World's Premier Meditation Space Creator - Over 7,500 Completed!
World's Premier Meditation Space Creator - Over 7,500 Completed!
Which direction should a labyrinth face? Generally it should be oriented so that the entrance is facing a calming vista or land feature. The photo example below, our Vision Quest a la Chartres paver installation at Advent Lutheran Church near the Pentagon in Arlington VA, faces away from a busy intersection and towards a grove of trees accentuated with newer foreground plantings.
Recently I was working with a landscape architect on a labyrinth project for a memorial garden at a church and there was a question of which direction the labyrinth should face. So let me share what I've learned while building and consulting on thousands of projects.
There are many schools of thought regarding the orientation of a labyrinth. Many Christians say a labyrinth should face East, based on the idea that churches were built with their altars in the East. The prime example that's usually given is the famous labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral outside Paris. Interestingly, the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth does not face the East. It is actually oriented 42 degrees off the East-West axis, just as the cathedral housing it is off-line. The cathedral is only the latest building on an ancient site, and re-orienting it would have been impractical.
Organized Christian denominations use a philosophical solution to this practical problem: wherever the altar needs to be oriented is thought of as "liturgical East". Worshipers face East, actually or philosophically, to honor Jesus Christ, symbolized in the rising sun (Son). Christian sensitivity to light in general is very deep-seated, and possibly the chief motivation behind the development of light-filled Gothic architecture.
Generally when we're deciding how to orient a labyrinth, we believe it should be designed so that you are facing the vista or land feature you find most calming while standing at the entrance to begin your walk. Personally, I think this is comforting and enhances the walker's experience because the only decision you have to make as you prepare to enter the labyrinth is whether to walk or not.
I like idea of entering FROM the west and then moving East as well as South around toward sun rising. Our back would be toward an Air bnb with a very large mowed lawn. The site is right next to sand beach on the Chesapeake Bay, a small island, and we have an existing wooded strip of land containing loblolly pines (very tall), sweet gum and maple trees, bayberry, chokecherry (native plants), Virginia juniper, invasive English ivy, poke-berry (called a weed), beach grass, dandelion, rose of Sharon, day lilies, privet, magnolia, poison oak!
Hi! I’ve been creating 7 circuit labyrinths in the sand daily for my meditation and I’ve been basing my starting direction on point the cross 360 degrees north just like the great pyramids and all the other unexplainable great structures around the world. I’m hoping to align with the lay lines. I wish I could send a pic on here but I’m on my phone. Each starting lines are 90, 180, 270, 360 degrees….the cardinal directions. In vortex math all these degrees comes back to 9. They have been powerful energy grids for me. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Thank you
Thank you. I am planning to build a labyrinth on the west side of my property, because I have approximately 1/4 acre on the southwest corner of my lit with several shade trees that can be incorporated into the design. After reading this, I can now plan the entrance from the West end of the spot and following a east/south path, were we can see the sun rising and the view is that of a green lawn and several trees around the perimeter of my neighbors’ property. It is not a bucolic setting, but I find myself facing in that direction when I sit on either of the two benches that now occupy what would be the center. I’ll be looking at plans that I, along with a group of friends, can follow, in other to make it economically feasible.Thanks again!
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David Tolzmann
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