The winding circles of a labyrinth are nothing new. Labyrinths have been featured in European cathedrals (Chartres [1] in Paris may be the most famous); Indian art [2], and Native American culture [3]. Today modern Americans are experiencing the calming, meditative effects of labyrinth walking. In San Francisco there is a popular labyrinth in Grace Cathedral [4] and over the past few years, I've walked several in New York City. [5]

There are many ways to use a labyrinth. It can be a path for walking meditation where participants become increasingly quiet and present, holding that space of peace when they arrive in the center. The labyrinth can also be used as a method of finding answers. You can ask a very clear question before entering the labyrinth and an answer should appear by the time you land in the center.

Labyrinth walking is also said to integrate the left and right sides of the brain. "It helps people access their creativity," said Loris Damerow, a labyrinth landscaper and owner of A New Leaf Garden and Landscape Services in Beloit, Wisconsin. "We are stuck in such a busy binary world."

There are some, however, who believe that the labyrinth's purpose is to not have a purpose at all. "You are walking it for the process rather than the destination," said Karen Dodson, a licensed acupuncturis in Beloit who unveiled the city's first labyrinth last week. "This is the lost part of Western culture. This is the other side - other part of our brain that connects to nature."

Learn more about labyrinths at Georgetown University's [6] online resource.

[via Beloit Daily News [7]]

Image: wikipedia.org