Building a labyrinth can be a peculiarly fascinating experience.  Paying attention to “how” it’s built can tender great impact to the world.  The particular way it is approached can offer a renewing force and participation in the unfolding future of the Earth and its people. 

Scientists use the terms ecology and environmentalism as a means of study and restoring the Earth to its previous state of so-called natural balance.  Perhaps the Earth considers Her current condition a portion of Her experience on a long continuum; part of Her destiny.  The real question is...how can we support Her most appropriately on this magnificent and challenging journey?  This question came to life for a small group of novice labyrinth builders in Taos, NM, which this article will unfold as an expedition of discovery and environmental renewal. 

Labyrinths have been constructed by many different cultures all over the world since prehistoric times.  The most popular labyrinths built today are the 7-ring or Cretan and the 11-ring pattern found at the Chartres Cathedral in France.  Today labyrinths can be found at churches, community parks, town centers, and mystical centers. 

Mazes can be mistaken for labyrinths, but are not similar at all.  A maze is a puzzle or game that provides various tricks and/or dead ends that you must traverse in order to find the way out.  A Labyrinth opens to a pathway with several turning points as you meander to the center or goal without any dead ends.  From the center you follow the same pathway out and the entrance becomes the exit. 

Labyrinths are mainly walked as a tool for prayer, meditation, inner development, and healing.  When we enter a labyrinth the boundaries of outer and inner life dissolve.  It seems as if a new world appears, but it is actually a new awareness of what is already there emerging in us.  Many times questions, concerns, and problems are unfolded in labyrinths or we may find a place of respite in this unique merging world. 

A few years ago I participated in building a labyrinth when attending a class in North Carolina.  Marty Cain, a well-known artist, dowser and labyrinth builder, led us in creating an 11-ring labyrinth.  A few months later I was with her again creating a Cretan-patterned labyrinth.  I was quite amazed at how easily the labyrinth unfolded itself with the participation of a diverse group of first-time labyrinth builders.  Marty was a midwife to this Earth awakening.  She expertly and gently held the whole process as a new Being entered this unfurling sacred space just as a midwife works tenderly with a mother giving birth to a new baby.     

Marty is an expert dowser and geomancer.  She learned dowsing from her grandfather when she was a little girl.  She has built over 100 labyrinths across the globe; she even installed a temporary 7-ring labyrinth in the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol as part of a project for peace in 2000.  She is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society, an international organization of labyrinth builders and custodians.  You may visit her website at www.martycain.com or email her at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it (new address) for more information about her services.  

Describing the art of dowsing is important here because of possible misunderstandings of its use in the world.  Dowsing is an ancient way of finding underground water pools, streams, etc. with a forked branch or pendulum.  Dowsing has evolved into an interesting art form.  Metal rods and/or pendulums are used today to discern various currents in the environment that are too subtle to feel bodily or experience consciously.  The tools resonate with earth currents making us aware of their presence so we can work with them in the right way.   

It is important to be aware of your bodily sensations when dowsing so you begin to awaken inwardly to the existence of the currents instead of repeatedly relying on the dowsing tools.  Your body is actually a dowsing tool, but it takes time, effort, and practice to develop an inner awareness of sensing various subtle currents.  I view Michelangelo as an example of an expert dowser…he was able to inwardly sense structure and currents within a piece of marble and remove certain parts of the stone to create magnificent living sculptural forms. 

Recently, my friend Marlene and I went to Taos, NM to help another friend, Nancy, build a 7-ring labyrinth based on the methods I learned from Marty Cain. Marlene and I had actually dowsed the land for permission and the most appropriate place for building the labyrinth two years ago.  

Marty advises you to dowse for consent and the best labyrinth location so the forces can enliven in the best possible way.   She indicates this process invites the Spirit of Place, our own Guides, ancient spirits who may be guarding the land, the elementals living here and the highest Beings we know. It asks the Earth and all the invited Ones to support the creation of the labyrinth and the continued assistance in protecting and maintaining its Sacredness.   

This labyrinth building adventure fell on the fall equinox so we decided to include a weekend of applying biodynamic preparations to the land to support this miraculous process.  The Josephine Porter Institute of Woolwine, VA (www.jpibiodynamics.org) guided us in determining the appropriate preparations for our labyrinth endeavor.  Nancy was conducting a study group that weekend so there were plenty of people to orchestrate the various processes into one amazing event.   

First we worked with the dowsing rods to gain a certain familiarity with how the tools convey invisible currents.  As soon as we walked out to the designated site, the whole environment began to shift.  There was an anticipation of what was to come in the air.  Time slowed down and the air began to move and swirl with a light determined whisper.  This activity was sublimely palpable.     

We all began to dowse for the center point; dowsing is not an exact science so we wanted many people involved in determining the center.  Next, we dowsed out from this point to create the boundary of the center or goal of the labyrinth.  The currents gently showed themselves making the process seem almost effortless.  Surveyor flags were used as an outer guide to visibly form the center ring.  Once this was done we continued moving out to establish the next 7-rings; each was marked with flags.  The movement and sense of establishment in this space seemed more pronounced with each newly discovered ring current. The opening, entrance to the goal, and all the turns would come after the seven rings were established.  Deeply attending to each aspect of the process was extremely important in understanding what was unfolding as the labyrinth.   

After making a few adjustments to the existing rings and adding the seventh, we formed the outline of the pathways with surveyor tape using the flags as guides.  The labyrinth continued to show itself with a sense of longing and an element of magical surprise in conjunction with the scurrying activity of inserting flags and laying tape.   

This living activity and streaming currents were of a particular quality; they were deep and penetrating into the earth, but vast and expansive reaching behind and out into the atmosphere; breathing, moving, participating and alive.  This active condition was actually a living entity involved in the fashioning of this sacred space and was uniting itself as a creating form.  This sense of beingness was a deep subtle felt presence; not in any way a visual form.  I refer to this sense of active existence as the Being of the labyrinth.   

