Walking the Labyrinth
I’ve never walked a Labyrinth before so I jumped at the chance when Tony, our home school dowsing teacher, suggested it. And what an incredible experience it was, far beyond my expectations, albeit I knew very little about labyrinths until then!
The Labyrinth is up at Nic Gee’s farm in Castle with stunning views towards Vazon. The Labyrinth itself is huge and Nic has done an amazing job in creating it and was very keen to share it with us group of dowsing and energy working enthusiasts!
Tony explained that most people think a Labyrinth is the same as a maze but they are actually complete opposites. A maze is a complex network of paths and hedges designed as a puzzle full of dead ends and false turns, while a Labyrinth has only one path that leads from the outer edge in a circuitous way to the centre - you cannot get lost.
Its history dates back to about the time of the pyramids and Labyrinth designs have been found on pottery, tablets and tiles that date as far back as 5000 years. Many patterns are based on spirals and circles mirrored in nature. In Native American tradition, the labyrinth is identical to the Medicine Wheel and Man in the Maze while the Celts described the labyrinth as the Never Ending Circle.
In terms of its use, Tony explained that people walk the labyrinth to get into a peaceful state of mind and it is now recognised as a tool for personal, spiritual and psychological transformation. Research indicates that Labyrinths help to quieten the mind, calm anxieties, recover balance in life, enhance creativity, encourage meditation, insight, self-reflection and reduce stress.
Tony’s research found many studies world-wide which have backed this up. For example a study by the London Health Sciences Centre showed that the use of Labyrinths resulted in increased focus and calm, along with a reduction in blood pressure and stress.
He also shared with us a comment from a medical practitioner called Helen Malcolm, senior lecturer in rural general practice at the University of Melbourne, Australia, who said she uses a Labyrinth with patients and staff members.”I get a variety of responses from patients,” she said. “For some there is a sense of calmness, some come out feeling like singing, and some certainly emerge with a solution to a problem, or feeling stronger. For staff it is extremely good as a stress management tool, too.”
I was also told that the magic of the Labyrinth is that it seems to hold a positive energy that appears to transform stress and anxiety into peace and calm and I was keen to explore this.
Before we entered the labyrinth Tony used his rods to dowse our auras. Most of us had an aura that one would expect, that stretches an arm’s distance from the body. Into the Labyrinth we then went, some of us removed our shoes and went bare foot, which was hilarious, because there were some prickles and certainly Elijah and a few of the other children seemed to tread mainly on these, so there were lots of “oohs and “owws” which was of course completely counter-productive to the meditative and contemplative environment we were meant to be experiencing!
Shoes back on everything quietened down a bit, well for a little while until the children got restless and fortunately rushed off ahead so us mums could then enjoy the meditative and contemplative quality of the Labyrinth! I remained barefoot and mindful of the prickles, not sure whether I might wear shoes next time, but there is something so lovely about being barefoot on the earth.
Prior to entering the Labyrinth, and before the shoe/barefoot drama, Tony had encouraged us to clear our minds as much as we could and to perhaps focus on a worry or concern. There is an understanding that in doing so, by the end of the Labyrinth, you will have a solution or have somehow let it go. I brought to mind a concern and began the Labyrinth, trying to focus on my breath and my step and let go of the thinking and analysing mind as much as I could.
The Labyrinth weaves back and forth so that it seems to take you close to the destination at the centre before sending you off on many more zig-zags before you once again appear to be nearing the centre. It is said that this alone can bring to mind expectations about goals and how unpredictable tangents can arise in our lives - I know I’m not alone in experiencing this recently, the curved balls that life sends reminding us that we are never on in control and the pointlessness of attempting to be either, let alone the exhausting nature of our society’s obsession with goal orientation.
Furthermore, it is said that a Labyrinth is a metaphor for life. This because you might pause, you might take a break, you might charge forward, you might also become annoyed if someone is ‘in your way’ or even experience loneliness if you are walking alone. Alternatively, you may feel a sense of solace from being alone.
It is true, we had our own experiences walking the Labyrinth, the thorns and the barefoot played into this perfectly, also our habits, do we rush, do we want to get there first, or can we just be with the experience as it unfolds, without attachment to outcome or destination? We can learn a lot about our mind and its tendencies walking a labyrinth.
I certainly enjoyed walking it alone and felt no need to rush or hurry (such a relief as life usually involves too much rushing!). When I reached the centre I stood and took a few depth breaths, feeling into my body. Already i felt calmer than when I had began, clearer, less bothered about what had been bothering me previously. This continued as I started walking back again the way I had come, passing others, and keeping my awareness within as much as I could.
It was a warm and sunny day and the children were already congregated together by the time I finished. Soon Tony joined us and dowsed our auras again. I was amazed to find that my aura has more than doubled in size. Furthermore I felt better, more energised, clearer, no longer concerned by my concern and very grounded and centred.
We laughed because Elijah’s aura had only increased a little bit, which Tony explained was likely due to the drama with the prickles, which had caused more concern - this was helpful in highlighting how sensitive our energy field is to external factors and our reaction to them. By comparison, I hadn’t been the slightest bit concerned about then prickles and my energy field had not been adversely affected by them.
My elevated and more energised state of being continued throughout the day, which both amazed and interested me that walking a Labyrinth could have such a transformational and healing effect on one’s state of being. Needles to say I was immediately keen to share this positive experience with others who I know would also appreciate the opportunity. Nic was delighted that our home school group were so enthused because not everyone ‘gets’ the Labyrinth and understands the reason he created it.
For those of you reading this who would like to walk the labyrinth then I have arranged an opportunity on Monday 3 July, to coincide with the waxing full moon. Please see here for more details https://www.beinspiredby.co.uk/events-calendar/2023/6/23/walking-the-labyrinth-full-moon
