Labyrinth
Origin
Labyrinth rock carvings were found in Spain and Italy that are over 4,000 years old. There is a rock carving of 7-circuit labyrinth in Goa, India that is also 4,000 years old. It is ten feet in diameter and the oldest known walking labyrinth
The Labyrinth design is not one that might happen by accident or clearly appears in nature. The first people who drew it, tapped into higher level of consciousness; and once accessed, the design spread around the world.
Labyrinth designs have been found in 2,500 year old Cretan coins, 1,500 year-old rock carvings in Ireland, and Hopi and Tohono O’odham Indian reservations.
Labyrinth designs have also been found in older wooden mosques in Pakistan, Hindu temples in India, Batak manuscripts in Indonesia, walk-able stone labyrinths on the Baltic Coast, turf labyrinths in English village greens, in medieval manuscripts, and Gothic cathedrals. Most famous labyrinth being the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Chartres, France.
There are no complete answers to the questions surrounding the origin and purpose of the labyrinth.
The essence of working with the labyrinth is to develop a personal relationship with yourself and the Divine.
Lauren Artress, in Walking the Sacred Path says “The labyrinth was designed by an intelligence we cannot fully understand. It is a crucible for change, a blueprint for the sacred meeting of psyche and soul, field of light, a cosmic dance. It is a center for empowering ritual. It is container where we can meet angels and recover the great-grandmother’s thread, the web of Mary and the gracious, nurturing God.”