Journey to the Center
With the exception of the three labyrinth images, the photos
on this page were taken in the beautiful country of Sweden.
The world's renewed interest in labyrinths didn't make it onto my personal radar until the one at
Audubon Park in New Orleans was dedicated a few years ago.  At the time, I did some research
and found that labyrinths, in one form or another, are as ancient as human beings' ability to
create them.  Their history was so interesting, I thought that, one day, I'd do a Friday's Journal
page about them...and a reminder note's been patiently sitting in my 'to do' file ever since.
Labyrinths have been discovered in almost every part of the world, dating from prehistoric times,
and on through every era.  Used for a variety of reasons by different cultures and religions in their
long history, they've experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 21st century.  Today, they're
most often used as a tool to promote spiritual, emotional and/or physical well being.  People walk
the labyrinth path to focus the mind, relax the body and/or to enhance their spiritual lives.
Labyrinth, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Unlike a maze, there are no false starts and stops in a labyrinth, only one pathway - a
single, winding, unobstructed path from the outside to the center.
Labyrinth, Audubon Park, New Orleans, Louisiana
The journey is the destination. -- Author Unknown
Modern labyrinths can be found in churches, parks, hospitals, on university campuses and at
spiritual centers all around the world.  I even found bed & breakfast inns who offer their own
small labyrinths to guests.  A "Labyrinth Locator" (link is at the bottom of the page, along with
some links to labyrinth history pages) revealed five labyrinths in New Orleans alone:   First
Unitarian Universalist Church, Rayne Memorial Methodist Church, Grace Episcopal Church,
Trinity Episcopal Church and the Audubon Park Labyrinth.
We thought we were at the finish, but our way bent round and we found
ourselves back at the beginning.  -- Plato, 380 BC, speaking of a labyrinth
I dreamed a thousand new paths...I woke and walked my old one.  -- Chinese proverb
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From the Audubon Park Labyrinth website (dedicated in 2006, as a symbol of renewal and
healing for the people of New Orleans after the devastating levee failures in 2005):  "All people
and all cultures are invited to journey along the labyrinth path.  As in life, you will encounter many
turns.  Trust the path and follow it, one foot in front of the other, until you reach the center."