The Labyrinth Resource Group has a brochure available for download.
The brochure gives an introduction to walking the labyrinth and locations of public labyrinths in Santa Fe.
Walking into the labyrinth – Quiet your mind chatter and
release your thoughts. Become aware of your breathing,
Take slow breaths. Relax and move at your own pace.
Open your heart to feel whatever it might feel.
Walking into the Center – This is a place of reflection.
Pause and stay as long as you like. Listen to your inner
voice.
Walking out the labyrinth – Walk out on the same path you
followed coming in, bringing a sense of well-being, healing,
excitement, calm or peace.
Here is a short video about the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France which in many ways became the inspiration for reviving the building of labyrinths, a movement which has spread all over the world. The video has beautiful footage of walking the labyrinth at Chartres, both at the ground level and in aerial views. In French.
Labyrinths have been used all over the world for thousands of years. Each person who walks brings their own way of being in the labyrinth to each experience of it. Labyrinths can be walked individually or in groups. One way of observing the rhythm of the year is to walk the labyrinth at the solstices and the equinoxes, thus marking the four seasons. Some people walk on the new or the full moon. Using the labyrinth to bring us into the cycle of the year is a beautiful way to find the harmony in our lives.
Santa Fe artist Carlos Smith features labyrinths in the images that he creates, many of them using traditional metal working techniques of the Southwest. You can catch him on Facebook or every year at Spanish Market in Santa Fe.
Labyrinths can be created out of a number of materials. In Santa Fe, the labyrinth at Frenchy’s Field Park is made out of earth, water and straw, known as “cob.” In a similar to the process to the one used to make adobe bricks used for buildings, the materials are mixed, formed and allowed to harden in the sun. The labyrinth gets a lot of use and so must be maintained regularly. Here’s a photo of a mudding team hard at work.
Finding a LabyrinthWhether you’re traveling some place and want to find a labyrinth to walk or if you’re looking for a labyrinth near home, there is an easy way to locate the nearest labyrinth. The Labyrinth Locator, a project, of The Labyrinth Society and Veriditas, is a database of labyrinths all over the world which can be visited, with locations, pictures, and contact details. To connect to the Worldwide Labyrinth Locator, click here.
If you have or know of a labyrinth that you would like to have listed in the database, you can add it by clicking here.