Walking Your Path
Labyrinths lead you on a step-by-step journey into your soul
by Mary Maloney

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The labyrinth at the OSU Chadwick Arboretum is modeled after the famous 11-circuit labyrinth at the Chartres Cathedral in France.

A REVIVAL OF LABYRINTHS, circuits laid out for contemplative walking, began just a few years ago. The Ohio State University Chadwick Arboretum is part of that revival, and now has a very unique labyrinth in its Lane Avenue Gardens. Laybrinths are gaining momentum as tools to connect to the spirit that enlivens us.

Lauren Artress, labyrinth expert and author of Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool, claims, "We need a core feeling of connection to the Divine to give our lives meaning. We need to awaken to a vision of a thriving, healthy planet that supports life among diverse communities. To evoke our vision, we need the experiences of archetypes that help us grasp the experience of unity and wholeness. The labyrinth is an archetype of wholeness, a sacred place that helps us rediscover the depths of our soul. All of the larger than life questions about our presence here on earth and what gifts we have to offer are spiritual questions. To seek answers to these questions is to seek a sacred path."

The Chadwick Arboretum labyrinth is modeled after the famous 11-circuit Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth in France built nearly 800 years ago. However, there are several styles of labyrinths, some built over 3,500 years ago. They have been used for ancestral walks, funeral processions, planting and harvest rituals, solar events such as observing the equinox or solstice, as well as mimicking a pilgrimage in lieu of actual journeys to distant hloy sites.

The labyrinth can be used as a path for prayer and meditation. It can also be used as a tool of discernment by considering your experiences on the metaphorical level. There are many ways of understanding a labyrinth because there are many avenues to truth - it can be thought of as a crucible of change, a body of prayer or an ancient ritual.

Labyrinths differ from mazes because they are unicursal, which means that there is only one path to follow to the center. The labyrinth symbolizes the cyclic journey that each of us must take daily and seasonally throughtout our lives as we follow a path to unity and wholeness. While reaching the center of the labyrinth is one's intent, every participant in this ancient ritual will approach the center and then be taken back to an outer circuit that is far removed from his or her deatination. Eventually, however, the center is reached. The lesson of the labyrinth is simple: As long as you persist, you will reach your destination.

During a walk on the labyrinth, which typically takes about 20 minutes to complete, the mind quiets, the breath slows, and time stretches out.

Walking the labyrinth

Pause at the entryway to allow yourself to be fully conscious of the act of stepping into the labyrinth. Allow several turns on the path to lapse in between you and the person in front of you. Do what comes naturally - there is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth.

Follow your own pace. Feel free to pass a person who is walking more slowly. If you meet another person coming toward you on the path, step to the side and pass quietly to remain in a meditative state.

When you reach the center, you may pause to reflect before you begin your journey out. Walk the labyrinth with an open heart and mind. Each time you walk the labyrinth, you become more empowered to find and do what your soul is seeking.

Mary Maloney is the education coordinator for the OSU Chadwick Arboretum. For more information about tours, educational programs and volunteer opportunities, contact her at 614-688-3479.