Walking the Circular Path

By MICHAEL PEARSON
Associated Press Writer

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) _ The path turns and twists, forcing walkers to concentrate as they as they make their way forward. The labyrinth, an ancient meditative tool touted for its mind-clearing benefits, is becoming popular once again. In the last few months, the switchbacking, circular walking paths have sprung up in several Illinois locations, including in Chicago, Centralia and Carbondale.

"People bring all sorts of theology and spirituality to the labyrinth," said Dan Brosier, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Elgin, where a 92-foot-diameter labyrinth draws dozens of walkers each week. "Some people see it as a meditative tool," he said. "In the Christian tradition, some see it as a pilgrimage to the holy land. There are other people who believe there is New Age energy channeled up through the labyrinth." Unlike mazes, labyrinths feature a single, if convoluted, path toward a central point.

The twisting, back-and-forth motion forces walkers to concentrate on the path, helping to shut out distractions and allow their "spiritual mind" to take over, said Joan Juul of Carbondale. "While you're walking the labyrinth, it's almost like white noise," said Juul, who said a new labyrinth in Carbondale offers a powerful opportunity for meditation, even though it is near a busy railroad line and street.

Nearly 1,000 labyrinths have been constructed of stone, grass, canvas and virtually every other material since 1992, when an Episcopal priest in San Francisco began spreading word of the soul-cleansing benefits of labyrinth-walking. In Illinois, labyrinths are located in Chicago, Barrington, Deerfield, Elgin, Norway, Rockford, Springfield, St. Charles, Harrisburg, Carbondale and Centralia.

The Rev. Lauren Artress modeled Grace Cathedral's first labyrinth on a medieval example traced on the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France. But such designs predate Christianity by hundreds of years. To many Americans, labyrinths are associated with the Minotaur, the man-eating half-man, half-bull of Greek mythology whose slayer found his way out by following a strand of thread he laid on his way in. They also appear in parts of Europe in apparent association with feminine deities and fertility rituals, according to Grace Cathedral's history of labyrinths.

They entered Christianity during the Crusades, when travel to the holy land was unsafe. Instead of making a pilgrimage to Jesus' birthplace, medieval Christians traveled to cathedrals to make a symbolic spiritual pilgrimage in the labyrinth. Similar designs are important in Eastern spirituality, as well. Such universal appeal leads supporters to dismiss worries that labyrinths are just another California fad overtaking the Midwest.

"It's there, it works, it's a nice little work of art, and what I really like, it brings us together," said Hugh Muldoon, director of Christian ministries at the Interfaith Center in Carbondale. That the universal symbolism of the inward path makes the labyrinth appealing to a variety of faiths, and can be useful even to those without a spiritual basis, makes it that much more useful, he said. "It's very democratic," he said.

Because labyrinths are foreign to many people, most offer a "user's manual" with tips on how to walk the path: Begin slowly, focus on the path before you, perhaps reflect on a problem or issue in your life. On reaching the center, say a prayer or quietly reflect, and retrace your steps out.