To calmly mark the passage from 2005 to 2006, attend a quieting solstice gathering, guided meditation, and labyrinth walk at St. John the Divine’s Synod Hall in New York City. The event, held in December, will allow to you retrace steps that have been followed for thousands of years––the steps of labyrinth walkers.

Not to be confused with a maze in which you can get lost, ala Harry Potter in his latest on-screen challenge, the labyrinth is a winding yet direct route that frees you up for spiritual contemplation as you traverse the ordered lines of its fingerprint in and out.

Though labyrinths have been found in petroglyphs as far back as 3000 years ago around the world, they were largely celebrated in ancient Greece––in Greek myth those winding patterns often had a Minotaur at their heart. There are many different styles of labyrinths, which boomed in popularity when Catholic churches in Europe began to etch them into their pavement floors in the twelve and thirteenth centuries. Some have walls, others are two dimensional, some look like scribbles from above, others are neatly ordered and geometrically consistent.

This event, run by Jodi Serota, founder of New York’s Meta Center, will also include “guided meditation, vibrational healing and sound activation.” (The latter consists of dolphin-like calls which Serota claims open you to higher energies and promote healing.) The experience, says Serota, should help you “make clear, purposeful choices for the upcoming New Year.” It’s $30 in advance, $35 at the door, 3pm to 6:30pm. For more info: jodiserota.com.

And here, adapted from paxworks.com, a few labyrinth-walking tips for those of you far from New York:

1) Environment: Make sure things are quiet––put down heavy bags, jangly keys, etc. 2) Entering: Eliminate worldly concerns, quiet the mind. 3) Illumination: spend time in the center meditating on peacefulness. Take your time. 4) Union: Walk out the same way you came in, letting your experience in the center influence your life outside the circle. 5) Implementations: This is life outside the labyrinth, as you apply the lessons and quiet revelations you may have learned there.

For more info on the event: For more on labyrinths: labyrinthsociety.org

Drawing by Jeff Saward/Labrynthos.