Anglican Church of St. Marks Port Hope Diocese of Toronto

The Labyrinth of Chartres at St. Mark's is located behind the parish hall. Walk the path to the right of the church entrance, past the parish hall door, and then by grass to the east end of the building. There you will find the Labyrinth in the form of a circle, cut into the grass, with its entrance close to the building. The Labyrinth is open to the public during the summer months.

What is a labyrinth?

"Labyrinth" is the name given to a winding pathway that leads to a centre and returns to the entrance. The earliest labyrinths known are more than 3000 years old and are found in many countries and cultures. Ancient labyrinths still exist inside and outside buildings. Some are walked frequently. Classic labyrinth patterns, based on geometry, come in different shapes and sizes.

Why walk a labyrinth?
There are as many reasons for walking labyrinths as there are people who walk them. Some first walk out of curiosity. Others find it enjoyable and a good way to slow down, to step aside briefly from noise, tension and rush. For some, the labyrinth may become a spiritual path, part of life=s journey. Others find the walk a healing or calming experience. Children and adults like to run, skip or dance the labyrinth as well as walk it.

Can I get lost in the labyrinth?
No. There is only one path into the centre, and you follow the same path out. You can enjoy the walk without worrying about getting lost. There is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth, since making "mistakes" may give us a new perspective on our life.

Why haven't we heard about labyrinths?
In medieval Europe labyrinths were popular paths for meditation and pilgrimage. During the Enlightenment new discoveries in science and explorations beyond their known world changed people's thinking. The convoluted path of the labyrinth quietly fell into disuse.

Living in today's world can crowd out our creative and reflective faculties and the linear thinking of our age tends to suppress feeling and imagination.

The revival of the labyrinth in North America and Europe in the last ten years has provided us with a simple tool which expands our creative, imaginative and perceptive faculties. People believe that labyrinth walking acts as a balance to the demands of the technological and industrialised society we live in, and helps to prevent burnout and exhaustion.

Is the labyrinth connected with religious belief?
Many people experience the labyrinth as a spiritual tool, though walking the labyrinth does not require religious belief, nor contradict it. Thoughts that occur while walking may raise deep questions, offer new insights into one=s life or contribute to peace of mind. People interpret these experiences in the light of their own background and understanding.
The Christian adaptation of the labyrinth focuses on the resurrection of Jesus, as the centre of pilgrimage, which is also the redemption of the pilgrim. In modern times the pilgrims walk can be an individual meditation or a group liturgy, with music and dance.

Patterns for using the Labyrinth
Decide that you will use each turn as a significant change which you remember in your life, including your spiritual development. Walking though these turns, you identify with the past till you come to the present. Then with the turns left to you, pray your way through the eventualities you foresee. When you reach the centre, meditate on how God is at the centre of your life even when, as you have in the walk, you have moved away from the centre and as you must retrace your steps.

This labyrinth has only one path so there are no tricks to it and no dead ends. The path winds throughout and becomes a mirror for where we are in our lives; it touches our sorrows and releases our joys. So walk it with an open mind and an open heart.