A labyrinth is not a maze or a puzzle to be solved but a path of meaning to be experienced.

Its path is
circular and convoluted, but it has no dead ends. A labyrinth has one entrance -- one way in and one
way out. When we walk the path, we go around short curves and long curves; sometimes we are out
on the edge, sometimes we circle around the center. We are never really lost, but we can never quite
see where we are going.
Along the path we sometimes move forward with ease and confidence: sometimes we creep ahead
cautiously, sometimes we find the need to stop and reflect, and sometimes we even feel the urge to
retreat. The center is there but our path takes us through countless twists and turns. Sometimes we are
at the heart of our life experiences, sometimes we are at a playful turn; sometimes we share our path
with others, and other times we don't. No matter what, we are still on the labyrinth path. It holds all
our experiences, in life and in work. And to draw upon the wisdom of the ancient Greek philosopher
Heraclitus, we need to be aware that what looks like an end point can also be a beginning point.
Indeed, in so many ways, the labyrinth is like life.
Many great cathedrals were built on the sites of ancient labyrinths. At Chartres Cathedral in France, the
11-circuit labyrinth on the floor of the cathedral is considered by some as symbolic of the ancient
pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But the labyrinth is also a metaphor for what is sacred in our lives. Through its
twists and turns, its ancient spaciousness holds everything we experience -- our minds and emotions,
our physical beings and our spirits, our losses and gains, our successes and failures, our joys and
sorrows. When we walk the path inward, we carry our burdens with us. When we meditate or pray in
the center, we ask for grace, forgiveness, and understanding. When we walk the path outward, we are
lighter, more joyful, and ready again to take on our life's challenges.
Because of my Greek family heritage, which is rooted in Crete, I've long been fascinated with the
Cretan labyrinth, a classic seven-circuit labyrinth dating back more than 4,000 years. Some people
believe the Cretan design evolved from the spirals found throughout nature, but it's the ancient myth
of Theseus entering the labyrinth at Knossos to fight the Minotaur that captured my imagination. As a
child I wanted to explore the unknown; I wanted to be of service, even as I defied authority to find
my way along the twists and turns of the path. And as convoluted as it sometimes was, the path has
remained my own.

 The labyrinth that is my life has taken me through many twists and turns. Yet it is my deep
belief in the inherent meaning of life that has steadily informed and inspired me, leading me
deeper into my life path, deeper into authentic meaning. When we explore our lives as
labyrinths of meaning, with all of the design features of classic labyrinths that I've noted above,
we deepen our experience of life.
So, how might the labyrinth metaphor help you find greater meaning and fulfillment in your personal
life and work? Think about how you might use this metaphor in a constructive way with others,
including family members, friends, and co-workers.

A labyrinth is a structure with many connected paths or passages in which it is hard to find your way.
In figurative use, a labyrinth is a complicated situation: our tax code is a labyrinth of rules and
regulations.

In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was the structure built for King Minos of Crete to confine the
Minotaur, a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. The word maze is a near
synonym for labyrinth, and is also used figuratively, as in, "After war broke out, trying to figure out
how to get a visa to leave the country was like navigating a maze, a veritable labyrinth of wrong turns
and false hope."
 
A complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one's way; a
maze.

If you describe a place as a labyrinth, you mean that it is made up of a complicated series of paths or
passages, through which it is difficult to find your way.