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~MISERERE
John B. Kozak P.O. Box 10081 Lahaina, Maui, Hawai'i 96761 Contents of this web page © 2006 John B. Kozak |
Phone:808.280-4669
FAX: 808.669-4508 |
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A Labyrinth is not a maze. Visualize from the diagram above that walking a Labyrinth consists of negotiating a continuous path meandering from a single entrance to a central goal; a pause for meditation; and a return on the exact same path. A Labyrinth is not a maze. There are no forks in the road or tricky dead ends to confuse. A Labyrinth is a spiritual tool, a pilgrimage to a sacred place and a return. A Labyrinth is a pilgrimage and not a quest |
photo courtesy of Jeff Saward |
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The 7 circuit CLASSICAL Labyrinth pictured to the left is associated with the Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur from the Minoan civilization on Crete circa 2500 B.C. The monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man ravaged the land. King Minos called upon ingenious craftsman Daedalus to fashion a suitable keep for the beast. Still 7 virgins and 7 young warriors from Athens were required periodically for sacrifice. Theseus volunteered and with the aid of Minos' daughter Ariadne destroyed the creature. |
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Theseus subsequently became legend with his deeds in Greece. When Rome conquered, the gods of Mt. Olympus and the heroes were adopted. The labyrinth morphed into a square 4 quadrant design with crenellated borders representing the security of Roma Quadrata, the original citadel of Rome built on the Palatine hill. Generally constructed in mosaic, the center showed Theseus literally "taking the bull by the horns." Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, inv. no AS II 20 |
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After
Constantine's victory at Milvian Bridge in 312 A.D. Christianity was
declared the state religion of the empire. North Africa was fertile
spiritual ground with St. Anthony developing the monastic life in Egypt,
St. Augustine writing in Hippo, and in Algiers the first known Christian
Labyrinth being constucted at the Basilica of Reparations in 324
A.D. Theseus and the Minotaur were replaced in the center by
SANCTA ECLESIA. Translated this is Holy Church. More importantly ECLESIA had the added connotation of "where the Spirit may
come". Photograph
from Vidal |
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Knowledge in the Dark Ages was preserved by the monks. SACRED GEOMETRY was a favorite study. What numbers, ratios, and progressions did the Supreme Artiste employ in the creation of the heavens and the earth? In a parchment manuscript dating to 850 AD, the ST. GALL labyrinth to the right was drawn by Monk Wandalbert of the monastery at Prum. Perfect concentric circles archetypically represent the perfection and qualities of GOD. The ST. GALL version has the exact same path as the Cretan labyrinth, but with symbolic Christian topology. Rome, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. reg. lat. 438, fol. 35v |
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The OTFRID labyrinth also on parchment was contained in the Book of Gospels translated into high German by Monk Otfrid of Weissenburg around 868 AD. Here the paths have have increased to 11 and note the addition of the extended entrance opening. In all church labyrinths the single entrance enables the pilgrim to leave the "profane" world, ie, outside the temple and enter into a sacred dimension. Evangelienbuch Book of Gospels |
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From 1072 AD this parchment codex was written in the monastery of San Sebastian, Silos. It was included in a text on how to calculate the date of Easter. It could surely be considered the prototype for the Chartes labyrinth to be completed in 1220 AD. Nota bene, the design of the turns is not meant to resemble Minoan labyrs. Also labyrinths were frequently drawn on computus, or mathematical tables used to calculate lunar position for the determination of the date of Easter. This was an artistic not a functional relation quite similar to a caduceus being displayed on a doctor's door. Paris Bibliotheque National, MS mouv. acq lat. 2169, fol 17r |
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About John B. Kozak...
