Meandering Meditation
A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. It represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools. A labyrinth is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience.
A labyrinth contains non-verbal, implicate geometric and numerological prompts that create a multi-dimensional holographic field. These unseen patterns are referred to as sacred geometry. They allegeldy reveal the presence of a cosmic order as they interface the world of material form and the subtler realm of higher consciousness. The contemporary resurgence of labyrinths in the west is stemming from our deeply rooted urge to honor again the Sacredness of All Life. A labyrinth can be experienced as the birthing womb of the Great Goddess. Thus, the labyrinth experience is potent practice of Self-Integration as it encapsulates the spiraling journey in and out of incarnation.
On the journey in, towards the center, one cleanses the dirt from the road.
On the journey out, one is born anew to consciously dwell in a human body, made holy by having got taste of the Infinite Center.
The full flowering of the medieval labyrinth design came about during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries with the grand pavement labyrinths of the Gothic Cathedrals, most notably Chartres and Amiens in France.
The best known example of labyrinth is embedded in the stone pavement of Chartres Cathedral near Paris. The Middle Ages was time of pilgrimages. Since most poeple could not make the grand pilgrimage to Jerusalem, considered by Christians to be the center of the world, and symbolizing the Kingdom of Heaven, they would make pilgrimages to important Cathedrals such as Canterbury, Santiago de Compostella and Chartres. Once there, they would end their pilgrimage by walking the labyrinth to centre, and then slowly retracing their steps to regain the "outside world" and return to their homes. The Chartres was labyrinth sometimes walked in place of the actual pilgrimage to Jerusalem and considered a holy experience. People believed that if you walked the labyrinth with the full dedication of a pilgrim, you would be transformed, the old you will be grounded at the threshold stone a purified you emerging, ready to tackle new directiond in your life's journey.
Like all cathedral labyrinths, it draws upon the ancient northern Celtic, middle Eastern, and Classical Greek and Roman origins of the Christian faith. The Medieval builders were careful to incorporate their understanding of sacred architecture into the design and location of the labyrinths, which were usually placed near the entrance at west end of the nave,beside the baptismal font at the foot of church. This location symbolises our first steps on the spiritual journey.
A labyrinth contains non-verbal, implicate geometric and numerological prompts that create a multi-dimensional holographic field. These unseen patterns are referred to as sacred geometry. They allegeldy reveal the presence of a cosmic order as they interface the world of material form and the subtler realm of higher consciousness. The contemporary resurgence of labyrinths in the west is stemming from our deeply rooted urge to honor again the Sacredness of All Life. A labyrinth can be experienced as the birthing womb of the Great Goddess. Thus, the labyrinth experience is potent practice of Self-Integration as it encapsulates the spiraling journey in and out of incarnation.
On the journey in, towards the center, one cleanses the dirt from the road.
On the journey out, one is born anew to consciously dwell in a human body, made holy by having got taste of the Infinite Center.
The full flowering of the medieval labyrinth design came about during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries with the grand pavement labyrinths of the Gothic Cathedrals, most notably Chartres and Amiens in France.
The best known example of labyrinth is embedded in the stone pavement of Chartres Cathedral near Paris. The Middle Ages was time of pilgrimages. Since most poeple could not make the grand pilgrimage to Jerusalem, considered by Christians to be the center of the world, and symbolizing the Kingdom of Heaven, they would make pilgrimages to important Cathedrals such as Canterbury, Santiago de Compostella and Chartres. Once there, they would end their pilgrimage by walking the labyrinth to centre, and then slowly retracing their steps to regain the "outside world" and return to their homes. The Chartres was labyrinth sometimes walked in place of the actual pilgrimage to Jerusalem and considered a holy experience. People believed that if you walked the labyrinth with the full dedication of a pilgrim, you would be transformed, the old you will be grounded at the threshold stone a purified you emerging, ready to tackle new directiond in your life's journey.
Like all cathedral labyrinths, it draws upon the ancient northern Celtic, middle Eastern, and Classical Greek and Roman origins of the Christian faith. The Medieval builders were careful to incorporate their understanding of sacred architecture into the design and location of the labyrinths, which were usually placed near the entrance at west end of the nave,beside the baptismal font at the foot of church. This location symbolises our first steps on the spiritual journey.
