The Mahdi Times The Mahdi Times, Issue #31, June 2015 | Page 3

The Labyrinth
The labyrinth is an ancient tool for self-discovery, healing and spiritual
enlightenment found in many ancient cultures in one form or another.
Its actual origins are yet to be uncovered, but labyrinth designs were
found on coins in Crete, where the classical seven-circuit labyrinth is
believed to originate around the third century B.C. In recent years, the
use of the labyrinth has been enjoying a revival, as people are more
interested in spiritual awareness and development. Labyrinths can now
be found not only in churches, but also in schools, hospitals, retreat and
healing centres, community parks, corporate buildings and backyards.
The labyrinth is used for meditation, relaxation, healing, spiritual
guidance, communing with the inner self and the spirit world,
awakening creativity, self-empowerment, enriching one’s spirituality,
commemorating or celebrating an event, or just for the fun of it. The
labyrinth can be viewed as a metaphor for life’s journey – the path
inward represents creation; the centre is the place of enlightenment,
transformation, or the evolution of spirit into matter; and the journey
out represents the integration of the new self with the old.
The labyrinth differs from a maze in that there are no blind alleys and no
places to get lost. The centre is always in sight with no obstacles to reach
the destination. While a maze, with its multicursal paths, engages you at
the mental level in a linear, problem-solving approach to your quest; the
labyrinth invites you to delve into your intuitive, spiritual self as you
simply place one foot in front of the other to follow the meandering,
unicursal path to the centre. The labyrinth is an ancient symbol of the
feminine archetype with its spiralling circle into the centre (the womb).
The many turns to the left and the right along the path stimulate all the
dualities in our being and facilitate an integration of body, mind, and
spirit to engender a sense of wholeness.