The Labyrinth--can anyone explain the purpose/ history?

[Mom_of_5]

While in Colorado recently, my sister she told me that I should walk a Labyrinth. She said she saw one on the cover of St. Anthony’s Messenger and found a beautiful one on California. She looked up the locations on the net and came up with many in my state. All I know is that it is a method of meditation, as I didn’t have time to ask my sister more about it. Anyone here familiar with this?

Love and peace

Mom of 5

 

[axolotl]

catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=3440

 

[CatQuilt]

From the link above…

The mother of the modern labyrinth movement is Lauren Artress, canon of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. In her public speaking, she is sometimes vague about the theological implications of the labyrinth, which she calls a “big spiritual open house.” Artress, who is also a psychotherapist, speaks more often in the lingo of Jungian psychotherapy than of traditional Christian practice. For her, the labyrinth is for the “transformation of human personality in progress” that can accomplish a “shift in consciousness as we seek spiritual maturity as a species.” Artress says she walked her first labyrinth at a seminar in 1991 with psychologist and mystic/channeler Jean Houston, who several years ago assisted First Lady Hillary Clinton in trying to contact the departed spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt. A subsequent visit to Chartres Cathedral, where the medieval labyrinth can still be seen in the floor, further encouraged Artress to write her 1995 book, Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool, and to launch her national movement, based at Grace Cathedral.

Okay! That’s all I need to know…bad!

 

[ncjohn]

And like everything in this world, no matter how benign, there’s always someone around to make it evil!

I have walked labyrinths several times in several different settings. There is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with them, unless you’re wanting to make it into some kind of pagan ritual or something.

Just because someone may use if for some other purpose than you do doesn’t make something wrong. There are many practices and symbols in the world that are shared by different religions and cultures, and used or interpreted in differrent ways. For example, many religions use incense–does that make it evil and Catholics pagans for using it too?

The labyrinth is nothing more than a place to take oneself into prayer in a quiet, peace-filled environment. Different people might do their prayers differently, but can’t we stop making things like this “bad” just because they’re not exclusively Catholic?

 

[Mom_of_5]

ncjohn:

And like everything in this world, no matter how benign, there’s always someone around to make it evil!

I have walked labyrinths several times in several different settings. There is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with them, unless you’re wanting to make it into some kind of pagan ritual or something.

Just because someone may use if for some other purpose than you do doesn’t make something wrong. There are many practices and symbols in the world that are shared by different religions and cultures, and used or interpreted in differrent ways. For example, many religions use incense–does that make it evil and Catholics pagans for using it too?

The labyrinth is nothing more than a place to take oneself into prayer in a quiet, peace-filled environment. Different people might do their prayers differently, but can’t we stop making things like this “bad” just because they’re not exclusively Catholic?

First of all, happy belated birthday NCJohn!!! Thank you for your remarks. After I read the article suggested by another poster, I felt a bit frightened for my sister and deciding not to walk one myself. I wondered why the St. Anthony Messenger would use the Labyrinth on its front cover if it were a thing of evil.

Love and peace

Mom of 5

 

[axolotl]

I wondered why the St. Anthony Messenger would use the Labyrinth on its front cover if it were a thing of evil.

Just because a magazine is Catholic doesn’t mean it’s Orthodox. I have read a few issues of SAM in a hospital waiting room and wasn’t that impressed.

Catholic Culture’s Review of SAM

 

[Annunciata]

axolotl:

Just because a magazine is Catholic doesn’t mean it’s Orthodox. I have read a few issues of SAM in a hospital waiting room and wasn’t that impressed.

Catholic Culture’s Review of SAM

I always check Catholic Culture when I come across a new Catholic Site.

