WHAT IS A LABYRINTH?
The labyrinth is an ancient tool for prayer and meditation, consisting of a winding path that begins at the

Although the words “labyrinth” and “maze” are sometimes used interchangeably, there are critical differences between them. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has no blind alleys or dead ends. Remember those mazes on the backs of restaurant place mats, and how frustrating it was to try to find the way to the center? 

A labyrinth is a different experience. It will not frustrate, because it is not a puzzle to be solved. You cannot get “lost” or make a mistake because there are no choices to be made once you have made the decision to start walking. By following the path you always end up either in the center of the labyrinth or back at the entrance.

WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?
Labyrinth-like patterns have been uncovered by archaeologists in a great variety of ancient and contemporary cultures. They have been carved into rocky hillsides, etched into stone, and painted on ceramic vessels. Some of the simplest and most ancient patterns have been discovered in the Mediterranean and in Celtic lands, and commonly are referred to as “Classical” or “Cretan” labyrinths.

In Christian history and practice, the labyrinth is most famously associated with Chartres Cathedral in France, where an eleven-circuit labyrinth was inlaid into the floor of the sanctuary in the thirteenth century. It was used by believers as a way of symbolically participating in the great pilgrimage to Jerusalem.


"LORD TEACH US TO PRAY"
In Christian practice, the labyrinth is not designed to produce a spiritual peak experience, but to provide inner space for listening to God. It is to be a tool for prayer, not an idol.

John Calvin, the founder of our particual Christian tradition, wrote that “prayer is properly understood as an emotion of the heart within, which is poured out and laid open before God, the searcher of hearts.” He also reminded us that Jesus himself taught us to “seek a retreat that would help us to descend into our heart with our whole thought and enter deeply within.” [Institutes, III.xx.29]

Too often, however, our understanding of prayer stays at the level of thought, rather than engaging our whole heart. “Prayer” has become synonymous with “prayers” — words we direct toward God, whether those words be printed on a page or offered spontaneously.

Living, as we do, in a post-Enlightenment culture, we have learned very well how to use our rational minds. But how do we learn to pray with our hearts? How can we, as Calvin urged, draw our thought down into a deeper level of our awareness and wisdom?