Illustration by Gaia Orion

Reiki and the Labyrinth

BY ROBIN FUERST

W
HEN I STARTED down the schedule of my own making, and to let go perimeter. The lunations represent the
path of self-discovery, I expe- of my need to control the outcome. This moon or feminine presence, which bal-
rienced as separate and indi- was excellent advice and both my mom ance the more masculine or sun energy at
vidual the healing energies of modalities and I did much better once I learned to the center of the labyrinth.
such as Reiki, labyrinth, psychic insight, trust the Reiki energy. Mom later told me Walking the labyrinth, like Reiki,
prayer, and sound healing. Through prac- how she knew when I was sending her involves the process of letting go, espe-
ticing with various energies, an under- Reiki. If her eyes were closed at the time, cially of EGO. Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress
standing dawned on me, and I now firmly she saw the “most beautiful colors.” Her from Veriditas, the World Wide Labyrinth
believe that “All is One.” To borrow an surgeon was surprised at how quickly she Project, says this word is an acronym for
analogy from theologian Matthew Fox1, healed and the oncologist was amazed at Edging God (or Spirit) Out2. A labyrinth
for me there is one Universal healing how few side effects she experienced with walk is composed of three parts: the walk
energy “river” to which each of us con- the chemotherapy. She is cancer free and in or releasing; time in the center or
nects through the “well” of whatever tech- doing well today, eight years later. Mom is receiving; and the walk out or returning.
nique(s) we practice. Over the last ten also attuned to Reiki I and II and also Every labyrinth walk begins with letting
years, I have integrated two of the “wells” finds comfort and support through walk- go of any preconceived expectations of
through which I connect with this “river” ing the labyrinth. what the walk will be like, since these can
of energy: Reiki and walking labyrinths. The labyrinth has existed as a symbol clutter the mind and cause one to miss an
Doing so has changed my life and deep- and walking meditation practice for over insight, gift or metaphor while experienc-
ened and enriched my spiritual growth. 5000 years. No one knows exactly what ing the path. Since the labyrinth, unlike a
Reiki is an easy, mystical, and powerful prompted ancient peoples who were sepa- maze, has only one path in and the same
way to access this Universal God-con- rated both by distance and time to com- path out again, there is only one choice to
sciousness energy. Mystical in the sense bine the circles, spirals and meanders they make—to engage in this ancient journey.
that Reiki is a direct experience of energy saw in nature into the complex spiral of Walking a labyrinth helps to bring one
or, for me, the sacred. A simple attune- labyrinths. The psychologist Carl Jung into the present moment. It encourages a
ment, intention, and willingness to listen described this experience of the collective shedding of worries and a quieting of the
and learn from the energy are all that are unconscious as “that inherited part of us logical, thinking, left brain. This center-
needed to heal or change. Healing is dif- that connects us with all other human ing and quieting echoes the Reiki process
ferent than curing—healing is a deep shift beings.” From a Reiki point of view, it is of Gassho and Reiji-ho, the strengthening
in mind, body and/or spirit to a place of almost as if HSZSN links our subconscious of one’s own light and stating one’s inten-
release and acceptance. It may or may not minds at some deep, universal level. tion or praying for the highest good of the
result in a cure or total absence of disease. The classical seven-circuit labyrinth client prior to beginning a session. The
Healing can allow for a shift or attenua- on page 34 is the oldest known labyrinth. labyrinth journey is an inward walk
tion of dis-ease in any situation. Trusting Although often called the Cretan seven- towards the still, quiet center of the
the Reiki energy is a journey of letting go circuit labyrinth or the Cretan labyrinth, labyrinth within. The center of the
of the need to control or releasing the its form is also found in Celtic labyrinths labyrinth is a place to pause and reflect. In
need for the ego to be in charge. and the Hopi medicine wheel. A second this stillness it is easier to listen, learn, and
I learned to appreciate this lesson well-known labyrinth is the eleven-cir- receive guidance, insights or energy for
when I was sending my mom Reiki as she cuit or Chartres labyrinth also on page healing. Similarly, it is in that still quiet
was going through surgery, radiation and 34. This labyrinth is named for its loca- center that we can be most effective dur-
chemotherapy for breast cancer. Initially I tion in Chartres Cathedral in France. ing a Reiki treatment, trusting the Uni-
was very focused and attached to the Chartres is one of 500 Gothic cathedrals versal healing energy as it flows through us
results. Because of this I was stressed and built within a span of 150 years during for our own healing as well as the healing
anxious about the situation. It took an the Middle Ages to honor Mary, the of the client.
intuitive friend to notice this and suggest Mother of God and the Divine Feminine. The final phase of a labyrinth walk is
I relax and only send energy when my The Chartres labyrinth is unique because returning, or the walk back into the
mom came to mind versus some rigid of the 112 lunations that encircle its world. It is a time to integrate the peace-
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 REIKI AND THE LABYRINTH

