Enter the Labyrinth, 4

by Let Us Reason

Most trace the modern resurgence of labyrinths to Lauren Artress. If she is the authority on it, and brought it to the church, then we should listen carefully to what she is saying to see if it is a true spiritual practice.

Lauren was aware of labyrinths as a child. In her visit to Chartres in 1991 she talked to Jean Huston and worked with her and went through a labyrinth. Then she went home and said, "Wow, something important happened there." I remember walking around the room yelling, "What is it?" And then the idea came through - put the labyrinth in the cathedral" (Zions Herald interview with Lauren Artress). In 1996 Artress created Veriditas, a non-profit dedicated to introducing people to the healing, meditative powers of the labyrinth.

Artress says that "You walk to the center of the labyrinth and there, at the center, you meet the Divine" (Lauren Artress, "Q and A with Lauren," Veriditas, Vol. 1, no. 2, Summer 1996, p. 18). She explains that: "The labyrinth is a large, complex spiral circle which is an ancient symbol for the Divine Mother, the God within, the Goddess, the Holy in all of creation," she wrote. "For many of us the feminine aspect of the Divine has been painfully absent from our lives, our spirituality, and our Western culture" (Rev. Lauren Artress).

The Bible has nothing to say about a feminine aspect to the divine mother, a Goddess, so this shows this cannot be related to Christianity but paganism.

She describes her discovery of the labyrinth as one of the "most astonishing events of my life." For her, the labyrinth is a "spiritual tool meant to awaken us to the deep rhythm that unites us to ourselves and to the Light that calls from within." Veriditas promotes walking through the labyrinth as a way of discovery, to find healing, self-knowledge and continuing to weave the Universal Web of Creation."

An important fact to know is that geomancy and other occult arts are often incorporated in the building of labyrinths. Charles Gilchrist, a labyrinth promoter, states it has a direct connection to "Sacred Geometry," a powerful potential as an oracle. And there are other "oracle systems" that are related to Sacred Geometry, Astrology, Numerology, I Ching, Rune Stones, and the Tarot.

"Veriditas is the non-profit organization that has grown up around the labyrinths at Grace Cathedral. They are dedicated to teaching people the history, use, and potential of this spiritual tool. Veriditas Project founder Lauren Artress promotes the labyrinth as a way to connect with the divine feminine, the god within" (Penn, September 1999 The New Age movement in the Episcopal Church).

In Leadership Magazine, a Christian publication, it was written, "Graceland artists recreated the Labyrinth with a kit we purchased" ([the Prayer Path Group Publishing, $79.99] reference in Leadership Magazine p. 38, 2002). Dan Kimball, who wrote the article, further writes, "It was joy to see so many people on their knees communing with God through the experiential prayer elements."

In this article the author mentions how they found themselves at the center of the Labyrinth where they sat on cushions and were given communion elements as the narrator read scripture telling them how near Jesus is. How unfortunate that they thought that by doing this it made the experience a Christian one. (Dan Kimball pastors Graceland, a postmodern worship service at Santa Cruz Bible church in Santa Cruz, California).

The Reverend Alan Jones, Dean of Grace Cathedral states, "The Grace Cathedral Labyrinth Project is committed to addressing the spiritual hunger of our times." Lauren Artress still travels with the original canvas labyrinth she designed in 1991 to workshops and conferences around the globe to share the message of this ancient tool of healing and transformation.

Lauren Artress and others at Veriditas are hoping it will become a more common aspect of society in the 21st century, through the use of spiritual tools like the Labyrinth. "Body, nature, and a sense of place - the Theater of Enlightenment is rich with these three elements, which experts say are essential to global transformation in the 21st century" (quote from Theater of Enlightenment by Colleen O'Connor).

Clearly this is a New Age observance with practices for global transformation, which has a long history of being the goal of the New Age movement.

March 11, 2002, The World-Wide Labyrinth Project featured three people:

Chartres, France - In 1999 The Reverend Canon Lauren Artress established "Let Us Walk With Mary," a unique enlightening program for pilgrims seeking spiritual growth.

China Galland - Long-time student of Buddhism and Christianity, teacher, and author of "The Bond Between Women: A Journey to Fierce Compassion," "Tara and the Black Madonna," and "Women in the Wilderness."

The Very Rev. Alan Jones - Dean of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco and author of "The Soul's Journey: Exploring the Three Passages of Spiritual Life with Dante as a Guide," "Exploring Spiritual Direction," and "Passion for Pilgrimage."

Chartres Cathedral is the only cathedral built fully for Mary. When the Rev. Lauren Artress reopened the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral, she emphasized that it would be in the name of Mary. Promoting the Divine feminine, as found in "Walking a Sacred Path."

Dr. Artress states, "The labyrinth provides a sacred space where the inner and outer world can commune, where the thinking mind and the imaginative heart flow together...a space to listen to our inner voice of wisdom." She goes on to speak of the experience of walking the labyrinth in the following manner: "Walking the labyrinth is a spiritual discipline that invites us to trust the path, to surrender to the many turns our lives take, and to walk through the confusion, the fear, the anger, the grief that we cannot avoid experiencing as we live our earthly lives. The labyrinth is a place where we can open ourselves to the Holy Spirit. We can ask for guidance and pray for ourselves and our loved ones."

Certainly one is able to do this without a Labyrinth, the early church did not depend on this vehicle to help them with their spirituality. Jesus already instructed us how to be open to his leading and his answers so why do we need to use this other religious device? Religious syncretism is probably the most dangerous we can involve ourselves in because we can put a label on something and call it something it essentially is not. These are two different religions, spiritual systems. Starhawk, a practicing witch and head of a coven, celebrated New Year 2000 by walking the Labyrinth on her San Francisco area ranch.

Psychotherapist Dr. Lauren Artress says, "To walk a sacred path is to discover our inner sacred space: that core of feeling that is waiting to have life breathed back into it through symbols, archetypal forms like the labyrinth, rituals, stories, and myths." This has nothing to do with practicing Christianity and everything to do with other spiritual practices that the Bible tells us not to participate in.

In the article, Mystical Paths for Contemplation 5/18/2002, Artress recently talked about the popularity of this practice as she prepared to conduct workshops and tours of labyrinths in Europe:

FaithLinks: What kind of Christian is typically attracted to labyrinth spirituality?

Artress: The labyrinth attracts people from all walks of life. Many Christians come to it when they are in a dry period spiritually and feel like their daily prayer life is not working for them. They may also come on the eve of surgery, bad news about a sick friend, or the loss of a job. The labyrinth is a path of prayer for everyone. To those who feel they don't know how to pray, I simply say "write a letter to God." It is especially attractive to the seekers who long for a personal relationship with the Divine. These folks have done their homework by studying other traditions as well (Source website, however, this particular interview is no longer available online).

I have got a better idea, read God's letters to you, all 66 of them found in the Bible for your spiritual renewal.