Walking the Chartres Labyrinth

Let me take you on a pilgrimage to Chartres Cathedral, share about the ancient symbolism of the labyrinth, and ponder on how to interpret signs and symbols we receive along the way…

The Cathedral: Notre-Dame de Chartres

You’ll find this spectacular cathedral about 80 km southwest of Paris. It was first mentioned in 743 CE, and developed as ancient pilgrimage place to the Virgin Mary. It is indeed one of the more ‘Goddess’ like churches that I’ve visited.

Chartres is famous for its stain-glass windows, especially the various Rose Windows including one over the entrance, and for its famous labyrinth. Let me show you around first to drink in the atmosphere.

Light streaming in through the main entrance in the West, under the rose window, flowing all the way to the heart of the labyrinth.

Incredible carvings and art work – even the zodiac is included. How amazing that for a time astrology and christianity went hand in hand?

Now let me introduce you to “Our Lady of the Pillar”, a small shrine made of pear wood in the 16th century! That’s where I lit a candle before going to the labyrinth.

The Labyrinth

On my previous visits, the labyrinth had been covered with chairs, but on Fridays it’s chair-free and accessible, as you see here from above.

It’s been twenty years since I first worked with the symbolism of the labyrinth, and it is a joy that such an embodied meditation practice is now relatively widely known.

In some languages, like in French, there is no distinction between a ‘labyrinth’ and a ‘maze’. A maze is usually more angular, and you need to choose if you go left or right at each turn. You can easily get disoriented or stuck. 

A labyrinth on the other hand is one trail with a spiralling path that weaves inward and outward. You don’t have to choose where to go. You simply follow the dedicated lanes, and slowly but surely make your way towards the centre of the circle. Even though you might lose awareness of where you are exactly, you cannot get lost. 

In the maze you might have to fight monsters, like Harry Potter in the Goblet of Fire, or Theseus and the Minotaur at Knossos on Crete ! Theseus found his way out of the maze with help of Ariadne, who gave him a thread of wool so he wouldn’t lose his way. 

This classic myth was re-enacted at Chartres during a yearly Easter ceremony. The church dean would walk the labyrinth with a ball of yellow wool which would then be thrown backwards and forwards from him at the centre, to the people on the outside, in a ‘festive rhythmic dance’. This way they celebrated the resurrection of Jesus.*)

Entering into Embodied Meditation

Candles at the Gateway

I’m consciously starting my meditation, kneeling at the entrance between the two candles. Then, weaving in and out, carrying a candle with me as well, I was aware of the sounds of every day activities around me. Tour guides were showing  people around. Visitors would point things out to each other, and chat about their day. The cathedral was under restoration, including loud clanking noises of scaffolding constructions, hammering, and builders shouting instructions to each other. There is a sports day for children on the square outside the entrance, their excitement penetrating the cathedral. 

Embracing these sounds in my silent steps, I lost awareness of time and space quite quickly. Weaving inward and outward, it felt my feet were tracing the journey of my life, from birth onward. The windy path made that I could only see a few steps ahead, which felt metaphorical for life: we never know what life will bring at the next turn. I was mindful of people I met, circles of family and friends, different schools, communities, practices and teachers as I wove my way closer and closer to the centre. I even saw a resemblance with the intricate curves of my intestines, transporting nourishment inward and outward, which has been challenging of late.

I’m aware of others walking the labyrinth with me. Sometimes we walk a little while in the same direction, until life turns and takes us elsewhere. One woman is close behind me, other people in different curves, arms brushing each other on passing. I reflect on following and leading, the power of going in the same and in different directions. The woman who’s close on my heels helps me see my fear of ‘holding people up’. I invite her to pass, but she’s happy to stay behind me. Do I feel hurried, or can I stick to my own pace? How does this reflect on my work as pioneer of soulfulness in modern times?

On and on the journey went, time disappeared. A contentment of being on my way. Looking forward to arriving at the centre, it’s still an unexpected surprise when the path opens. A vertical column of energy connects earth underneath the cathedral with the wide sky above. I wonder if in earlier times, a baptist font or an altar were placed at the centre. I sit down in one of the petal leaves, with my candle in front of me. Every step here has been a prayer, a calling, a questioning. Now I’m surrendering to silence so I can listen for some answers.

Meditatio Interrupta

While I’m seated at the centre, two men are starting to put the chairs back! I ask what’s happening, and they say “take your time, there is no rush”…  But I indicate the chairs ‘blocking’ the return journey, and they scratch their head.

They explain that there is a school excursion soon but that the labyrinth will open again after. I stay a while longer, reflecting on what this means (that’s the thing with symbolism… there are so many interpretations!) until I stride over the winding paths, cutting straight back to the entrance.

What do I make it mean? Short cuts? Skipping important steps? Following ‘life’ as it is happening? An opportunity to stay rooted in the joy stream, even though things didn’t go according to plan? A chance of going sight seeing in lovely Chartres or going back to my car for some home-made cake? That’s what I do, and I return later for a second try. 

Later that day when the builders have gone, the sports day ended and the school excursion come and went, afternoon light filters differently through the West entrance. It is as if the world is slowing down. There are more people in the labyrinth, and yet there is a serenity that wasn’t there before. I walk the labyrinth a second time and feel more in flow, in harmony with my surroundings. It’s so different when you perform ceremony in a conducive environment. Even in a church under construction, the sacred appears on pause for a moment.

No labyrinth journey is ever the same. We’re different each time, the situation changes. Walking a labyrinth is a great meditation to enter the liminal in-between-space and open your perception.

Create your own labyrinth for meditation

With this handy website, you can locate a labyrinth near you if you want to immerse yourself in a three-dimensional one. 

Another way is to create your own labyrinth. Here is a concise step-by step approach to create your own classical labyrinth and trace it with your fingers. You can use colours, include symbolic images, and make it a proper focus for reflection, part of your sacred practice. Include it in your daily meditations for a time, by ‘walking’ the labyrinth with your finger for example. Below you see one of my own creations…

I wish you much labyrinthine inspiration in the ongoing journey of getting to know the windy roads of your own soul!

Finger labyrinth sown on felt

References

Image credits by Eline Kieft on 17 March 2023.

*) According to the information board in the cathedral.

Events

Bio

She completed her PhD in dance anthropology at Roehampton University, trained in depth with the Scandinavian Centre for Shamanic Studies and the School of Movement Medicine. Eline worked at the Centre for Dance Research (C-DaRE) at Coventry University for five years, where she created a Somatics Toolkit for Ethnographers, and pioneered soulful academic pedagogy. Her recent book Dancing in the Muddy Temple: A Moving Spirituality of Land and Body was well received as a unique blend of theory and practice and a medicine for our times. 

She is now a full-time change-maker and facilitates deep transformation through coaching and courses both online and in person. Wild Soul Centre offers a set of embodied, creative, and spiritual tools to re-connect with inner strength and navigate life’s challenges with confidence. 

Website: https://www.elinekieft.com Also on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn