Labyrinths

Labyrinths and mazes are encountered the world over, and have been a source of fascination through the ages. In this lavishly illustrated and carefully documented classic, Hermann Kern examines labyrinths in light of their historical, cultural, religious, and symbolic significance.

Ever since Herodotus stood in awe before the Great Labyrinth of Egypt and its 3,000 rooms, men have been fascinated by labyrinthine puzzles, constructions, and mazes. This book explores the subject in full, with a complete illustrated account of labyrinths and mazes of all kinds, from earliest times to the present.

Ancient and medieval labyrinths embody paradox, according to Penelope Reed Doob. Their structure allows a double perspective--the baffling, fragmented prospect confronting the maze-treader within, and the comprehensive vision available to those without. Mazes simultaneously assert order and chaos, artistry and confusion, articulated clarity and bewildering complexity, perfected pattern and hesitant process. In this handsomely illustrated book, Doob reconstructs from a variety of literary and visual sources the idea of the labyrinth from the classical period through the Middle Ages.

A charming, offbeat, generously illustrated exploration of a form that has had a place in the culture of almost every civilization since the beginning of human history - and is now experiencing a modern revival. Labyrinths appear on Neolithic rock outcroppings and in some of the oldest legends from the Greek Isles and the American Southwest. In them we see perhaps the first human effort to create a form not found in nature, and we experience a mystery that has survived the millennia in countless manifestations. From the Mediterranean to Tuscany and Scandinavia, from English villages to French cathedrals and Italian palace gardens, David Willis McCullough takes us on a grand tour of the great labyrinths and mazes.

This introduction to mazes and labyrinths in their many forms throughout history and from 35 different countries, included illustrations from English turf mazes, Scandinavian stone mazes, North American hedge mazes, Roman mosaic pavements - carved, drawn, and painted mazes, mazes woven into rugs and baskets, and traced in sand.

Walking the Labyrinth has re-emerged as a metaphor for the spiritual journey and has become a very powerful tool for transformation. This walking meditation is an archetype, a mystic ritual that's found in all religious traditions, and it quiets the mind as it opens the soul. Walking a Sacred Path explores the historical origins of this divine imprint and shares the discoveries of modern-day seekers. It shows us the potential of the Labyrinth to inspire change and renewal in individuals and communities.

Full of exercises, suggestions, questionnaires, assignments, and meditations for getting the most out of the Labyrinth experience, The Sacred Path Companion is the indispensable guide for anyone searching for a spiritual journey that will inspire, educate, and engage.