What is a prayer labyrinth?

Answer

A labyrinth is a path that leads, through a winding route, to the center of a complex design and back out again. The route of a labyrinth is unicursal; meaning it has only one path. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth is created for easy navigation, ensuring it is impossible to become lost within it.

A prayer labyrinth is a labyrinth utilized to support prayer, meditation, spiritual growth, and/or global harmony. Some of the most renowned prayer labyrinths today include an ancient one in the cathedral of Chartres, France, another in the cathedral of Duomo di Siena, Tuscany, and two maintained by Grace Cathedral, an Episcopal church in San Francisco. While prayer labyrinths have been utilized in Catholic cathedrals for centuries, the last decade has witnessed a resurgence in their popularity, particularly within the Emergent Church and among New Age groups and neo-pagans.

Labyrinths have been employed by various cultures for over 3,500 years. Evidence of ancient labyrinths can be found in Crete, Egypt, Italy, Scandinavia, and North America. Ancient labyrinths typically featured what is commonly referred to as the “classical” design of seven rings, or circuits. They were primarily used for pagan purposes: many labyrinths were devoted to a goddess and utilized in ceremonial dances. The Hopi Indians viewed the labyrinth as a representation of Mother Earth, while the numerous stone labyrinths along the Scandinavian coastline were utilized as protective barriers against trolls and malevolent winds to ensure safe fishing.

During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church adapted the labyrinth for its own use within its cathedrals. The classical form evolved into a more elaborate design of 11 circuits in 4 quadrants, often known as the “medieval” design. Within Catholicism, the labyrinth could symbolize various concepts: the challenging and intricate journey to God, a mystical progression towards salvation and enlightenment, or even a symbolic pilgrimage to Jerusalem for those unable to undertake the physical voyage.

The contemporary “rediscovery” of the labyrinth and its utilization in church environments is embraced by organizations like The Labyrinth Society and Veriditas, The Global Labyrinth Project. According to these organizations, the labyrinth is a “divine imprint,” a “mystical tradition,” a “sacred path,” and a “sacred gateway.” Veriditas’ stated mission is “to transform the Human Spirit,” utilizing “the Labyrinth Experience as a personal practice for healing and growth, a tool for community building, an agent for global peace, and a metaphor for the blossoming of the Spirit in our lives” (from the official Veriditas website).

As per Veriditas, walking a prayer labyrinth involves three stages: purgation (releasing), illumination (receiving), and union (returning). Purgation takes place as one progresses towards the center of the labyrinth. During this phase, one lets go of the worries and distractions of life and opens their heart and mind. Illumination happens at the labyrinth’s center; this is the moment to “receive what is there for you” through prayer and meditation. Union occurs as one exits the labyrinth and entails “connecting with God, your Higher Power, or the healing energies at work in the world.”

Advocates of prayer labyrinths discuss using the labyrinth to gain enlightenment, realignment with the universe, and increased empowerment to understand oneself and fulfill the soul’s work. Some, like Dr. Lauren Artress, Veriditas’ president, also mention the “various levels of consciousness” that impact the worshiper in a labyrinth, including the awareness that they are “one of those pilgrims walking in ancient times. It feels like it’s from another era; it doesn’t feel like it’s part of this life” (from an interview with Dr. Lauren Artress on the official Veriditas website).

Possibly as a nod to ancient goddess worship, many prayer labyrinths feature feminine symbols at the center. Dr. Artress acknowledges the symbolism and openly discusses connecting with the “sacred feminine” in a labyrinth and the necessity to vi.

Is God referred to as both a “he” and a “she”?

Are prayer labyrinths biblical? No, they are not. Labyrinths are not mentioned in the Bible, and they contradict several biblical principles of worship and prayer.

1) God seeks those who will worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24;Philippians 3:3;Psalm 29:2). Advocates of prayer labyrinths talk about “body worship” and aim to engage all five senses in worship. However, body worship is not a biblical concept. We walk by faith, not by sight, and worship is not a sensual, physical activity; worship is a matter of the heart, shown through praise and service to God. For New Testament believers, worship is unrelated to external practices like lighting candles, kneeling at an altar, or walking in circles.

2) Prayer should not become ritualistic (Matthew 6:5-8). Dr. Artress claims that “ritual nourishes the soul” and suggests making repeated, regular journeys through the labyrinth. If ritual truly nourished the soul, then the Pharisees in Jesus’ time would have been the most spiritually nourished individuals—since their religious system was full of rituals and traditions. Yet Jesus criticized them multiple times for the lifelessness and hypocrisy of their religion (Matthew 15:3;Mark 7:6-13).

3) Every believer has the mind of Christ «For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.», (1 Corinthians 2:16). Many who walk prayer labyrinths are searching for special insight, new revelation, or an encounter with “the God who’s within.” This focus on mysticism and esoteric knowledge borders dangerously close to Gnosticism and New Age ideologies.The Christian does not require mystical experiences or extra-biblical revelations: “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” «But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. », (1 John 2:20).

God is close to all who sincerely call upon Him (Psalm 145:18;Acts 17:27). No ritual, such as walking a labyrinth, can bring anyone closer to God. Jesus is the way «Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. », (John 14:6). Repentance and faith are necessary «testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. », (Acts 20:21).

The Bible is enough to sanctify, enlighten, and fully equip the Christian for their work in this world (2 Timothy 3:15-17). Claiming that real power requires adding mysticism or tradition to the Bible diminishes God’s Word and the Spirit’s work through it.

Historically, labyrinths have pagan origins and were later adopted by Catholicism. They are now endorsed by the Emergent Church and others pursuing a spirituality independent of the Bible. Paul’s caution to the church should remind us to focus on Jesus and avoid empty rituals: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” «Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, a

Do not be taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not after Christ., (Colossians 2:8).