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IN ONE OF his many adventures, the Greek hero Theseus found
himself creeping along the winding passages of the Labyrinth on the
island of Crete. He listened intently to the bellows of the Minotaur, and
when he saw the monstrous beast charging toward him, he raised his
dagger and plunged it into the Minotaur’s neck. The creature howled,
then staggered and fell lifeless to the ground. Following a trail of thread,
Theseus then made his way out of the most famous labyrinth in history.
But my friend Helen Landalf tells me that, strangely enough, the baf-
f ling maze described in Greek myth was not a labyrinth at all. If it had
been a true labyrinth, Theseus would have had no trouble finding his
way out. A labyrinth is amazing, but it’s not a maze.
Labyrinths and mazes have an important difference: If you follow
the path of a labyrinth, you will always end up in the center. In a maze,
you’re just as likely to find yourself stuck at a dead end.
While mazes are meant as challenges to the mind, labyrinths serve
as tools for prayer and meditation. Unlike the false paths and dead ends
one finds in a maze, a labyrinth contains one long, winding path that
leads toward the center, then back out again. Since there are no deci-
sions to make when following the course of a labyrinth, the mind can
become quiet. People throughout history have walked labyrinthine
paths to help them focus their thoughts and find inner peace. In fact,
labyrinths can be found in virtually every world religious tradition.
The labyrinth has been with us since the beginning of civilization.
Twisting and turning like a maze, yet always leading toward a single
goal, the labyrinth truly is amazing.