 

[Annunciata]

I just did a Google on The History of The Labyrinth and this is what I came up w/ click here

History of Labyrinths

“A labyrinth is a sacred pattern that leads you on a prescribed path to its center, and back out again. Although the labyrinth may be new to many people today, its use as a spiritual tool can be traced back to several ancient cultures. The earliest known Christian labyrinth is located on the wall of a church in Algeria, with the words “Sancta Eclesia” (holy church) inscribed in its center. As early as A.D. 350 worshipers entering the church would trace the labyrinth with their finger in order to focus their thoughts and open themselves up to the presence of God.
In the Middle Ages, many cathedrals in Europe began to construct larger labyrinths. Christians who could not make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem would instead travel to these cathedrals to work the labyrinth as a spiritual pilgrimage, symbolizing the journey to the Holy Land. The labyrinth in the floor of the nave at Chartres Cathedral in France is the most well known of the medieval designs”……

 

[axolotl]

Annunciata:

In the Middle Ages, many cathedrals in Europe began to construct larger labyrinths. Christians who could not make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem would instead travel to these cathedrals to work the labyrinth as a spiritual pilgrimage, symbolizing the journey to the Holy Land. The labyrinth in the floor of the nave at Chartres Cathedral in France is the most well known of the medieval designs"……

the response frfom labyrinth detractors is:

But the example most enthusiasts cite is the labyrinth embedded in the floor of the medieval Chartres Cathedral in France. There is speculation, but seemingly no firm evidence, that ancient or medieval Christians literally walked through labyrinths, at Chartres or elsewhere. Its advocates within the Christian Church today like to portray labyrinth walking as a “rediscovery” of a lost form of Christian spirituality.

Some proponents believe that medieval Christians walked through labyrinths as a substitute for pilgrimages to the Holy Land. To support their theory, they point to the placement of labyrinths on cathedral floors as opposed to walls or ceilings.

Labyrinths in medieval cathedrals and churches almost certainly had symbolic meaning, although documentation is scarce to nonexistent. One possibility is that the ancient Greek myth was Christianized, so that the Minotaur represented the devil, and Theseus represented the victorious Christ. Doreen Prydes, a professor of medieval history at the University of Notre Dame, says there is absolutely no evidence of labyrinth walking in the Middle Ages. She believes that Christians of that era saw the labyrinth as a symbol of redemption, not pilgrimage.

.

 

[Shoshana]

Annunciata:

I just did a Google on The History of The Labyrinth and this is what I came up w/ click here

History of Labyrinths

“A labyrinth is a sacred pattern that leads you on a prescribed path to its center, and back out again. Although the labyrinth may be new to many people today, its use as a spiritual tool can be traced back to several ancient cultures. The earliest known Christian labyrinth is located on the wall of a church in Algeria, with the words “Sancta Eclesia” (holy church) inscribed in its center. As early as A.D. 350 worshipers entering the church would trace the labyrinth with their finger in order to focus their thoughts and open themselves up to the presence of God.
In the Middle Ages, many cathedrals in Europe began to construct larger labyrinths. Christians who could not make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem would instead travel to these cathedrals to work the labyrinth as a spiritual pilgrimage, symbolizing the journey to the Holy Land. The labyrinth in the floor of the nave at Chartres Cathedral in France is the most well known of the medieval designs”……

This is exactly what it is…and there is no evil connected to it! I, myself, have made one and I do a lot of research for my priest on occult things as I can usually detect something that is not kosher…

Be not afraid!

 

[Annunciata]

Shoshana:

This is exactly what it is…and there is no evil connected to it! I, myself, have made one and I do a lot of research for my priest on occult things as I can usually detect something that is not kosher…

Be not afraid!

I wasn’t really sure as I’ve never been involved but after reading the article, I don’t see the harm in it. I saw it mentioned in one of the articles I read that it might be connected w/ “New Age” stuff…funny because it’s Old Age…

 

[severinus]

This is one of the better Medieval Studies sites available:

georgetown.edu/labyrinth/labyrinth-home.html

There is a Latin phrase used in a text on diplomatics: ‘labyrinthum erroris’ which means a labyrinth of errors. The image is that of a student getting too far off the subject when examining a text and getting lost in extraneous matters.

In working through your own personal labyrinth of errors, you come at last to the destination.

Take back the rainbow** and ** the labyrinth!

 

[cheddarsox]

The labyrinth is used by the faithful as a walking meditation. Some people feel their prayer/meditation is enhanced by the rhythm and movement of walking.

