Excerpted from The Sand Labyrinth: Meditation at your Fingertips. (c) 2001 by Lauren Artress. Reprinted with permission of Journey Editions. All rights reserved. Buy the book from Gracecom and help support GraceOnline.

The labyrinth pattern is an archetypal form found all over the world. It dates back thousands of years. No one knows who created any of the labyrinth forms, but we do know from experience that embedded within each design is a pattern that somehow quiets our deep inner being so we can hear our own wisdom and the wisdom attempting to reach us. Whether walked or traced in sand, the labyrinth pattern is a powerful tool for reflection, meditation, realignment, and a deeper knowledge of the Self.

Chartres Cathedral, an hour south of Paris, houses what is perhaps the world's best-known labyrinth. The most elaborate of labyrinth patterns, with eleven circuits, dates back to the twelfth century. The classical seven-circuit--also known as the Cretan, Celtic, and Hopi medicine wheel--is the oldest known labyrinth, dating back four to five thousand years. It is round or sometimes kidney-shaped. Other labyrinth forms have been in such varying places as ancient Rome, the American Southwest, and Jewish mystical texts.

Labyrinths are not mazes, although in the English language the words labyrinth and maze are frequently confused. Mazes contain cul-de-sacs and dead ends. They have more than one entrance and more than one exit and are designed to make us lose our way; they're a game.

Through the act of trusting the path, of giving up conscious control of how things should go and being receptive to our inner state, we can be opened up to a whole new world.

Labyrinths have the exact opposite purpose: they are designed to help us find our way. They have only one path--from the outer edge into the center and back our again. Through the act of trusting the path, of giving up conscious control of how things should go and being receptive to our inner state, we can be opened up to a whole new world. It seems that through the beautiful flow of their sacred patterns, labyrinths help us ground ourselves.

Because there is only one path, the word "circuit" is used to describe the number of times the path circles around the center. The classical seven-circuit labyrinth goes around seven times; the eleven-circuit labyrinth meanders around the center eleven times.

As you move through a non-linear labyrinth, you lose your sense of where you are in the pattern, and enter into a pleasurable state of timelessness.

Many labyrinths, including the seven- and eleven-circuit ones, are "non-linear," meaning that the path goes through the four quadrants in a non-sequential way. One enters in the first quadrant, moves through the second, the back to the first, then to the third, and back to the second. As you move through a non-linear labyrinth, you lose your sense of where you are in the pattern, and enter into a pleasurable state of timelessness. Some people find this type of surrender particularly relaxing and refreshing.

Labyrinths come in all sizes--from the forty-two-foot labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral to the twenty four inch one found in the wall outside La Lucca Cathedral in Lucca, Italy. At the Lucca labyrinth, one traces the pattern with one's finger in order to quiet the mind before entering the cathedral. At Veriditas, the World-Wide Labyrinth Project at Grace Cathedral, we have even heard about prison inmates who used toothpicks to trace the labyrinth found on our letterhead! So size does not matter as long as the integrity of the design is present.

Labyrinths were very popular during medieval times. As many as twenty-two of the eighty Gothic cathedrals housed labyrinths.

Labyrinths were very popular during medieval times. As many as twenty-two of the eighty Gothic cathedrals housed labyrinths. In our present day we are experiencing a rediscovery of the labyrinth as a spiritual tool. Many communities are coming together to construct labyrinths in their community parks. Spiritual centers are creating them for those on retreat. Hospitals are building permanent labyrinths for patients and staff. Cancer support groups use them for strength and finding one's way through difficult times. Patients at hypertension clinics walk them to reduce stress. The staff use them for taking a much needed time-out during a stress-filled day.

The eleven-circuit labyrinth is the one most widely replicated today. In the early 1990's, two such labyrinths were created at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have walked these Cathedral labyrinths and the idea has proliferated from there. As of this writing, hundreds of eleven-circuit labyrinths are being created around the world.

For this Sand Labyrinth, we have chosen two patterns: the classical seven-circuit labyrinth and the eleven-circuit medieval labyrinth, both non linear. By using sand to trace the labyrinth, we have added an important tactile element. Sand is a sensuous, easy-to-move material that will allow your natural flow to come forth. And the use of natural materials allow an energetic flow between the pattern and the person using it.

Don't have a sand labyrinth or finger meditation tool? Try our on-line flash animated labyrinth or buy your own here!

Related Links

Pathfinders: Walking Medieval Labyrinths in a Modern World
The labyrinth, a medieval French mediation tool, has become the center of an international spiritual movement. Multimedia Feature 1998.

The Labyrinth
Dr. Lauren Artress, director of the worldwide Labyrinth Project, discusses the labyrinth as a tool for meditation. Interview 1997.

The French Connection: Bridging Labyrinths
The Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress of Veriditas and Ch. Francois of Chartres Cathedral share their experiences from the "Let Us Walk with Mary" pilgrimage in Chartres. Forum 1999.