The Labyrinth
We all walk a path in life and a great many of us may not realize where that path is leading. Sometimes people have a path to a greater understanding that they hope will bring them closer to what it is they seek.Sometimes that path is a spiritual pilgrimage. Many years ago, the Christian Church was faced with a problem. People wanted to make a pilgrimage to the holy lands, but they were unable to for many reasons. One being that a place like England is quite a ways from the shores of Israel therefore it is an awfully long walk.
The church decided to give people a chance to take a pilgrimage someplace a little closer so they adopted the labyrinth. A labyrinth is usually called a maze, but there is a big difference. A maze will have many paths that lead to dead ends while labyrinth has only one path that leads to the center. When you stand at the center of a labyrinth you find yourself wrapped in the middle of something far bigger than yourself.
In 1998, Seattle artists Dave Hartz and Astrid Larson re-created a simple labyrinth for Burningman. It was lined with ropes soaked in kerosene, laid out and set ablaze creating a flaming path. Later when the flames dies down, people could walk their own path at Burningman.
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