We live in an increasingly linear, driven world. The rush to the Millennium, the tick of the market clock, drivetime, primetime; all the forces of our modern life push us in a single direction. We struggle to take vacations, yet all too often come back exhausted rather than refreshed. Even the cycle of the seasons has become lost on us in our climate controlled world. We move far from our homes, send our parents away when they age, lose contact with old friends and loved ones. We cover huge distances in a matter of hours, jumping time zones without effort, yet few of us can tell what phase the moon is in, or what time the sun rises each morning.

This physical and emotional disconnect, some people feel, has its spiritual equivalent. It is based in the very core beliefs that define our modern civilization, dating back several centuries to the Age of Enlightenment, to the waxing power of science and rational thought and the waning influence of the Church. Cartesian thought, with its emphasis on the superiority of Mind over spiritual and physical matter, has helped breed a spiritual crisis, in our homes, in our schools, in our social and political institutions.

One of the symptoms of this crisis is a lack of centeredness, a lack of awareness of the spiritual nature of our true selves. Until our spiritual center is restored we will continue to drift as individuals and as a society. "We lost our sense of connection to ourselves and to the vast mystery of creation,” writes the Reverend Dr. Lauren Artress, Canon of Grace Cathedral, in her book about the labyrinth, Walking a Sacred Path: “The web of creation has been thrown out of balance."

Many different forms of spiritual tools and meditations have sprung up in the past few years, and they all point to the search for meaning in our society, but the labyrinth seems to have struck a chord. It is a powerful tool, open to seekers of all beliefs. “The labyrinth is an archetype of wholeness that helps us rediscover the depths of our souls,” Artress writes. “We are not human beings on a spiritual path, but spiritual beings on a human path.”