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Note: This is the 3rd in a series of Opednews articles by Meryl Ann Butler about labyrinths. Previous articles are listed at the end of this article.
Turf Labyrinth, Cambridge, England. Photo: www.labyrinthos.net
The second annual World Labyrinth Day - is being celebrated on Saturday May 1, 2010.
Earthworks labyrinth by Alex Champion. Photo: www.CAPavlinac.com
World Labyrinth Day - is a global event celebrated annually on the first Saturday in May. It is sponsored by The Labyrinth Society, (TLS) an international organization founded in 1998. As part of this celebration, all are invited to "Walk as One at 1" (1:00 pm in local time zones).
A labyrinth is different from a maze in both form and function.
Author Meryl Ann Butler's sand labyrinth, Venice Beach, CA, Nov. 2009.
A maze offers a choice of paths. Most are dead ends, and generally only one path leads to the goal. Making one's way through a maze is a game of skill that engages logic and analytical processes, and a maze usually has walls designed to obscure the view of the correct path.
A labyrinth has a single (unicursal) path that is walked in order to enhance
physical, psychological, or spiritual wellbeing. More than a game, it offers an
opportunity for a journey inward through a walking meditation.
Tiled labyrinth, Abingdon, England. Photo: www.labyrinthos.net
Typically, a labyrinth has lines or stones that mark the path, rather than walls. It can be created indoors or outdoors, and can be made from a wide variety of materials including earth, sand, inlaid wood, tile, cut carpet, or even projected light.
Projected light labyrinth. Photo: www.labyrinthos.net
Labyrinth by Alex Champion, earthsymbols.com. Photo: www.CAPavlinac.com
Ochsner Clinic Labyrinth by Marty Kermeen, Covington, LA.
Labyrinths can be simple or complex. Some are based on spiral designs from ancient Rome and Greece, and the simplest form can be drawn easily.
