How can a labyrinth help me?
Originally published in the Heather Lodge newsletter on 26 February 2024
“[The labyrinth] reduces stress, quiets the mind and opens the heart. It is a walking meditation, a path of prayer and a blueprint where psyche meets Spirit.”
~ Lauren Artress, founder of Veriditas
Typically, when you say the word “meditation”, it conjures images of people sitting cross-legged on the floor on a yoga mat, absolutely still, with their eyes closed, perhaps repeating a sound or mantra. If, like me, you struggle to be still simply by trying to be still, a labyrinth may be more your cup of tea.
Labyrinths generally consist of a single meandering path that leads from the outer edge to the centre of the pattern, without any dead ends or forced choices. The oldest labyrinths date back more than 4,000 years, so it is a pattern that has captured human imagination for nearly as long as we have been writing words. While we cannot say for certain exactly how our ancestors used labyrinths, today it has found an explosion of interest as a contemplative tool.
A labyrinth provides a sure path that you can trust that you will be able to follow without having to think about where you’re going. It can provide the opportunity to use motion to achieve stillness. Once you achieve stillness, you have the opportunity for revelation, self-discovery, creativity, or even just making room in your busy mind to hear your heart and your body.
In this way, the labyrinth can operate as a container for releasing and/or receiving. It has been used to hold grief, find joy, and process every emotion in between. You can use it to work through your dreams, write stories, and inspire art. A labyrinth walk is a deeply personal journey that can be kept close, or the sharing of our experiences can create a sense of connection to others from within our individual experiences.
A labyrinth walk can even produce similar results when tracing the pattern on a smaller scale with your finger, instead of walking one on the ground.
And sometimes it’s just a pleasant meander in a peaceful setting.
All of these things can support wellness and personal growth.
As a Veriditas Advanced Labyrinth Facilitator, I can:
- teach you more about the history of labyrinths
- answer any questions you may have about labyrinths or labyrinth-walking
- provide a range of materials and methods that can help enhance your labyrinth experiences
- support you in processing your experience on the labyrinth
- or simply hold space for you during your experience
“Throughout the long history of labyrinths whenever and wherever society is going through rapid change and development the labyrinth has blossomed. Now, humanity is seeking the sure path of the labyrinth in an uncertain and confusing world.”
~ Jeff Saward, Labyrinth Historian
Over the next few months, I will be offering labyrinth workshops that will introduce you to the labyrinth and show you some of the many ways it can be used.
The first workshop I will be offering will be on how to draw classical labyrinths and will take place in Banner Lodge at Heather Lodge on the Isle of Arran. No artistic talent or experience needed! I will supply everything you need for this 2-hour workshop that will discuss the history of labyrinths and how specific designs developed over time, then show you how to draw your own labyrinth. Just drawing the labyrinth can be used as a contemplative practice in itself, and at the end, you will have your own classical labyrinth drawing to take home and use for finger-walking!
To book your spot for this workshop, check out the event listing. You can also keep an eye out for future offerings on my events page, or get in touch with me directly through my contact form if you have any questions.