A Labyrinth is a winding path that leads you from the outside to the centre and back out again. There are no traps, no dead ends, and no confusion; instead, this is a tool designed to help you find yourself.

 

The Labyrinth is an ancient pattern found in many cultures around the world. The oldest is reputed to be around 40,000 years old. Examples from the Stone and Iron Ages and from Greek and Roman eras date back thousands of years. There was a revival of Labyrinths in the middle ages when they became common in churches and churchyards at that time.

There has been another revival of the Labyrinth in recent times not only in churches but in many other places.

 

The Labyrinth has been recognised as a powerful tool for healing and for personal, psychological, and spiritual transformation. The Labyrinth can be a path of prayer. Many churches share fellowship by walking the Labyrinth together. People of different faiths can come together on the Labyrinth and find a meeting place.

 

When used as a meditation, walking the Labyrinth reduces stress. It quietens the mind, opens the heart, and grounds the body. Some walk with questions and find answers, others find healing, creativity, a sense of wholeness, or the ability to cope with life.

 

Many come during times of loss or grief and find solace. Others make a habit of walking the Labyrinth just for the enjoyment of it and the benefits that regular walking have on their lives.

 

The Labyrinth is a blueprint for well-being. Military hospitals use them to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. In general hospitals those who use Labyrinths not only heal faster but come to terms more easily with illness or disability. Walking the Labyrinth gives support in palliative care and in psychiatric institutions. Aged care facilities use Labyrinths for exercise, focus, and reflection and as a therapy for dementia. Jails and youth detention centres find that walking the Labyrinth develops a sense of self-worth, self-awareness, and peace for their inmates. Walking the Labyrinth is also an effective anger management tool.

 

Schools use Labyrinths as a powerful means of introducing restful movement into children's play resulting in calmness, improved creativity, conflict resolution, problem-solving, the ability to deal with loss, and life-limiting conditions.

Sometimes Labyrinths are used to hold weddings or memorial services. A Labyrinth can be a sacred space, a place of community cohesion, a place of ceremony, celebration, and of play.

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From Virginia Lonesky Narddecchia and used in the original proposal for a Labyrinth in Kyogle.