A labyrinth is not a maze, it is a convuluted path. If you follow the path trustingly, you will reach the destination. In this way it is different than meditating while hiking or walking,because you don’t have to pay attention to where you are going, just trust. For some this is a powerful spiritual metaphore.

Some choose to do a labyrinth on their knees as a penance.

I have walked a number of labyrinths and created one for the use by a spirituality group. I enjoyed having it in my yard for the 6 wks that it lasted.

Historically they have been created and used by many cultures for a variety of purposes.

The paths of some labyrinths in European cathedrals has been worn into the floor, so there really isn’t any doubt that people actually walked on them!

My highschool campus was attatched to the campus of a convent and monestary, they had an outdoor “walking” rosary. Not as many twists and turns as a labyrinth perhaps, but similar in providing a path on which one could walk and pray without having to work out the path and pay attention to obstacles etc.

There is nothing inherently evil about a walking path, nor anything inherently holy. It is a line marked out on the ground, and can be used with good or ill intent.

cheddar

 

[whosebob]

cheddarsox:

The labyrinth is used by the faithful as a walking meditation . . . There is nothing inherently evil about a walking path, nor anything inherently holy. It is a line marked out on the ground, and can be used with good or ill intent.

JMJ + OBT​

The biggest problem with the labyrinth is the "new age" baggage that often (though not always) comprises an integral part of the presentations and promotional materials that are used to teach parishioners its purpose and history.

I would invite everyone here to please consider reading or re-reading, carefully and thoroughly, the article which was linked to earlier in this thread:

MAZE CRAZE

Yes, the labyrinth can indeed be used in a worthy manner for, or to falicitate, truly Christian prayer.

BUT, everywhere that I have encountered one (in a church setting, that is), it has always been more or less coupled to the spiritually false and dangerous garbage that is exposed in the Maze Craze article.

Therefore, discussions about this ought really more to focus on questions of prudence than on mostly hypothetical “can be used positively” constructs.

Here are the questions I would ask:

If a labyrinth is coming to my parish, can the introductions, instructions, promotional materials, etc. be satisfactorily divorced from the new age junk and dubious historical explanations that usually accompany "labyrinth ministries?"

If not, then the plans to host a “labyrinth workshop” or to create a “labyrinth ministry” ought to be dropped.

If my parish already has a labyrinth, is the junk in question already being promoted? If so, how can I help to reverse the damage and stop its further spread?

One way to bring light to the issue would be to print copies of the “Maze Craze” article and hand-deliver or mail them to the pastor(s) and “labyrinth workshop/ministry coordinator(s).” If they are recalcitrant in the matter, then quietly make many copies and regularly place them alongside the other labyrinth materials so that “Joe parishioner” receives due warning and becomes enlightened as to what exactly his donations to the parish are funding.

In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

IC XC NIKA

 

[contemplative]

"The Labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint found in religious traditions in various forms around the world. By walking the labyrinth, we are discovering a long forgotten mystical tradition. The mysterious winding path that takes us to the center becomes a metaphor for our own spiritual journey. Going in , we release the cares and concerns which distract us from our Source. The center is a place of prayer and meditation where we receive clarity about our lives. As we walk back out on the same path that brought us in, we are granted the power to act. The walk is a shared journey—an activity which communities can do together to coalesce and unify vision.

The labyrinth is a mandala that meets our longing—for a change of heart; for a change of ways in how we live together on this fragile island; and for the energy, the vision, and the courage to become agents of transformation in an age when no less will suffice to meet the challenges of survival.

The vision of Veriditas—the world wide Labyrinth Project—is to establish labyrinth in cathedrals, retreat centers, hospitals, prisons, parks, airports, and community spaces around the world by the year 2000, so they are available to walk in times of joy, in times of sorrow, and when we are seeking hope."
** These words are on a poster of the labyrinth below**

Photo unavailable

**

T

his picture is part of a poster of a labyrinth located outside the office of Sr. Mary Dumonceaux, OSF, Associate Director of the Archdiocesan Catechectical Center. The Catechectical center provides workshops to Catholic school and parish religion teachers. Catholic religion teachers need certification to teach religion to our children and grandchildren.

