The enigmatic figure of A labyrinth usually provokes a mixture of surprise, fascination and concern. And this is because it is a true symbol. Let us remember that conventional signs (for example a traffic sign), They give concrete and limited information.

The symbolsWhether they are forms of nature or special artistic creations, contain a more subtle message directed to our deep being, with different meanings depending on the capacity and interests of who perceives it. Without words, they tell us something we need to know.

The labyrinth as a symbol

The labyrinth symbol is one of the oldest and most widespread. We found it, engraved in stoneon the Scandinavian or Galician coasts. Also on the pavement of medieval churches. The pilgrims traveled through it on their knees, equivalent for them to a trip to the Holy Landas in the Basilica of St. Quentin (Amiens).

The labyrinths are famous Knossos (Crete)he temple of Amenemhet III in Fayoum (Egypt) and in Europe that of the Chartres Cathedral (France).

The spiritual meaning of the labyrinth

The basic structure of a maze is usually a geometric figure of straight lines (often a cross) and circles (spirals).like paths that intersect. Its entrance is known, but the exit is not. And that is the challenge: finding it.

The reason, then, that seeing or imagining a labyrinth awakens an inevitable fascination in us is that It is an archetypal image of the world.

Although from the Baroque era the labyrinth present in many gardens has been a recreational or entertainment motif, Its ancient origin is clearly ritual.

Regarding its meaning, It symbolizes human life, with its vicissitudes from birth to death.

From a spiritual point of view it involves the search for truth. It represents the initiatory path: the alchemical transformation of the dense (lead) into the subtle (gold); the passage from the lower self (ego) to the true self (the Self or Spirit).

In Christian, Jewish or Islamic terminology, means obtaining salvation. For Hindus and Buddhists, it is equivalent to get off the wheel of Samsara and its circle of suffering.

One of the characteristics of the labyrinthine is that, Like a game of mirrors, an enigma often contains another enigma. That is why we can talk about a large labyrinth built with small labyrinths.

The first of them is the universe itselfwith its infinity made of light and darkness: the firmament, the celestial orbits, the stars that are born and die… In vain, physicists and astronomers have been trying, for centuries, to discover Its origin and end: the entrance-exit of the labyrinth.

The second labyrinth is given by our limited perception of reality. Time and space condition us, we do not know what will happen in an hour, what is a few kilometers away or simply around the corner. The senses themselves tend to create somewhat labyrinthine situations.

The third labyrinth is our own soul or psyche, with all its nooks and passages. Only by realizing the countless images, ideas, emotions and feelings that move within us in a more or less uncontrolled way will we recognize that the labyrinth experience is something quite everyday.

Interestingly, if we look the outer shape of the brainwith its sinuous convolutions, we see that it resembles a labyrinth. Also if we expand our fingerprintsremembering that they are personal and are located in the extension of the brain that are the hands), we verify that these are shapes that ccreate mysterious labyrinths. Even the intestine itselfwith its curves and changes of direction, you can remember it.

Wise men and poets have often spoken, without naming it, of inner labyrinth. As in the famous taoist paradox: «Chantzú dreamed one day that he was a butterfly, but when he woke up he had a doubt whether at that moment he would not be a butterfly that dreamed of being Chuantzú…».

Emotional meaning of the maze: fear and hope

Many sufferings and anguish derive from problems that we believe are unsolvable, that is, from «labyrinthine» situations. apparently without solution.

Talking about the labyrinth should always mean realizing its reality. It would be useless to say that it does not exist, that everything is clear and transparent, that the news of injustices and catastrophes that continually appear on television are something unreal.

We are then in a labyrinth, that is, We usually have problems… that we often create ourselves. on a personal or collective level.

The labyrinth tells us, in short, about the two basic experiences of life: fear and hope. All the others derive from them.

The structure that our society adoptswhich includes everything from its institutions to its buildings and its entertainment, It is based on wanting to feel far from fear and close to hope. These are the materials, like psychological bricks, with which the labyrinth of our lives is built.

but this existential anxiety, on the rise due to today’s fast-paced way of lifeis not the only side of the coin. In the same way that there is no darkness without light (that is only the absence of it), there is no reason for complete pessimism.

The labyrinth symbol points out problems, but also that there is always a way out. We continually live small and large luminous experiences, but we often do not realize it. In the same way that someone who walks a labyrinth can pass in front of the right direction without following it and thus return to the point of origin or to a dead end.

