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Home page > Articles > Walking in Circles: The Healing Power of the Labyrinth
Walking in Circles: The Healing Power of the Labyrinth

by Linda Formichelli

Feeling wound up? Try to relax by winding some more--through the serpentine path of the sacred labyrinth.

The labyrinth has been enjoying a revival in the last few years: labyrinths are cropping up in churches, universities, prisons, parks, hospitals and parking lots all over the country. They're made from paint on the floor, stones in the grass, cornmeal, sand--there's even a canvas labyrinth for those without the means to build their own.

Led by faculty advisor Rebecca Valette, the Boston College chapter of Pi Delta Phi (the National French Honor Society) in 1998 painted a replica of the labyrinth of the Cathedral of Chartres on the Burns Library lawn so students could spend fifteen to twenty minutes walking, meditating and de-stressing on the historical path. The response has been overwhelming. The labyrinth guest book is filled comments from visitors who became converts by the end of their walk. The most common sentiment? "Thank you."

The Three-Part Path
The labyrinth is a single winding path that leads into and out from the center, but the walk itself is three-fold. "The first part is the walk in, which is a time of letting go, of release. A part of any kind of healing is to empty. You have to ask yourself what's causing you concern and what part of that you can let go of," says Annette Reynolds, a board certified art therapist, registered nurse and the creator of the Labyrinth Project of Alabama. "The second part is the center, which is the place of rest, or renewal, or regeneration, or peace, or home. That's where you can be filled with new information or insights or whatever you need. The third part is where you go back out with whatever you received and take it into your life in a new way."

Some liken the labyrinth to meditation, but the labyrinth may be more effective because the act of walking helps dispel nervous tension so the walker can relax and concentrate. "It's a walking meditation, it's a body prayer," says Reynolds. Ann Ameling, Ph.D., professor at the Yale School of Nursing, a certified labyrinth facilitator and coordinator of the Yale School of Nursing's Spirituality and Healing Curriculum, agrees. "A walking meditation is theoretically doubly powerful because your body is involved as well."

Healing Power
The labyrinth experience can be so powerful that it's not unusual to see people dissolve into tears on the path. "I've seen many people have a profound experience on the labyrinth," says Ameling. "Once I saw a young woman cry from the moment she entered the labyrinth. She sobbed when she was in the center, she cried on the way out...she cried so profusely that other people on the labyrinth were responding to her. They were trying to give her tissues, hugging her. Afterwards she told me that her father had died of cancer six months before. She was thinking that she had done really well with the experience, that she had put it behind her. But when she started to walk the labyrinth, she realized that she had a lot of unfinished work."

Mary Waller, Ph.D., a psychotherapist in Milwaukee, visited a labyrinth workshop led by Dr. Lauren Artress after losing both her father and her husband and discovering that her mother was terminally ill. "It was a very good experience, and it made me feel very peaceful," she recalls. "My mom was dying, and I was just hanging in there for my kids and myself. I came back with a peace of mind that I had not felt in a long time." Though she had always been interested in the historical aspects of the labyrinth, she had been skeptical of its healing power; but she came away a believer.

Sacred Geometry
It's obvious that the labyrinth is making a comeback. But where is it making a comeback from? According to Dr. Lauren Artress in Walking a Sacred Path, labyrinths can be found in almost every religion and have been known to the human race for over 4,000 years. Artress writes, "Researchers note that even though early civilizations were isolated from one another, only one archetypal design of the labyrinth emerged over thousands of years."

The labyrinth's pattern incorporates the golden ratio, which is based on sacred geometry and recognized in art studies as the most pleasing proportion. "Sacred geometry is based on ancient, sacred knowledge that was articulated in architectural forms," writes Artress. "...Through proportion, placement, and position of stone, wood, and mortar--using a complementary system of numbers, angles, and design--the mind can find rest, comfort, and harmony."

The most well-known labyrinth today is probably the one at Our Lady of Chartres Cathedral in France, which was created around 1230 to represent the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for people who could not make the actual journey.

Patterns and Perspectives
So where does the power lie: Is it in your attitude and expectations as you walk the path, or is it something inherent in the labyrinth itself? The pattern plays an important part, according to Annette Reynolds. The fact that the labyrinth is based on sacred geometry is a significant factor. The labyrinth is also similar to a mandala, or a double spiral--the symbol of transformation. And dowsers say that labyrinths, properly placed, follow the same energy pattern as underground rivulets, which in turn indicate the energy pattern of the earth and every living creature on it. Finally, the labyrinth was built with a focused intention that, say, a walk in the park doesn't have. "It's a container for something," says Reynolds. "My labyrinth was built as a healing place, and I went to it for that."

This isn't to say that the walker's attitude and openness have no bearing on the labyrinth's powerful effects. The labyrinth can have different effects depending on what the walker is seeking: relaxation, an answer to a problem, a healing of past hurts. For example, when Mary Waller walked the ancient course, she says, "I wasn't looking for enlightenment; I was looking for peace, and that's exactly what happened."

Walking the Talk
To get the most from the labyrinth, Ameling gives these tips. "Do it at your own pace and according to your own rhythm. Your body will know the pace it wants to walk. Also, be aware of other people and supportive of their experience." But don't pay TOO much attention to others on the labyrinth. "You have to give up conscious control. The only times I failed to go where I wanted to go was when I was watching other people instead of the path."

And finally, follow this advice from Annette Reynolds: "Don't go in with expectations. Trust the process. It's like an adventure; what's the message today? You just have to listen."

More Information:

Spilner, Maggie. "Treading Ancient Paths." Prevention, September 1997, pp 143-146.
Includes information on labyrinth etiquette and where to find labyrinths.

Madison, Cathy. "Enter the Labyrinth." Utne Reader, January/February 1998, pp 84-85.
Includes a sidebar on "How to Build Your Own."

Artress, Lauren. Walking a Sacred Path. Riverhead Books, NY, 1995.

Sacred Labyrinths with Annette Reynolds.
Photos and information about the Labyrinth Project of Alabama.

Grace Cathedral, Home of the World-Wide Labyrinth Project.
Includes a function that lets you search for a labyrinth near you.

Books Alabama and More: Labyrinth Books.
Search for and order labyrinth-related books.

Sound and Spirit.
Links to other labyrinth-related sites.

RiverSticks' Labyrinth Site.
More links to labyrinth-related sites.

The MAiZE.
See photos of cornfield mazes and find out if one is coming to a town near you.