Entering
Prepare to walk the labyrinth by taking a moment before entering to reflect on where you are in life. Upon entering the labyrinth, one may sense that it is a symbol representing the whole. Our world of splits and divisions disappears for a few contented minutes where clear thinking through the channel of intuition has a chance to emerge from deep within us.
The path into the center of the labyrinth winds in a clockwise pattern, and the path back unwinds counterclockwise. The spiral is a basic form in nature. The circle inward cleanses and quiets us as it leads us in. The unwinding path integrates and empowers us on our walk back out.
Center Petals
As you enter the center you will see the petal formation. Starting on your left the first petal represents mineral followed by vegetable, animal, human, angelic and the great unknown. So as you move around you may tune into those realms.
Lunations
The lunations are the outer ring of partial circles that complete the outside circle of the labyrinth. The lunations consist of 28 ½ two-thirds circles (foils) per quadrant, and therefore 28 cusps (points) per quadrant. The four quadrants of labyrinth mark each quarter of a year. Some believe that the labyrinth served as a calendar. It offered a method of keeping track of the lunar cycles of twenty-eight days each. The lunations add beauty to the labyrinth design and invite us, symbolically, to be back in touch with the lunar cycles.
Chartres Labyrinth
The Chartres labyrinth, the design we have here at SJRMC, articulates an ancient cosmology, much as the medicine wheel does for Native American culture. According to one theory the earth was at the center of the labyrinth and the consecutive circle of paths held the moon, the sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Exiting
When exiting the labyrinth, walking out of the winding path, we are literally ushered back out into the world in a strengthened condition. In the end, the way out is back the way we came in. Each path somehow mirroring the turns in our lives.
The best way to learn about the labyrinth is to walk its sacred path with an open heart and an open mind, letting your experiences guide you.