Labyrinth of peace, solitude

By Stacey DeFever, On-Line Forty-Niner

Thursday, September 24, 1998

Despite the barrage of questions and curious glances from onlookers, only 20 Cal State Long Beach students and faculty members took off their shoes and walked through a labyrinth located in the upper central quad Wednesday.

Twice as many inquiries were made on what the labyrinth was compared to the number of students who actually walked the maze, said Mary Kay Will, the United Methodist campus minister. The maze was sponsored by the Interfaith Center.

The labyrinth is a maze painted onto a 1,600-square-foot piece of canvas with no dead ends. It is an ancient spiritual tool used for meditation that consists of one path leading participants to the maze's center. One may choose to sit and pray in the center or walk the same path back out.

Another approach is to ponder a question one may have, and enter the maze with an open heart and mind.

"I might do it just because it seems interesting. It looks so complex, I guess the only way to figure it out is to walk it," Kathy Reith, a senior biology major, said.

After walking the path, sophomore art major Chandi Chaisuwatananone said her experience was similar to when she walked a labryrinth last year.

"It's a way for me to get in touch with my inner-self and feel spiritual," Chaisuwatananone said.

Walking the set path opens one's mind and allows the individual to focus on spiritual things. Will said most people take between 15 to 20 minutes to finish the labyrinth.

"Anything less than that probably means they are not really focusing on what they're doing," she said.

The image of the labyrinth is one of wholeness and is recognized universally as a symbol of unity.

The Interfaith Center asked students to wear a clean pair of socks while walking the path in order to preserve the canvas. New socks were available to those who did not have their own. The socks will be washed and donated to a charity, probably Christian Outreach Appeal, Will said.

Many different labyrinths in churches and courtyards exist throughout the world. This particular maze is a duplicate of the one painted on the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France.