New Labyrinths

Modern European

This labyrinth was created in Lands End, Cornwall at the first gathering of the OakDragon Clan at Beltane in 1987. These bamboo sticks work well except when you're running and your ankle comes down on one.

Handfasting A couple came to us at that camp and asked to take their vows in this labyrinth. It was an amazing event. Labyrinths are excellent tools for doing ceremony in. They can be used to begin and end ceremonies, or for the actual event itself.

These are the seven planets, one of whom marked the beginning of each of the seven paths of the labyrinth. Mars asked 'Martian' questions like, "Are you putting your energy into the correct places?" You then walked that path thinking about that question. The character in front of the planets is Charon, who charged participants a copper coin for a lift in her vesica-shaped boat to the other world of the seven planets and the labyrinth.

Goddess Here is another Goddess in the center of a labyrinth. This Sun Goddess marked the center of the Planetary labyrinth above. The oldest myths about labyrinths have women in the center rather than the male monster Minotaur.

Notice that this labyrinth is made of tennis court lime. This works fine, and keeps for several weeks. Be sure not to use gardening lime which can burn - especially when people walk it bare foot.

Fire!

This is a daytime shot of a fire labyrinth. It is a variation of the three circuit labyrinth similar to the one at Nazca. It uses sawdust and parafin/kerosene applied just before you light it.
DON'T USE GASOLINE or PETROL!!

Here it is at night.
(Slightly dramatized by us.)
Spectacular. But I must admit to having problems with pouring all of those petrochemicals on Mother Earth in a ceremony designed, among other things, to honour Her.

Recent labyrinth built on the shore of Columba's Bay on the Island of Iona in the Hebrides in Scotland. This labyrinth is very popular with the pilgrims who make the journey to the southern end of this holy island.

(photo by W. Howard)

Trollcatcher While Sig was in Sweden for Mid-Summer 1995, a number of people got together to build a new labyrinth in a part of the Stockholm archipelago that has a number of older ones.

Trollcatcher This new Swedish labyrinth is called "Trollfångere," which means "Troll Catcher" in Swedish. This was supposedly one of the functions of the Swedish fishermens' numerous labyrinths - catching Trolls! ; )