Transforming the maze of the search into a labyrinth of finds

Dit Engelstalige artikel over de kracht van het labyrint schreef ik voor de jaarlijkse almanak van de Groninger Farmaceutische Studentenvereniging Parmaciae Sacrum. Het verscheen in de 38e almanak met het thema 'Labyrinth' in 2023. Hieronder lees je de versie met (extra) fotomateriaal.

A wondrous characteristic of the labyrinth is that it can fit in any culture, society, walk of life, line of work or field of study. As a symbol of the path of life, with its confusing twists and turns but always reaching the end, the labyrinth is applicable to all of us. Everyone begins travelling on their path of life, everyone meets happy times and daring struggles, everyone will eventually reach the end. While you walk your path of life, the labyrinth will ask if you are able to surrender to the way, if you will be able to trust your inner wisdom, and if you can rest in the knowledge that all will be well, whatever happens. But whatever is happing in life may not always be transparent. Sometimes one’s path may feel like a maze, with its dead ends leading nowhere, high walls obscuring the route ahead, and obstacles hindering any progress. The ability to change your point of view from maze to labyrinth is an exceptionally advantageous skill in life and in life’s work.

The labyrinth has been around for millennia. Cleverly created in art or meticulously drawn in early modern manuscripts, the medieval period showing bright green labyrinths made in turf and grass or labyrinths carefully built in churches, the Roman age with its mosaic floor labyrinths, where in the centre Theseus conquers the Minotaur. But labyrinths are even older than that. The oldest datable labyrinth has been scribbled on a Greek clay tablet over three thousand years ago, in 1200 BCE. Before that, the origin of the labyrinth becomes more and more indistinct. Labyrinth and labyrinthine petroglyphs found in Val Camonica (Italy) or Galicia (Spain) are by their nature difficult to date scientifically. Educated estimates could be three, four, five thousand years BCE. The geometric design of the classical labyrinth has connections to the spiral and the meander, imagery that is encountered for instance on bone jewellery dating back at least twenty or thirty thousand years ago. Maybe in the future new archaeological finds will confirm the existence of the labyrinth in the age of our ancient ancestors, the ones who created the intriguing cave paintings or carved the exquisite Venus figurines.

It is not known when, how or why the labyrinth originated. It may have been a natural development from the spiral forms that can be found all around us: on a snail-shell, a fern unfolding, the year rings of a tree, even the galaxy is spiral-shaped. Or found inside us: our fingerprints, our intestines, our brain structure, they too show a certain meandering flow of turning inward and opening outward. Another origin of the labyrinth could be the sacral dance, where rows of dancers move around a specific focal point, for instance around a sacred fire. The footsteps left imprinted in the sand or on the grass may have been the early inspiration that led to the discovery of the labyrinth. Whether it emerged three thousand or thirty thousand years ago, somehow this enigmatic form has seized the imagination of humankind ever since it made its appearance in the world of form, symbols and archetypes.

Today the labyrinth is predominantly considered to be a representation of the path of life. It is walked in meditation or prayer, for inspiration, dedication, consolation. For many who walk it, the labyrinth has become a place where one can regain one’s balance, where the mind can relax, where the intuition can be heard, a place even where a connection with the divine can be made. A walk can offer calmness, concentration, connectedness. The geometrical symbolism in the labyrinth has to do with turning inward and opening outward, with being present in the moment and being connected to the heavens, with life, death and rebirth. There is a certain alchemical value hidden in the labyrinth, turning the dross of earthly matters into the gold of spiritual endeavours. In its abstruse and often baffling way, the labyrinth supports in the search for the right answers.

That search for the right answer must of course be interpreted as finding the right answer. Searching for something is a truly different art than finding something. Looking for the best suitable treatment to resolve a certain malady can be an extremely complex investigation, one that may feel as if wandering through a confusing and complicated maze. If this is the case, start by transforming the maze of the search into a labyrinth of finds. Decide to trust that every single step in the process leads you to the centre. Surely you have experienced that the best ideas and insights present themselves when one’s mind is otherwise occupied: while under the shower, on your way to work, hiking in the forest, walking a labyrinth. So, step out of the office, go out and actually walk a labyrinth. Once there, let the mind settle and hand over the reins to the heart and inner wisdom. Let them connect the dots, while the body walks and regains equilibrium. Simply remain open and curious for an answer, and when you least expect it, the labyrinth will offer you the red pill.

Carin Wennink
www.Labyrinspiratie.nl

September 2023 for the 2023/2024 almanac of the
Groninger Farmaceutische Studentenvereniging 'Pharmaciae Sacrum'

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