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The Labyrinth As Heart And Holder Of Personal Pilgrimage, Cindy Pavlinac

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Labyrinths have woven a meandering path through the human psyche for thousands of years. From ancient Ariadne and Medieval cathedral pilgrimage floors to modern movies and computer games, labyrinths are often at the heart of the quest for self-knowledge, creative awakening, personal integration, community building and transcendence. The labyrinth as a metaphor for the journey of life could be considered a localized concentrated pilgrimage and alternative exploration to exotic travel and the physical challenge usually required for breakdown/breakthrough growth. Unicursal, single pathway designs, like the seven-circuit Classical Cretan and the eleven-circuit Chartres, engage the body while freeing the mind. The …