Common to all labyrinths is a series of rings or circular paths which emanate outward from the centre. At a glance these paths may seem to be separate, but they are in fact 'unicursal' or 'a single course' - one unbroken path from start to finish.There are labyrinths with three, seven and eleven circuits the most famous (eleven-circuit) labyrinth is 40 feet in diameter and laid directly into the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France. Unlike mazes, there are no tricks or dead ends and no choices to make regarding which direction to travel when walking a labyrinth. The way in to the centre is also the way out. The same path that is walked into the heart of the labyrinth is followed out after reaching the centre.
The entrance through which one begins to walk the labyrinth is called the 'mouth'. This is the point at which the journey inward begins. Once the threshold to the labyrinth has been crossed, the spiralling walkway followed in is called the 'path.' The boundaries which separate the paths as they circle inward toward the centre are called the 'walls.' And the centre is the circular goal one reaches by fully traversing the path inward. It is often experienced as a place of union with the Divine. The centre is often circular - an archetypal pattern symbolising unity and wholeness.
The walk through the labyrinth is a metaphor for our journey through life. There is no right or wrong way to walk the labyrinth. This ancient walking meditation is simply done by putting one foot in front of the other and walking the 11 circles to the centre, resting there, and then returning out by the same path. (Source: diaura)
