Triangle T Texas
Canyon
Harmony Labyrinth
“The road of
life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same.
Let our lessons
come from the journey, not the destination.”
Dan Williams,
Jr.
Labyrinths were used by most
indigenous cultures, from Australia
to Peru, and North
America to Northern Europe, in some form or
another since the beginning of documented civilization. One of the most
familiar is the Cretan, seven circuit, “classical” labyrinth made famous by
the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and found on the Minoan coins of
ancient Crete. There is the “medieval”
eleven circuit labyrinth intrinsic to the design of the Gothic cathedrals in
Europe during the early 11th and 12th centuries: the
only extant, original one of these is in Chartres Cathedral in Chartres,
France. The key design found on early Greek
pottery and architecture and on the pottery of the archaic Hohokam tribes of
southern Arizona is another representation of this
archetypal, mandallic design.
The Papago (Pima) nation of south central
Arizona
have a famous design they call “the man-in-the-maze” which the Tohono
O’odham tribe has beautifully rendered in their baskets and silver jewelry
for centuries. According to the website,
www.earthart.org, this design
illustrates the human journey of life and the twists and turns of the paths
are the struggles one finds along the way. Death is found in the center, but
it is a place of rebirth and renewal also so the cycle continues and life
goes on. The four directions are represented by the four major turns in the
path and the small “key” area
before one enters the center circle is a place for reflection and
purification before becoming one, pure and in harmony, with the Creator, the
Elder Brother, I’itoi, in the center, accepting life and death as part of
this endless cycle. Most O’odham basketry show a little man, “U’ki’ut’l”,
who represents the O’odham people, standing at the entrance.
Labyrinths are often confused
with mazes and the words used interchangeably until recently. A maze is
created to test one’s logical abilities. It’s meant to confuse and confound
with many dead ends, multiple openings, and usually high walls or shrubbery
to block one’s view of the paths. A labyrinth is meant for meditation and
contemplation, is a unicursal (single path) leading into a well-defined
center and then out again by the same path. Traditionally, labyrinths were
drawn on the ground or created with stones, sticks and paving tiles with the
lines the same height as the paths. Many permanent ones were made of marble
or granite or drawn on the outside walls of churches near entrance doors. A
labyrinth circuit is the measure of how many times around the center the
paths wind. If you count the number of paths in a classical labyrinth, it
will add to seven and in medieval labyrinths, eleven.
In the last ten years or so, many new
labyrinth designs have shown up all over the world with labyrinth designers
adapting the basic patterns to create labyrinths unique to a specific site
or purpose. There are peace labyrinths, goddess labyrinths, church
labyrinths, school, prison, and hospital labyrinths – all meant to be used
by multiple communities without regard to race, color, gender, creed,
ethnicity, etc. Many private and public schools across the USA include
labyrinths in their curriculum as a contemplative, reflective tool that
fosters individual and collaborative learning experiences.
Labyrinths find their place cross-curricularly
in geometry, art, music, history and geography classes. They encourage
visual/spatial and bodily/kinesthetic learning and foster community
building. Studies have shown that when students are allowed to walk
labyrinths before tests, their scores are often significantly higher. This
is due to the stimulation of both sides of the brain in the simple act of
walking the paths: the walker must put one foot in front of the other and
stay on the path to get to the center and return (the logical, left brain
side), and can, simultaneously, allow the creative, intuitive right side of
the brain to wander, question, and ponder without the anxiety that mazes so
often produce. Often walkers express a sense of peace and reconnection upon
walking a labyrinth – something we all can use a little of in this hectic
world today.
The Triangle T Texas Canyon Harmony
Labyrinth, a seven circuit labyrinth, is an exact copy of the Tohono O’odham
design mentioned earlier, except that there is an opening into the center
circle so that walkers can stay and meditate and reflect there. Built in a
nest of boulders to the east of the building housing the dining hall, it is
a public, permanent, outdoor labyrinth approximately twenty-four feet in
diameter. The rocks used for the lines were taken from three different
locations on the Triangle T’s 160 acres and all have quartz properties.
The Triangle T Guest Ranch is on land that
was sacred to the Chiricahua Apache and Hohokam Native American tribes. With
deep respect and appreciation for this unique and sacred land, the labyrinth
location was established by dowsing for the correct site and by asking
permission of the spirits of the land entrusted with its protection.
Permission to remove the rocks for the lines was asked of each rock; none
were dug out or removed against their will. In fact, once the request was
made, many rocks literally tumbled down the hills to fall at our feet, so
eager were they to be a part of this healing, mandallic form. Prayers were
made, the area smudged, and a cornmeal offering ceremony performed once the
labyrinth was completed. We believe this is the first time that this ancient
design is in a form large enough to walk and it is because of the connection
to the old tribes and the desire for harmony and balance that this design
was chosen. We hope that all who walk this labyrinth will find what they
need and that the Triangle T Texas Canyon Harmony Labyrinth becomes a mecca
for those wishing to renew their connection to the land and to Spirit
through the simple act of walking a sacred path.