If all of this sounds rather pagan, then what is Sr. Dumonceaux doing with a labyrinth plastered on the wall outside of her office? The September 24, 1999 edition of Today’s Catholic featured a Catholic News Service article which describes a 36 by 36 foot canvas labyrinth located at Prince of Peace Church in Plano, Texas, where people walk into and out of the labyrinth. “The labyrinth is divided into three parts. The walk to the center is the first part and is to be spent as a time of cleansing. One reaches the second part, the center of the labyrinth, to encounter God. In the center you realize that God is the center of your life; it is a time of illumination. The walk out, the third part, is a call to respond to what has been learned.” The same article quotes Fr. Mitch Pacwa, a professor of theology at the University of Dallas, as saying, “You don’t want to deny anybody’s experience. The problem is the people who are writing about labyrinths are on the New Age side of things. Labyrinths may distract people from the core of Christianity. We need to focus on the person of Christ.” Amen to Fr. Pacwa’s insight.

Sr. Dumonceaux, pull down that poster! Promote placing Jesus Christ into the center of our lives! Replace the labyrinth with the stations of the cross and promote meditation on the passion and death of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Promote praying the rosary and meditating on the lives of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Promote prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Promote placing the Blessed Sacrament in the center of our churches so that all may worship Jesus together, instead of having to hunt down a small obscure room or chapel. How can Jesus be in the center of our lives if he is not in the center of our churches?

COMMENTS: We wonder why our children are leaving the Catholic Church for “bible-based” religions. Labyrinth proponents like to point to the labyrinth on the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France, but there is no evidence that it has been used for anything otherthan a decoration. Finally, the words found under Sister Dumonceaux’s poster do not refer to God, but only to “our Source”— why? We invite Sister to respond and explain why she promotes the labyrinth.
**
1999 Defender Newsletter

 

[asquared]

it would be difficult to find any modern article or use of labyrinth that does not border on new age, but there is certainly long precedent for its use. Medieval herb gardens where often planted that way, with the herbs and flowers planted in such a way as to recall virtues, attributes of the Lord or of Mary etc. I suspect the benefit of walking or tracing the labyrinth is similar to use of the rosary for prayer, a way to involve the bodily senses especially touch so the prayer becomes more than a mental process, and of quieting the active work of the mind to make one more receptive to the fruits of the prayer.

New age whackos have appropriated all kinds of symbolism and ritual from orthodox Christian practice as well as other religious traditions for their own purposes (which is what makes them whacky) but that does not denigrate the usefulness in Christian prayer of traditional Christian practices such as the rosary, candles, incense etc. If you are able to disassociate from such newage claptrap and find benefit in walking or tracing a labyrinth there is nothing inherently wrong with it.

DD took me to a rose garden in Chapel Hill (roses still in bloom last week), not a labyrinth but ordered pathways leading to a center, it was a marvelous place to walk and pray the rosary, a real “string of roses” and we used the bushes as the rosary beads. I always find myself praying the rosary or other prayers when I find myself in an herb garden or other formal garden planted in the form of a maze or labyrinth. (we always search these out on vacations, a hobby of mine is herbs).

 

[cheddarsox]

Asquared,

Referring to people as whackos is really uneccessary and unproductive on a forum such as this.

Christians did not invent labyrinths. They date to further back and were used in many PreChristian cultures and religions. New age spiritual seekers did not steal them from Christians. They existed in many cultures and have been used for many purposes, ranging from agility training for athletes, to artistic expression, to prayer/meditation tools.

There is nothing inherently sacred or profane in the tracing of a convoluted line on the ground. As you pointed out, you use such opportunities to pray your faith. People of other faiths will do the same.

I am very familiar with that rose garden. I believe you speak of the one with the huge sundial in the middle. In front of the planetarium. Certainly an inspiring place.

Certain designs do seem to inspire humans toward contemplation and awe. Many faiths use strings of beads as prayer tools, yet that does not make Catholics whackos for adapting them into a rosary.

People use what works to get closer to the divine. Insults never work to bring anyone closer to God.

peace

cheddar