The labyrinth as an ancient symbol relates to wholeness. It has associations with many of  the great religious cultures including the Hopi Indians, the Aborigines and the Christian cathedral builders of Europe. The labyrinth motif is found in such diverse places as Peru, Arizona, Crete and Egypt. The origins of the labyrinth are mysterious, but at various times in the history of mankind different cultures have incorporated them into their lives. 

Since its emergence over 4000 years ago, the labyrinth continues to be recognized as one of the most important symbols of spiritual cosmology. Even though it relates to different periods in time, its relevance to present time is still authentic.  

While the labyrinth functions as a place for quiet, personal meditation, it symbolises the movement and rhythm of an emerging cosmology. In recognising that we are actively engaged in the process of an evolving Universe, in its creative unfolding, walking the labyrinth provides an opportunity to experience this journey in harmony with the Universe.  

The universality of the symbol of the labyrinth extends beyond belief or understanding. In the mystery of its origin, it is a reminder of the presence that permeates all of life. 

Other well known symbols associated with the labyrinth are the cross with equal arms and the wheel. Like the labyrinth motif, such figures have a centre point and are among the oldest religious symbols in the world that symbolise the Self. While the Self describes the inner truth of a person, it encompasses God, harmony, love or the whole of one’s being. According to Jung, the Self is not only the centre, but also the whole circumference which embraces both conscious and unconscious. It is the centre of this totality just as the ego is the centre of the conscious mind.  

The Self reflects unity in the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of being which, in turn, represent the functions of thinking, feeling, sensation and intuition. Altogether the Self symbolises the journey or process of self-realisation. In mystical terms, it is known as the spiritual journey.

The Labyrinth - Sacred Path

Walking the labyrinth is a means to an end. It is a way to actively develop one’s intuition. As one walks through the labyrinth, one is guided by the path. There is no thinking involved, just an inner attunement to following the path. Walking the labyrinth also provides an opportunity to use intuition when making decisions. The guidance received on the way ignites intuition, strengthening one. Through asking and walking one discovers and acts on one’s inner power. These intuitive powers have become “buried as streams...by disuse and unfounded charges of disrepute”. (Estes)

Since Jung has written that nothing is ever lost in the psyche, one can always discover one’s inner power and act on it. Making decisions from a rational perspective only often excludes intuitive knowledge, which can be of vital importance  in a given situation. Intuition is a right brain activity that can be activated through walking the labyrinth. It is the inner voice, the intuitive sense of how and when to proceed.  

History of the Labyrinth

One of the earliest labyrinth designs to be found was on a ceramic vessel which was dated c. 1300 BC at Tell Rifia in Syria. The first labyrinth construction known to have been walked was the structure built at Fayum in Eqypt by King Amenemhet around 484 BC. Other labyrinths of legend were Clusium in Italy, which was built by Lars Porsena as his tomb, the Samian labyrinth built by Theodorus in the 6th Century and Woodstock, which was built by Henry II.

One of the most famous and best known labyrinths was the Cretan, the home of the Minotaur.  The Minotaur was the boy, half-bull, half-human, born to the royal family. He was hidden in the labyrinth and every year, seven young men from Athens were sent to try and overcome him, but no one ever returned from the labyrinth. Legend recalls how Thesus the young Athenian fell in love with Ariadne before the day of confrontation. She gave him a ball of thread to unwind as he entered the labyrinth. The story tells how Thesus journeyed to the centre of the labyrinth and slew the Minotaur, then returned to the outside world by following the thread given to him by Ariadne. The Cretan labyrinth is one of the oldest European labyrinths and is also called the classical seven-circuit labyrinth. The Cretan labyrinth design was imprinted on coins and other artefacts of the early civilisations. The remains of a seven-circuit labyrinth is to be found on Mount Knossos on the island of Crete.

Possibly the most ancient surviving labyrinth is found on rock carvings at Luzzanas in Sardinia, dating from 2000 - 2500 BC. The oldest known labyrinth in Ireland comes from a stone inscription in Holly-wood, County Wicklow and can be found about twelve miles from Glendalough on the Western side of the Wicklow mountains. In 1931 - 1932 a limestone relief of the Chartres type labyrinth was found in the parish church of Rathmore, County Meath.  Measuring 35 cm in diameter, its origin, age or function is not known. However, according to H.G. Leask, the relief can be dated along with the church to the mid-15th Century. The labyrinth has been set in the wall of the church with its entrance at the top.  

