2024 Update: The large Triple Spiral Labyrinth has retired and is now rewilding and resting. It is currently dreaming of being a pond. I will write more shortly………….
I hadn’t planned on building a triple spiral labyrinth. But by being present here on the land things unfold and become clear, the land expresses itself……..
As I walked the land every day, the idea of forming a labyrinth took hold….. and specifically a Triple Spiral Labyrinth. The triple spiral is an ancient symbol strongly rooted here in Ireland. And the idea of walking it onto the earth seemed so significant. This symbol has been present for thousands of years at the ancient sites of our land and I believe experiencing the triple spiral creates a strong link with our ancestors and with Divine Wisdom.
It was important to me that the labyrinth was as natural as possible. There is something about everything being impermanent and I wanted the land to be free to return to being wild and natural when that time comes. What sacred memories will be created by the many feet that trace the triple spiral over the earth.
So in October 2013 the Triple Spiral Labyrinth came into being – marked out with sticks and tape. What a beautiful day of flow that was! In spring 2014 the labyrinth sprang to life with new growth and took on a life of its own. It is created from what grows naturally in the field – grasses, rushes and wild flowers. It is not a structured/built labyrinth but is simply cut from the natural growth. The pathways are kept mowed. What I love about this labyrinth is that it’s not manicured – like life, there are muddy patches which you can get stuck in! It truly is a living, growing evolving being – it changes week by week as the growth changes, and enters into a period of rest over winter. In the winter of 2014, ten birch trees were planted into the labyrinth – marking the beginning/end, the turning points and the centre. Like all here at Cosán Ciúin, the labyrinth evolves over time. Part of the joy is seeing what will happen next!
Going in and coming out again, circling around as if I am a partner in some strange, archaic dance with the land.
A quote from Sharon Blackie’s book ‘If Women Rose Rooted’ as she writes of her experience of walking the Triple Spiral Labyrinth at Cosán Ciúin.
Labyrinths are usually in the form of a circle with a meandering but purposeful path, from the edge to the centre and back out again. Each has only one path, and the path becomes a metaphor for our journey through life, sending us to the centre of the labyrinth and then back out to the edge on the same path. The labyrinth is a spiritual tool meant to awaken us to the deep rhythm that calls from within: In surrendering to the winding path, the soul finds healing and wholeness.
From: Walking a Sacred Path, Lauren Artress
We can view walking the labyrinth as journeying to our centre and back out again. It can represent our life’s journey. It is an opportunity to go beyond the physical to the sacred space within….. and to walk that sacredness back into our everyday lives.
There are many, many ways of walking the labyrinth. And I would encourage you to follow your own intuition and guidance. As a meditative tool it can quieten the mind. As an inspirational tool it can shed light on a question or thought.
Some choose to follow the path of the 4 Rs: Remembering (start), Releasing (walk in), Receiving (centre), Resolving (walk out). The Sacred Path Companion, Lauren Artress
Here at Cosán Ciúin I have linked the labyrinth with the Chakras of the body.
The body has 7 major chakras – Root, Sacral, Solar-plexus, Heart, Throat, Third-eye and Crown.
The inward path is walking from the root at the start, through each chakra marked at the spiral turning points – and moving beyond into spirit. The return path is walking with spirit back through the chakras returning to our physical selves. Bringing the sacred into our daily lives.