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John Kozak has recently founded MISERERE to focus on the Rich Catholic Heritage of the Labyrinth as a Christian spiritual tool. John offers a 2 day labyrinth retreat SOUL WINDOWS and a 2 day labyrinth facilitator training program for those desirous of becoming Christian leaders of labyrinth walks. Course material is ecumenical in content. Classes are on Maui, Hawai'i, in Lahaina. Explore the beauty of Labyrinths on Maui. See http://www.labyrinth.maui.net B&B's are an economical lodging. See http://www.bedbreakfastmaui.com |
SOUL WINDOWS Labyrinth Retreat 19 & 20 March 2008 FREE
Christian Labyrinth Facilitator Training 24 & 25 March 2008 |
| FOR
RESERVATIONS Phone: 808.280-4669 E-MAIL John here! |
| Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, France completed anno Domini 1220 |
| photo by Sonia Halliday & Laura Lushington | |
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When there was war in the Holy Land and travel was dangerous, the labyrinth found its way off the pages of the monks' manuscripts and onto the floor of the naves of 20 some cathedrals in gothic France. The labyrinth shown here at Chartres was completed circa 1220 AD and is 42 feet in diameter. This magnificent motif, duplicated in modern times at many locations, is found in ancient ages only at Christian holy sites. A labyrinth walk is a BODY PRAYER. With your conscious mind and act of will you direct your feet to take you on an allegorical pilgrimage to the New Jerusalem. The labyrinth is a WALKING MEDITATION. Your controlling mind is already relaxed. There is a simple path to follow... no tricks. The menial task of simply walking between the lines anesthetizes the left brain. Be still and know that I am GOD. The labyrinth is a MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE. Recall that a Christian mystic seeks not arcane or esoteric knowledge but to know directly the pure love of GOD. Having balanced your body and calmed your mind, you arrive at the center, analogous to the Upper Room... where the Spirit may come. See from the labyrinth overlay on the icon of Christ, that the pattern of the turns matches the crossbars of Jesus' cross found in His halo in medieval art. Notice too that when arriving at the exact center of the labyrinth you find yourself at the mind's eye of the Christ, a place of great calm, healing, joy, discernment, and love.. |
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For three centuries from 1200 until 1500 AD walking labyrinths flourished in Christendom. The soaring gothic architecture in France suffused with light from masterpiece stained glass windows was the setting for this unique spiritual tool. In England verdant turf labyrinths dotted the landscape. By the Renaissance, however, the labyrinth gave way to garden mazes. Following the narrow path to Christ was supplanted by multiple courses to cul-de-sacs for contemplating Humanism and enjoying afternoon picadillos. See the blueprint for the maze at Chateau Chantilly to the right. Berlin, Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Kunstbibliothek, OS 2429 ii. |
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The Christian labyrinth changed genres in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries to word manuscript labyrinths. Labyrinthe Spirituel (1769 AD) to the left is a spiritual poem with the path delineated by the words and leading to four "grace fountains" where biblical verses are cited. Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, Cabinet des Estampes, Re 9 port The fountains represent the four Rivers of Paradise. For an extraordinary Bible study, read the following scriptures in one meditative session: River PISON Genesis 2; Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 27; I Peter 5. River GIHON Romans 7; Psalm 51; Matthew 27; Isaiah 7. River HIDDEREL Luke 1, John 1, John 3, John 17. River EUPHRATES Acts 4, Romans 5, John 15, John 15:4. |
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When there was war in the Holy Land and travel was dangerous, the walking labyrinth reappeared in the land. In 1996 Grace Episcopal in San Francisco placed a Chartres labyrinth on carpet in the nave of their gothic cathedral. Labyrinths have sprung up across the land in churches, at hospitals, in prisons, in cemeteries, in parks and on riverwalks. On Maui in Lahaina we have this awesome 66' white coral labyrinth as well as a full size 42' replica of Chartres painted at Notre Dame de Victoires (Maria Lanakila-Our Lady of Victory) Catholic Church. |
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By St. Michael the Archangel, Defender of the Faith, there are 4 quadrants on the Chartres Labyrinth representing 4 life experiences... Senses, Emotions, Thoughts, and Intuition. These are tied directly to the 4 abiding question at the core of each and every soul begging to be answered. 1) ORIGIN where did I come from? 2) PURPOSE why am I here? 3) MORALITY by what rules should I lead my life? and 4) DESTINY what happens when I die? A Christian answers thusly. 1) Creatio ex nihilo ...GOD spoke the Universe into existence from nothing. 2) Magnificat anima mea Dominum... My soul doth magnify the Lord. I have been given certain gifts and a definitive heart path that when followed brings me great joy. 3) The 10 Commandments, the 2 Great Love Commands, and the 8 Beatitudes are simple yet profound guides for thriving in the garden of the knowledge of good and evil. 4) GOD made me to be happy with GOD forever in heaven. As you have occasion to walk the Chartres Labyrinth consider how your soul might answer these 4 questions! The cathedral labyrinths of the early Middle Ages are powerful spiritual tools developed in Christendom and governed by the love of Christ. They are a Body Prayer, a Walking Meditation, and a Mystical Experience. |
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