solve the problem of finding the center. With a labyrinth there is only one
choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not. A more passive, receptive
mindset is needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.
At its most basic level the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the
center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened
understanding of who you are.
Taken from
www.lessons4living.com
To learn more about labyrinths visit:
http://www.lessons4living.com/labyrinth.htm
and
www.labyrinthnetworknorthwest.org
Visit also: Puzzle Pieces for Growth