Before anyone washes their hands of me too much and thinks I'm about to embark on some wild theory about aliens, sorry to disappoint. I don't think it's that much of a mystery why labyrinths are everywhere people have been. No matter what your creation story is, we all came from the same place originally. I don't see why people are surprised that, in the earlier parts of history, our ancestors still had enough similarities to come up with the same images for similar ideas.
The idea of universal symbols, or archetypes, was the focus of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung and his theories of the collective unconscious. In a nutshell, Jung said there were certain symbols, he called them archetypes, that all of us understand and we are born carrying that knowledge.
We can all look at the picture of the labyrinth and recognize it for what it is because we have probably seen pictures of one at some point in our lifetime. There are probably quite a few of us who even have heard one or more of the stories associated with labyrinths, the most famous being the Theseus and the Minotaur on the Island of Crete.
What I have found most fascinating about the labyrinth symbol is the fact that so many cultures not only depicted it, but the similarities that abound in its usage. At its most basic, of course, it depicts a journey. Who makes that journey and their ultimate destination provides some diversion in the similarities, but the basic concept is the same.
In the American Southwest, the Hopi use two variations of the labyrinth they call the Mother and the Child. Mother, being Mother Earth, is a square and represents spiritual rebirth from one world to the succeeding one (they believe that they are currently in the fourth world.) In the square, the straight line entering the labyrinth is not connected to the rest of the construct. The two ends symbolize the two stages of life - the unborn child within the womb of Mother earth and the child after it is born. The line is both the umbilical chord that serves as connection and the path of emergence into the next world.
The circular pattern follows the shape we are more familiar with, of the straight line connecting to the paths of the labyrinth. This represents the path planned out for each person by the Creator. It's not just the Hopi among the indigenous nations of North and South America who use this symbol. Across both continents it has been used to either describe the journey of creation, or the path of life (The Book Of The Hopi, Frank Waters, Penguin Books 1963 pp. 23-24)
Article comments
1 - SonnyD
I've always been fascinated by labyrinths but never realized their use was so wide-spread. Especially the part about American Indian use. Learn something new every day. Thanks.
I have to wonder, though, if you might have titled this piece something like, "Symbols, Do They Unite or Divide Us?" At least, it seemed to me to be the point you were making.
2 - Scot Butki
We have a labryinth at my church which we talk - kids and adults - for relaxation and peace.It's very cool. I'm pretty clueless on this topic, though, and appreciate you educating us on it.