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Labyrinth
Labyrinth
means "house of the double ax", deriving from "labrys",
the sacred ax of ancient Crete. The form of the Labyrinth
is to be found in many places and cultures; in the world
of the ancient near east, it represented the soul's journey
into the center of the uterine underworld and its return
toward eventual rebirth. A labyrinth was not the same
as a maze, as it had only one path, winding but without
divisions or branches; a path that moved inevitably toward
the center of the labyrinth, and then outwards again.
Although contemporary labyrinths now are to be seen in
public places and churches, as well as many private sanctuaries,
in the distant past they may have usually occurred in or
around sacred caves, symbolizing a descent into the womb
of Mother Earth, emerging again to the world of life, light
and form. This ancient motif of the spiritual journey was
later Christianized, and can be seen today on the floor
plans of many early and Renaissance era churches and cathedrals,
among them, the great Cathedral at Chartres.
Ancient
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