Labyrinth at Nina's

15354 East Bakerville Road

Mt. Vernon, IL  62864

(618) 242-4222 home

(618) 246-4603 cell

Labyrinths have been around for up to 4,000 years and used by the ancients for prayer, ritual, initiation, and protection and guidance from the elements.

Labyrinths have been recently rediscovered and becoming popular as a way to heal your soul.  Knowing there are no obstacles and all you have to do is follow the path, helps your mind become quiet as the body journeys to the center.

Walkers now use the Labyrinth to pray, solve problems, meditate, celebrate, and connect with their intuition and creativity.

They are being constructed in gardens, back yards, churches, schools, parks, drawn in sand on beaches, and mowed in fields, to name a few places.  Some are permanent and others are temporary.  Others are made for fingers as lines on paper or carved in wood.

There are no set rules for their size or shape.  The two forms that seem to be the most preferred are the classic (or Cretan-7 path) which is the oldest and most universal Labyrinth, and the Chartres (2 concentric paths).  It is named after the stone Labyrinth in the Chartres Cathedral in France.

There are many books printed about Labyrinths - some of the above information is found in "Exploring the Labryrinth" by Melissa Gayle West.