WALKING THE LABYRINTH: Some Tips.

"One of the oldest images of the mystery of life, death,
transformation and return is the labyrinth,
. . . in which we fear to lose ourselves."

–E.C. Whitmont. The Symbolic Quest.

"No agency today helps us discover who we are --from inside out.
The labyrinth has that kind of power."

- Paschal Baute.

Although there is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth, there are a few tips and guidelines to help make it more productive. These are taken from The Sacred Path Companion (A Guide to Walking the Labyrinth to Heal and Transform) by Lauren Artress, (Penguin, 2006)

1. Take Off Your Shoes, symbolically. Leave behind at least some of you everyday pre-occupations. The Labyrinth itself does not transform, but the way one walks it has the power to enlighten, illumine and heal. Quieting the mind and focus of thoughts can be done individually or as a group. Your aim is not to be distracted from your intuitive flow as you walk.

2. Begin with an intention, perhaps a question for your inner life, your heart, your life’s journey, some wondering. What you hold close to your heart is sacred. If you have a dream you do not understand, walk the dream, beginning with “Oncve Upon a Time...”

3. Find your own natural pace. Walk with as much sensory awareness to the total experience as is available to you at each moment. Product people only arrive. Process people arrive with new awareness. If you meet someone on a path, do whatever seems natural.

4. Remember the labyrinth is not a maze. It is not designed for you to get lost. If you lose your way in you will end up back at the entrance. If you lose your way out, you will end up back at the center. Simply start over. Life is full of distractions.

5. Recognize metaphors, or word - pictures. Aristotle said the highest form of brain function is metaphoric thinking. When we are thinking metaphorically the microcosm reflects the macrocosm. Experience becomes a way of teaching us about th bigger picture, life itself.

7. You can never step in the same river twice, so the saying goes. This is true of labyrinth walking. Each journey into the labyrinth will be different.

8. The lion at the entrance represents the hidden lions that keep us from seeing, hearing or grasping what we are not ready to admit. Each of us has hidden lions. Our brain functions out of awareness to keep us from responding to actual facts and things we are not ready to hear or see.

9. Reflecting on the Walk. Some walks can be significant and offer valuable insights. Others ca be like dreaming, lazy, and unfocused. Some method of nonverbal reflection can deepen the meaning of the walk. journaling is the most accessible way. You can bring your journal with you and take it into the labyrinth if you wish.

10. Be comfortable with your walk. Occasionally some find it tiring or exhausting. It is best not to stop but to continue whenever possible. Be aware of your dreams afterwards. Reflect on your experience. Each experience is different.

You can celebrate rites of passage, joyful occasions, a holy day, or change in season by walking the labyrinth. Because the walk is non-denominational, it can be a welcoming multi-faith tool.

Compiled by Paschal Baute, July, 2007