The seven-circuit labyrinth appears in many ancient traditions.  Speculations on its meaning and use span the gamut from sacred to mundane and anyone interested in exploring scholarly investigation or New Age application will find myriad trails to follow.  On this page, the trail I advocate is the labyrinth itself.

     You may have a walking labyrinth in some public venue near you.  The experience of walking one, alone or in company, is well-worth the effort of finding it.  Long term health and spiritual benefits become evident with practice over time, but the immediate effects are usually enough to bring novice walkers back for repeats.

     Relaxation, increased focus and/or mental energy, general clarity, specific insight, physical vigor, Chakhra balance, and centering are among the results often reported following use of a labyrinth.  Regular access to a standard walking labyrinth may be difficult or impossible to obtain in many locations and circumstances, but the benefits may also be gained through use of the finger labyrinth.

Finger labyrinths may be worked along the grooves of beautiful wooden or sculpted forms, on simple paper copies, or by rote in the air or on tabletop.  The left-hand form is the common ground layout and is paired with the right-hand form, or mirror image, for the purpose of finger-walking.  They are used to enhance general calm and clarity, to focus the mind before a task or exam, to aid memory, to deepen sleep and enhance dream-retention.

     The concentric paths are regarded as corresponding to the seven main Chakhras of the torso and head.  The rainbow hues of those Chakhras are often portrayed or envisioned along the paths and the walker may bring focus and attention to the color, location and balance of each Chakhra while passing through that path.  Issues or questions relating to individual Chakhras may be explored on the way in to the center of the labyrinth, allowed to rest or resolve at the center, and burdens or obsolete habits or attitudes relinquished on the journey back out.

Bits of Lore

I have been told that:

~ Labyrinths were probably brought from Egypt or the Middle East back to Scandinavia centuries ago by Viking traders.  Wooden labyrinth forms are reported to have been found in Viking burials.  A folk tradition holds that wives of sailors work or walk the labyrinth before voyages in order to distract and trap dangerous spirits or influences which would otherwise threaten the safe return of the men.

~ The resemblance to a cross-section of the human brain is said to be no coincidence.

~ Finger labyrinths can help Alzheimers patients to enhance short term memory and focus for temporary relief of symptoms, during family visits, for example.  Likewise, some report benefits to persons with ADD and ADHD.