A labyrinth is often confused with a maze. So what is the difference? A maze is designed to confuse anyone who enters, while a labyrinth has only a single path. Instead of being designed to ‘lose’ the user, wandering through a labyrinth is thought of as a way to find answers or to meditate.
The history of labyrinths dates back to ancient times. Famous ones include the cathedral of Chartres, France, and the cathedral of Duomo di Siena in Tuscany.
Labyrinths have been used by a wide variety of cultures too, with evidence of them in Egypt, Italy, Scandinavia, North America and Crete. While they are sometimes pagan, used as part of ritualistic dances, they have also been used by Christian religions for centuries.
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There has been a resurgence of labyrinths in the last decade, something Ecobotanica owner Linda Brennan knows all too well. After all, she has one in her own back yard.
Brennan says some people chant while walking the labyrinth, others dance. She likes to stand at the beginning and think of a question she needs an answer to, before slowly walking the path through the labyrinth. “As you walk the circle you will find the best way to answer,” she says. “By the time you get to the middle, your mind has worked through it.”
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Patterns for a labyrinth can easily be downloaded from online and there are lots of different styles to choose from.
Brennan’s Seven Circuit Classical Labyrinth started as a sketch on paper, which she then applied to a flat area in her yard. The base is decomposed granite, while rocks marking out the labyrinth path were hand-selected from a landscape yard. The actual construction was done during a workshop, where a team of volunteers formed a chain gang, passing rocks along the line.
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When making a labyrinth, there are several ways to form it. The design can be made with rope, chalk, paint on tiles or even a grass marking line. Some have created the pattern on canvas and then roll that out. Elaborate ones use hedges or mosaic tiles.
The entry should face east, for the rising sun. By the time you are in the middle you should be back facing east.