It was as if the Being of the labyrinth was becoming aware of itself as the labyrinth at the same time we were feeling its presence; there was an Earth awakening that depended on all participants being aware of what was happening in the “how” of this activity.  As we worked to form this sacred place it was forming us as new openings mediating between the Sacred and the world. 

Once the outline was taped we began to work with medium-sized rocks to create pronounced pathways.  This was an important aspect of developing the living space and form. 

Imagine Michelangelo looking at a piece of marble; sensing its currents and structure; perceiving the forms wanting to come forth; and moving in conjunction with them to manifest new life.  This is similar to the process we went through to determine the placements of the stones.  What are the particular currents of each stone?  Where is the best placement of the stone currents in relation to the activity of the labyrinth Itself? Should the stones stand upright?  Lay down or sideways? Which stones should be placed together?  All of these questions were held with the intent of helping support this unfolding portal.   

We did not have the bodily sense that Michelangelo had so we used dowsing to determine the best placing of the rocks based on their currents and form.  Dowsing helped us to position the stones in a way that best supported the Being of the labyrinth and its activity.  Our goal was to strive in our awareness of the currents and proper fitting within the whole of the pattern.  In the end each one of us had a better sense of the activity and support each rock offered as it played its part in this living awareness.   

Stirring and applying the biodynamic preparations to the land as we built the labyrinth was clearly involved in enlivening the Being in its active resting place of work.  The first preparation offered a deep, dark and moist penetration into the earth while a golden white foaming spread across the surface of the landscape.  The second application was light and quick fizzing almost like gentle living earth fireworks.  Imagine all of the preparation activity working in a delicate ensemble with the life of the labyrinth to bring about a new Earth awareness.     

After the final stone was placed in the labyrinth it was as if we could hear the swooshing activity of its inviting entrance. A new Being was born to support the earth and its healing in a new way.  This labyrinth was now assisting the earth within the stream of the future as a gesture of reaching out to meets its destiny.  We all stood in a place where earth and sky meet held lovingly by this vastly deep living Entity; a new awakening for the world.  The Being was subtly conveying what was needed for the Earth to transform and renew Her existence.  A new form of ecology was born. 

Most of us think of helping the earth with various environmental friendly methods and technologies, such as recycling, energy saving appliances, and developing renewable resources.  These methodologies can certainly help relieve the stress of the earth in certain ways and should not be frowned upon, but it seems as if these techniques are trying to move the current state of the earth backwards.  We are attempting to regain the earth’s previous condition; reliving a form of the past.   

There seems to be more relevance in seeking new and imaginative ways to support the earth in loving reverence as She beckons her new form. It appears to be an inner work; a task of attending.  Listening and developing the right relationship emerged as vital to Her destiny rather than imposing what we think She needs played out in a particular technology or canned methodology.  Think about how different our ecological practices would be if we heeded the Earth’s beckoning and really attended to what was happening as we work to restore what we many view as Her “balance”.   

Paying close attention to what was ensuing in “how” the labyrinth was being built was the key in developing a living relationship in the right way; it was not necessarily “what” we built.   The spontaneously contributing process formed a participating alliance with the Earth so She could strengthen her forces toward actual renewal.   

We started out building a labyrinth for a friend and ended up forming a living connection with the Earth and the Beings that support Her. Our organized planning moved us toward creating the labyrinth; however, it was our openness to what would come out of the unknown that lead us to feel the glimmer of the Earth’s longing for our attending participation.  We allowed our set notions of what was being created to dissolve inviting other possibilities to enter our creating.  This forged an unanticipated inner transcendent relationship to help foster sustainable change.  

We must not only loosen our formed concepts or methodologies of renewing the Earth, but we must be open and aware in all we do involving the Earth because we may discover that we are engaged in creating forms garnishing sustainable change or, on the other hand, moving the Earth backward.  Before we act out of this openness we must be sure that we are supporting the earth on Her terms so the pathway for metamorphosis can unfold in the right manner.  Developing inner capacities to be aware of the Earth’s beckoning is vital to her plea; critical to Her true existence and destiny. 

The group made a commitment to serving the living Entity of the labyrinth in Its work for the world.  Everyone walked the labyrinth after its completion holding the question, “How can we serve the Being of this labyrinth?”  Below are some descriptions the participants expressed as they unfolded this question in the labyrinth. 

“I am overwhelmed by the sense of this great autonomous Being…the Being seems to convey, ‘Keep my Space’. I feel immense gratitude.”      Nancy Allen 

“The labyrinth feels different than yesterday.  I am compelled to hold these rocks close to my heart.  It is a healing labyrinth”.       Maria Lyzen 

“We may have played a part in a great Force that may be here for 200 years.  I am in awe of the sense of spirit here… a sense of love and safety.”     Marsha Slane “

One of the Psalms (120:1) seemed to come, ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  You serve me by serving each other’.  I got a sense of uprightness…’be upright’.”       Judy Boyd 

“The message conveyed was, ‘To be mindful of the present’. I felt the depth of the earth and the height of the heavens.  This labyrinth is a portal.”       Marlene Kenny 

“The stones guided, held, and lead me through the labyrinth.  The question penetrated my blood.  ‘I am the altar in your heart.’  This Being will never go away as long as I stay awake.”     Kate Wagner 

Denise Rizzo is a freelance researcher and writer.  She discovered the works of Rudolf Steiner in 1995 and has studied at the School of Spiritual Psychology (www.spiritualschool.org) since 2001. 

Copyright © Denise Rizzo, 2007

Most photos taken by Marlene Kenny                                                                                                Copyright © Marlene Kenny, 2007