It is so important to free yourself from false fears (e.g. «If I don’t make a lot more money everything will go wrong…»), as of vain hopes («everything will be perfect from now on…»), without understanding that there are always difficulties.

It is more advisable to appreciate the good things in life, often simpler and more immediate than we believe, and to have confidence in the light behind appearances, because the labyrinth is always relatively fictitious, a mental construction.

How do you get out of an inner labyrinth?

Get out of the mazeupone going beyond fear and hope in the sense of illusory limitations. Well, both attitudes tend to imprison us, to reinforce the walls of the labyrinth. And true freedom is found outside of it.

Living is learning to live, although it sounds redundant. Both from what you like and from what you dislike, you always learn. That experience that everyone has over the years is something precious if we know how to distill its essence.

The fundamental symbolism of the labyrinth indicates the need to reach a center, a space of true peace. It means moving from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge, from limited to universal love.

They are not nice words, they are what great figures in history have said such as Jesus or Buddha. Curiously, His message is not one of anguish or discouragement.

The first recommended living like birds, trusting in Providence. The second advised calm the mind and heartto purify perceptions and see things as they are in its essence: bright and friendly.

All those who have achieved enlightenment or plenitude confirm two truths: that there is suffering (enter the labyrinth) and? it is possible to find a solution at the same (exit the maze).

Elevated symbolisms, mythologies, children’s stories or hobbies like the goose game, they talk about these same things. That there are problems and sufferings, that life is full of trials, but what are you can be overcome.

To get out of the labyrinth, Buddhism recommends not generate harma negative, that is,refrain from evil actions, words and thoughts. Likewise, purify the harma already generated through spiritual practices.

The example of Buddhism is worth giving here, but all paths of wisdom speak in a similar way. They also tell us a secret: You don’t have to look for the exit outside, but inside, deep in your heart.

The labyrinth indicates a problem, difficulty or confusion, but that there is always a way out, a real hope.

To avoid getting lost in the labyrinth…

No one can avoid problems and inconveniences. But it’s in our hands cultivate that which, instead of generating more confusion (a feeling of a labyrinth), clarifies the perception of thingssuch as:

• Feel. Being aware of ordinary sensations (eating a peach, smelling a flower, touching a stone…), as if it were the first time, purifies our senses from the inertia of time.
• Think calmly. Today’s society tends towards immediacy. Too often images generate automatic emotions. Calmly analyzing a problem, delving into its causes, helps solve it.
• Breathe deep. The simple act of breathing in and out communicates us with the outside and inside world. Doing it deeply and at a calm pace helps calm the mind and change a distorted view of things.
• Love without interest. Expanding the natural love we feel for our loved ones in the form of respect and warmth towards the world in general is a way to contribute to the common good. Selfless love is a light on the path to find the way out of the labyrinth sooner.
• Fine arts. Many works help create harmony by relying on appropriate human and cosmic proportions: Egyptian, Greek, or medieval Christian architecture; Chinese landscape painting; Hindu or Arabic, folk, baroque music; etc
• Meditate. Having moments of inner meditation is like resting next to an oasis. Believing in something superior, good and luminous helps to overcome life’s trials, as doctors and psychologists recognize today. Praying or meditating means directing consciousness towards its source and feel that you are not alone in the middle of the labyrinth.

The myth of the labyrinth and Ariadne’s thread

Of among the myths and legends related to the labyrinthhighlights the one that refers to built in Crete in the palace of Knossos by the architect Daedalus, following the orders of King Minos.

It was underground and In it lived the Minotaur, with the body in human form and the head of a bull, to which young Athenians were sacrificed every year. of both sexes.

To end this situation, The brave Theseus decided to enter the labyrinth and kill the monster. But the real difficulty was to get out of the tortuousness of the den.

For this he had the help of Ariadne, daughter of Minoswho She gave him a ball of wool that he released as he went and allowed him to retrace his path.

This symbolism can be explainedFor example, in the light of Hindu metaphysics due to its universality.

For this one, both the soul of the world and our own are like a fabric made up of three types of thread which represent the three essential qualities (gunas): luminous or ascending (satva), horizontal and passionate (rajas) and descending or dark (tamas).

The myth of the Minotaur represents a journey into oneself to overcome dark forces personified in the figure of the monster (the tamasic in us).

Theseus is the hero, the rajasic energy in the sense of the most noble and active part of our soul. For your part Ariadne symbolizes inspiration from above, sattvic light that allows you to orient yourself in the middle of the darkness. From the depths Theseus emerged transformed by his combat…