Church Labyrinths

Church labyrinths are also known as pavement labyrinths. The earliest known Christian labyrinth is probably the one found in the fourth Century Basilica of Reparatus, Orleansville in Algeria. Written in the centre are the words Santa Eclesia (Holy Church). In the Cathedral of Amiens the labyrinth is created in the form of an octagon.  The church of San Pietro di Conflentu, Pontremoli has a labyrinth on which the Latin inscription sic currite ut comprehendatis is written on the lower ledge.  This recalls the words in Corinthians 9:24: “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain”. There are many other well known church labyrinths such as the one in the Cathedral in Lucca, in the Church of San Savino in Piacenza, in the Church of Sibbo in Finland, in Notre Dame de Reims, in San Vitale in Rawenna and the most well known and visited Notre Dame de Chartres in Chartres, France.  

Legend recalls that the design of the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral was part of the temple of King Solomon and was brought to France by the Knights Templar.  The style is associated with the Free Masons and their guilds who provided the expertise and labour to build the Gothic Cathedrals in Europe. The labyrinth in Chartres is located in the west end of the nave and its pattern is the fully developed eleven circuit labyrinth. It was inlaid on the floor sometime between 1194 - 1220 when the Church was being reconstructed after a fire had almost destroyed it. 

The labyrinth at Chartres has endured to the present day as a most stunningly beautiful example of a labyrinth.  It measures 12 m 87 cm (42 ft) in diameter and is laid out in white stone separated by black. 

The History of Spirituality in Ireland

The following is the original text for the seven spaces within the Aistear Maze outlined by Dr. Eoin Grogan in 1995. 

Inspiration -  The Archaeological Remains of Iniscealtra and Mountshannon

Themes - Spirituality and Continuity/Pilgrimage and Journey

Defining Elements - Place and Time, Trees and Water, Stone and Wood

A spiritual dimension forms an intrinsic part of our humanity. This manifests itself in a wide variety of forms and is represented in a range of archaeological evidence stretching back to the time of the Neanderthals sixty thousand years ago. Although it is not until the advent of history that we can have any certainty about the real perceptions of human spirituality, it is possible to speculate on the beliefs of our ancestors and to identify some of the context within which their spirituality was expressed. Most of the identifiable aspects of these beliefs are clearly manifestations of communal ceremonies rather than personal spirituality of private devotion. However, other beliefs, such as an expectation of some form of life after death or a profound sense of loss or mourning for lost loved ones, are so innately human that we can identify places and circumstances where these were enacted. It is also probable, as is the case with modern humans, that special places, such as those associated with burial or worship, held an attraction for acts of more private reflection, devotion or meditation. These places may be built or natural. 

In the middle of the first millennium AD, the arrival of Christianity had a profound, if gradual, impact on Irish belief systems. While influenced by the early Church in other areas, the early Irish Church developed its own particular elements of spirituality and mysticism and these were clearly heavily influenced by pre-Christian beliefs and practices. In particular the largely monastic organisation of the Church and importance of hermits reflect both the nature of existing social organisation and a strong and continuing sense of personal devotion. Visions, dreams and other mystic experiences formed a further layer of this spiritual dimension. The strong tradition of individualism and a search for spiritual peace continued through the medieval period into the modern era and both are reflected by the continued importance not only of religious belief, but more especially in the strength of private prayer and devotion and the popularity of pilgrimage. 

Aistear InisCealtra  takes the form of a journey that can be undertaken at a number of levels. It is a journey through time, from the first arrival of humans 9,000 years ago to the present, following the changes in traditions and ceremonies associated with the belief of our ancestors. At the same time it reflects the changes in the landscape that, after the arrival of farming around 4,000 BC, are largely the result of human activity in the countryside – a dramatic change from the tundra conditions of the post-Glacial period to the high forests of the early Neolithic to the tamed and farmed landscape that has been a feature of Ireland since the Bronze Age. But Aistear is also a form of pilgrimage visiting the places of spiritual reflection that have guided and shaped our modern world; for some visitors this can be what the ancient Irish called an Imran, a personal voyage of discovery and self-reflection, a journey of the soul.  

The purpose of the journey is to move gradually from one era to another, reflecting on the belief systems of each period while recognising the effect of the environment on the people and place and the gradual transformations that occurred. 

The overall concept encompasses the themes of spirituality and pilgrimage, which are powerfully evoked by the presence of Holy Island (Iniscealtra) nearby. The visitor is invited to participate in a journey down a pathway, in effect a pilgrimage, through the history of spirituality in Ireland. At seven points on the journey there are landscaped places, human symbols and artefacts that draw together aspects of beliefs in the past. These are explained in terms of both the belief systems and the nature of the places, built or natural, associated with contemporary spiritual life. The result is an informative exploration of Irish spirituality over nine thousand years, one that can be enjoyed as an experience of personal spirituality as well as an informative one. 

The Aistear Labyrinth