To learn more, visit:

http://www.labyrinth.org.uk

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
The labyrinth has only one path so there are no tricks to it and no dead ends. The path winds throughout and becomes a mirror for where we are in our lives. It touches our sorrows and releases our joys. Walk it with an open mind and an open heart.

Guidelines for the walk:

Quiet your mind and become aware of your breath. Allow yourself to find the pace your body wants to go. The path is two ways. Those going in will meet those coming out. You may "pass" people or let others step around you. Do what feels natural.

There are three stages of the walk: "Palms Up, Palms Down"

There are many approaches to the labyrinth. One Christian approach to the labyrinth is based on the "threefold path"* of Purgation, Illumination, and Union.

• Purgation (Releasing, "Palms Down") ~ A releasing, a letting go of the details of your life. This is the act of shedding thoughts and distractions. A time to open the heart and quiet the mind.
  
  
• Illumination (Receiving, "Palms Up" ) ~ When you reach the center, stay there as long as you like. It is a place of meditation and prayer. Receive what is there for you to receive.
  
  
• Union (Returning) ~ As you leave, following the same path out of the center as you came in, you enter the third stage, which is joining God, your Higher Power, or the healing forces at work in the world. Each time you walk the labyrinth you become more empowered to find and do the work you feel your soul reaching for.