Healing Path Logo

The Healing Path logo depicts the "birth labyrinth" inlaid in 270 stones of the floor of Chartres cathedral in France.  Each stone represents a day of human gestation.

In the medieval period, pilgrims who were unable to fulfill their desire to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem sought meaningful alternatives.  A popular alternative was to make a pilgrimage to a great cathedral such as the one in Chartres, and to prayerfully and meditatively walk its labyrinth.  This led to the Chartres labyrinth being given the additional name of "Le chemin de Jerusalem" (Jerusalem Path).

The labyrinth is therefore a metaphor for both psychological work to reach and heal the inner self, and for spiritual work to reach the inner Divine.  Viewing the labyrinth in this light, one sees that its design implies that if you are willing to walk the path and keep going, there is no other possible outcome but to reach the inner self and inner Divine.

Yet, there are other ways to view the labyrinth that are also meaningful.  The word labyrinth is associated with the Greek legend of the Athenian hero Theseus.  Theseus entered the labyrinth on Crete to overcome the half-man, half-bull Minotaur monster that resided in it.  This freed the Athenians from the Minotaur's demands for the regular human sacrifice to it of seven Athenian youths and seven Athenian maidens.  The task for Theseus was greatly increased by the labyrinth itself.  He had to first find the Minotaur, then overcome it, and then find his way back.  Ariadne's advice and golden thread enabled him to find his way back out.  The legend parallels the human need to go inward, find and deal with inner difficulties and darkness, and not stay trapped in a dark inner labyrinth.