Exploring the Labyrinth_ A Guide for Healing and Spiritual Growth - Melissa Gayle West [32]
Materials
Thirteen large rolls of one-inch wide masking or electrical tape for a labyrinth with a thirty-foot diameter.
Measuring rope or string the width of fourteen paths. If you are making a labyrinth with two-foot-wide paths, for instance, you would need a twenty-eight-foot rope.
Two lengths of string, each the diameter of the labyrinth to be constructed.
Permanent marker to mark the measuring rope.
Plumber’s plunger for holding the measuring rope in place.
Music to play during construction to help you relax and concentrate (optional).
Instructions
1. Decide on the size of your labyrinth. Make sure to allow at least one foot of extra space all around the perimeter. Divide the diameter of your usable space by 28; this will be the width of each path. For ease of measurement, round this down to a whole number. In these instructions, the width of the path will be called W; for instance, if your paths are two feet wide, throughout these instructions W always equals two feet.
FIGURE 6.4A
2. Tie the measuring rope to the plunger. Measure three times W from the knot and make a mark. This first length delineates the center space. Now make eleven more marks on the rope each W apart.
FIGURE 6.4B
3. Refer to Figure 6.4b for steps 3 and 4. Measure your space and find the center. Mark the center of the labyrinth-to-be with a small piece of tape. Tape the plunger over the center (X) with tape.
4. Lay the tape down in twelve concentric circles corresponding to the twelve marks on the measuring rope, pivoting the measuring rope and unrolling the tape as you move the rope around each circle. When you have completed the circles, you should have a circular space in the center and 11 concentric paths between 12 lines.
FIGURE 6.4C
5. Refer to Figure 6.4c. Take the two lengths of string and divide the space for the labyrinth into quadrants. Place the first string with its center over the tape center of the labyrinth. Place the second string at right angles to the first, with its center also over the center mark. Tape the pieces of string down in the center and at the outside. Stand back and “eyeball” the strings to make sure they divide the space into four equal quadrants. Notice that letters A to D are assigned to the four ends, or points, of the string. End A marks the eventual entrance to the labyrinth.
FIGURE 6.4D
6. Refer to Figure 6.4d. Starting from quadrant point B, obstruct the third and fourth paths from point B by putting a piece of tape under the string the width of both paths.
FIGURE 6.4E
DOTTED LINE: WHERE TAPE IS REMOVED THE WIDTH OF “W” TO CREATE SWITCHBACKS.
Repeat with the sixth and seventh paths and with the ninth and tenth paths.
7. Refer to Figure 6.4e. Remove the tape separating paths 3 and 4 a distance equal to W. This will create a switch-back, allowing walkers to make a 180-degree turn. Repeat this between paths 6 and 7 and between paths 9 and 10.
Stand back and compare your work to Figure 6.4d. From point B, paths 1 and 2 should be unobstructed. Paths 3 and 4 should be switchbacks. Path 5 should be unobstructed while paths 6 and 7 should be switchbacks. Path 8 should be unobstructed while 9 and 10 are switchbacks. Path 11 should be unobstructed.
8. Refer again to Figure 6.4d. Move counterclockwise to quadrant point C. Obstruct paths 1 and 2 from point C with a piece of tape under the string the width of both paths. Repeat with paths 4 and 5, paths 7 and 8, and paths 10 and 11.
9. Refer back to Figure 6.4e. Remove the tape separating paths 1 and 2 a distance equal to W. This will create a switchback, allowing walkers to make a 180-degree turn. Repeat