The
largest with a 42-foot diameter is the eleven-circuit labyrinth
of Chartres Cathedral. Other cathedrals in France and Italy have
two-foot wide labyrinths etched into their walls. Many of these
have been worn down from people tracing the winding path with their
fingers.
In
addition to the number of circuits, the church labyrinth differs
from the Cretan labyrinth in another way: Rather than the path simply
coming to an end in the center, the church labyrinth has a wide
circle at its core. The one in Chartres has a six-lobed rosette
at its center. A few other variations of the floor labyrinth were
constructed in Germany and England.
During
the time of Christian pilgrimages to the holy land, church labyrinths
were referred to as “Chemin de Jérusalem”. For
people who could not afford a trip to the Middle East, the church
labyrinth served as a way to spiritually take the journey. For those
less physically able, the wall labyrinth was available. Both became
objects for expressing devotion.
The
ancient Romans produced their version of the labyrinth in England
in the form of “turf mazes” which were cut approximately
six inches into the ground. (This worked very well in many parts
of England where chalk or clay is just under the surface.) They
were constructed for the children’s game “Troy Town”.
According to the ancient Roman scholar Pliny, they were so named
because their seven circuits resembled the seven defensive walls
of the city of Troy.
The
turf labyrinth was more popular in England than the church labyrinth,
however, many of these have been found near monastery ruins. Some
consisted of eight circuits, others nine. A few of these date to
between 1080 and 1220, the time of Saxon and Norman rule. Over the
centuries these were also used for May Eve games. An observer in
1866 noted that those who trod the labyrinth seemed to be under
the “persuasion of something unseen and unknown”.
A turf
maze at Boughton Green in Northamptonshire called the Shepherd Ring
has a spiral at its center. For centuries, walking this labyrinth
was the main event of a three-day county fair that began in 1353.
In Asenby, Yorkshire, a labyrinth was built on a rise called the
Fairies’ Hill. Up until the early part of the 20th century
locals walked this labyrinth then paused at its center to “hear
the fairies singing”. Dr. Stukeley, an 18th century antiquarian,
noted that people who walked the labyrinth spoke of it with a great
deal of pleasure “as if there was something extraordinary
in the thing.”
Labyrinth
and Spiral
It is believed that the concept of the labyrinth was developed from
the spiral – a fundamental form found in nature in the nautilus
shell, the turn of a ram's horn, the manner in which snakes coil
and birds spiral up to ride thermals. Only visible to modern people
with telescopes and microscopes are spiral galaxies and strands
of DNA.
To
ancient people the spiral was sacred as the powerful primal symbol
of the Great Mother Goddess and her transformative powers. As a
symbol representing energy and transformation it was painted on
cave walls and on pottery throughout southeastern Europe, as well
as on the walls of the Tarxien temples of Malta. According to Professor
Marija Gimbutas in The Language of the Goddess, the spiral visually
portrayed life-force energy. Symbols created from objects in the
natural world function to open human awareness.
In
addition to the spiral, the labyrinth encompasses other powerful
symbols: the circle, meander and labrys from which it gets its name.
Like the spiral, the circle is a fundamental form of nature. It
is the earth, the moon and the sun. It is the turning of seasons
and of life. It represents time and timelessness, completion, unity
and equality. We gather in circles for worship and we create a circle
when working alone.
Also
like the spiral, the meander was a symbol of the Great Mother Goddess
and her life-giving and nourishing aspects. It was from the divine
waters of the Mother’s womb that life came into existence.
Some of the earliest depictions of the Goddess showed her as a hybrid
woman/waterbird. Without water, life cannot be sustained, and for
ancient people waterfowl were an important source of food. This
complex notion of the Goddess first starting life and then sustaining
it with gifts of food and water was represented in the simple symbol
of the meander.
The
labrys is sometimes referred to as a double axe and is believed
to have been an agricultural tool. Minoan depictions of the Mother
Goddess show her with the labrys. Archeologists have found them
at ritual sites. Many of these are miniature-sized and others are
delicately crafted – as such, neither type would have been
useful for working the fields. As a symbol it depicts the power
of abundance that the Goddess bestows.
The
Labyrinth's Mystery: How does it work?
While sacred geometry – the balance and relationship of form
and structural elements – is said to have been used to create
labyrinths, no one understands how the winding path of the labyrinth
creates psychological and physical impact. In fact the classical
church labyrinths were based on sacred geometry but others were
not and yet are said to be no less powerful.
As
a form of spiral, perhaps the labyrinth produces a vortex of transformative
energy that allows us to connect with our deepest selves, the web
of life and the divine. In Eastern spiritual practices, mandalas
are used for similar meditative and spiritual purposes. The word
“mandala” is sanskrit for the “circle that contain
the Essence”. Our very ancient ancestors seemed to have perceived
this energy and knew that it was sacred.
©
Sandra Kynes
Portions
of this article appeared in
Llewellyn’s Magical Almanac
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