I love how when the time is right, it’s right! I find it interesting as I write this article that, as the creator of ‘Boori Boori’ labyrinth, my first article in Holistic Living Magazine is about autoimmune disease.
Why is it interesting I can hear you ask? ….because autoimmune processes may cause labyrinthitis which is an inflammatory disorder of the inner ear, or labyrinth within the ear. A metaphor for not listening to our bodies?
The labyrinth as a physical sacred geometry seed pattern allows us to connect our bodies’ immune system through our thoughts.
Our negative self-talk, our judgements and complaints about our lives and the constant comparing ourselves to others within our mind does incredible damage to our self esteem.
By taking our focus from the mind and connecting it back to the Heart and Soul, by becoming aware and making conscious decisions about what we need emotionally, by looking within, we can use the labyrinth as a metaphor for our life and take the focus back to the emotions that are causing our Dis-ease.
Each and every ‘sacred walk’ of the labyrinth is a personal and unique experience. This is not a fly-by-night therapy as labyrinths have been around for over 4000 years and are currently undergoing a resurgence of interest.
They are being used in natural healing processes and wellness programmes for individuals as well as being constructed in our hospitals, jails and communities.
I look at the labyrinth as a psychological immune system that is a metaphor which can be used to deal with the issue at hand – on the walk into the labyrinth – and as we start our walk by setting an intention for the healing on one or many multidimensional levels.
It is also an opportunity to recognise energy and its rhythms both in our bodies and within the universe.
On reaching the centre, this is where you can shift your conscious mind over to receive inspiration, connect with the Creator, Source, or your guidance, create space or just integrate and breathe in and be in acceptance.
The labyrinth is an archetype, a Divine imprint which has ancient power.
It is mindfulness in action as you become aware of your breath and the issue at hand and as allow the bubbles of inner wisdom to percolate up to the surface and allow yourself to consciously sense the unseen forces of the Universe and receive the innate sense of Love from the Centre, (God, Creator or Universal Power).
On the return journey out through the unicursal pathway, there is transformation, you cannot now look at your issue in the same way. When we accept peace and harmony as a state of being, we can see our life differently.
The labyrinth has a beautiful way of balancing our left and right hemispheres of our brain to create more peace and allows us to get out of thinking mind into our feeling body. When we feel balanced and more harmonious, we can create feelings of positivity.
We can then deal with the issues at hand as we have found the peace within us and possibly a few answers to how we might want to deal with the issues we are faced with. I
t has also been said that it reduces chronic pain for sufferers and also helps with ADHD. This I have experienced myself.
Walking the labyrinth is used as Mindful meditation and a way of helping those that can’t sit still but also as a beautiful way of stress reduction. The simple art of putting one foot in front of the other knowing that you are not going to get lost is its promise. What it offers is that you just might find yourself!
As a facilitator of labyrinth walks and ritual ceremonies, I have found that through constant walking of the labyrinth, we can realise the sacred in everyday and find a peace that soothes our soul.
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Karen Quant – Master Teacher Interior Alignment® & Creator Boori Boori
