Lauren ArtressWalking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice

I approached this book as a person who has never walked a labyrinth but feels close to it. And as someone who follows Lauren Artress' activity.This book is everything I was hoping to find and so much more. It presents a bit of the author's story, a bit of how she got close to the labyrinth, some more about what she built and a lot about the act of walking the labyrinth, walkers' experiences and a lot of issues this activity implies.As she is part of an organized religion and as the labyrinth is pretty much a spiritual path, this book is written in this kind of note. I felt the religious side was diffuse enough for people who are not necessarily religious or spiritual but open minded and looking for a walking meditation practice to dig into this matter anyway. I personally appreciate greatly the discussion of the divine feminine in the context of the labyrinth. So I feel the book balanced nicely these paths that can take one to the labyrinth.I also loved the richness of experiences presented and the richness of resources to understand more about the labyrinth and maybe help others discover it.More than anything I loved the whole vibe of this book, I think Lauren Artress writes and speaks as the labyrinth : with so much care and so much compassion, with an all encompassing and all embracing attitude toward the human experience while setting clear boundaries, drawing a safe space.I feel I will come back to this book many times in the future.

I feel fortunate that we have a Labyrinth locally and I can attest to the meditative properties of this tool. Every walk is different. As our labyrinth is outside, it offers such experiences as walking the labyrinth with an ant or being scolded by a wren. The pattern may seem chaotic sometimes, but "You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star"(Nietzsche).Dr. Artress is both a psychotherapist and a pastor at Grace Cathedral, and offers many personal stories from participants. Some of these seem fanciful and she leans toward Jung's psychology (and dismissed Freud in a single sentence "The scientific myth, helped along by Freud, has taught us to trust the outer world"). Her perspectives on the labyrinth as archetype are important. She also offers exposure to some mystics such as Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila and Hildegard of Bingen. Perhaps the discussion on the "Feminine" becomes decisive when she talks about Christ as part of the patriarchy.The chapter on basic approaches to walking the labyrinth provides useful methods and will broaden my experience. Reading the book is fine, but what is most important is the walking (check out the Grace Cathedral's labyrinth locator web site if you don't know where one is). For those who like a metaphoric view of Labyrinths, Jorge Borges's book Labyrinth offers some fascinating stories. Dr Artress should be thanks for initiating the Labyrinth Movement.

I was super excited to get this book and I decided to buy it new. I was bummed out that when it arrived the cover was bent because it got shipped in a ridiculously big box and it seemed to have been doing a lot of sliding around.

Lauren Artress is a Master at Labyrinths. A Must Have for your spiritual collection. I especially love how she addressed the Christianity bias. This is her religion of choice. But her keen insight as to the disservice the Christian faith has often inflicted and what many people have issues with is refreshing to say the least. That alone is worth purchasing the book. A must have for your spiritual collection.

While a very spiritual and personal account of using the Gothic, Roman Catholic Labyrinths with a focus on Chartres, I was surprised at the narrowness of focus. No reference or exploration of the origins of the labyrinth going back to Crete, nor is the book informed by classic works such as, The Thread of Ariadne: The Labyrinth of the Calendar of Minos, by Charles F. Herberger. So do not expect any historical scholarship here, but a book of personal faith and the experience of the author and anecdotes of others' experiences with replicas of the Chartre Cathedra labyrinthl. Even the fact that the Chartres Labyrinth had a bronze casting of the Minotaur in its centre is not mentioned. That alone would open up an interesting discussion. My other disappointment is the repetitiveness of the book. As Dorothy Parker once famously said in one of her book reviews, if only the author had said, stop me if you heard this before, we would have been saved a good 100 pages.

Great resource. Would recommend this text for anyone interested in labyrinths. Also recommend the Companion text with exercises for those planning on using a labyrinth for meditative purposes.

The labyrinth has been an integral part of my life for many years. The book relates the magic, the possibility, the sacredness of any journey within it. Each experience is unique. As Grace Cathedral has also been a most sacred place for me, so has been the many experiences with walking both labyrinth's each a different sort of experience.

The history and uses of the labyrinth are fascinating, and Lauren Artress brings all the information you never knew was out there together in this lovely little book. The author tells of her own discovery of the ancient path, its history, and why it is so important in today's world. You will be inspired to lift your own spiritual life by searching out a labyrinth near you and taking the sacred walk.

What a wonderful book. It makes me want to go to California and join the Cathedral meditation walks. Happily there is a thriving band of people bringing the labyrinth walk to local places in the UK. This book is a good foundation for understanding your experience in the labyrinth .

What's special about walking a labyrinth? That's what I wanted to know. The author's experience goes along way to answer that question.

Its an old book but it arrived quickly and makes very interesting reading.

Both excellent value

A bible for labyrinth enthusiasts.