ful heart or insight received while rest-

ing in the center of the labyrinth. It can
also be a time of exhilaration because of
the energy received from releasing a long
carried burden, or for a new purpose for
one’s life. I liken this to the “return” fol-
lowing a Reiki session and the resulting
“sparkle” a practitioner can see in the
eyes of a client who has made an impor-
tant healing shift.
There are a number of ways to com-
bine Reiki and the energy of a labyrinth.
The circuits of the classical seven-circuit
labyrinth echo the number of times the
spiral of the Power Symbol touches its
vertical axis. In addition, each of the
major seven chakras, colors of the rain-
bow, spiritual lessons, and even the notes
of the musical scale, starting with middle
C, can be paired with a circuit of this
labyrinth. It is interesting to note that
one begins walking this labyrinth by
entering at the third chakra, which is
Classical Seven-circuit Labyrinth associated with our identity and personal
Illustration by Gaia Orion
power. Carolyn Myss3 also links this
chakra to our honor code with ourselves
and our ability to “let go and let God,”
the starting point for a labyrinth walk or
a Reiki session. Try the following exercise
the next time you have an opportunity to
walk a seven-circuit labyrinth.

Chakra exercise with the classical

labyrinth and Reiki – The classical or
seven-circuit labyrinth can be walked
focusing on clearing, healing and balanc-
ing the chakras.
Charge the labyrinth with Reiki before
starting your walk.
Set your intention to have Reiki work
on each of your chakras as you are walking
the circuit of the labyrinth with which it
is paired. You may want to place your
hands on that chakra or beam Reiki into
that chakra as you walk.
Your walk starts with the third chakra
and circuit of the labyrinth, associated
with the solar plexus, color yellow, and
issues of self-esteem and personal power.
Then you shift to the second circuit or
sacral chakra, the color orange, and les-
Chartres eleven-circuit Labyrinth sons around creativity and survival
Illustration by Gaia Orion
instincts.
34 © REIKI NEWS MAGAZINE • SPRING 2010 • www.reiki.org
 REIKI AND THE LABYRINTH

The next turn of the labyrinth places dent “scrambled” my ability to function, between your hands and let Reiki flow
you on the outside path and first or root especially in the areas of thinking clear- into it. You can also do this at the end of
chakra where the power of being ground- ly, focusing, concentrating, and accom- the walk as a thank you for your
ed and “all is one” is explored with the plishing any complex tasks involving labyrinth experience.
color red. planning.
Now you walk into the fourth circuit Reiki symbols and the form of the Walk the labyrinth with Reiki –
and heart chakra focusing on love, com- labyrinth both seem to me to fit in the Many options exist here! With a finger
passion and forgiveness, especially for category of archetypal symbols. Jung said labyrinth I recommend “walking” with
yourself on this green path. that an archetypal symbol has a life of its your “fire” finger, experimenting with eyes
Your journey continues into the sev- own; it is an image connected with the open or closed, and with using your right
enth circuit and violet crown chakra with living individual by the bridge of emotion. or left hand. Practitioners with symbols
its connection to Spirit or the Divine and The Distant Healing symbol and its can walk with a Reiki symbol in mind or
the urging to live in the present moment. unique ability to bridge time and space, as flowing, with the intention of being open
Only then does the labyrinth move well as the Mental/Emotional symbol and to experiencing the symbol in new ways.
you to the sixth circuit and the indigo col- its ability to connect with an individual at Again be especially observant of any
ored brow chakra, seeking the insight, wis- their point of need, or the Power symbol’s metaphors that come to you, since this is
dom and intuition associated with the ability to amplify the energy needed in a the favorite “language” of the labyrinth.
inner eye through its connection with the situation. Similarly, the labyrinth meets
Divine or Spirit. the walker exactly where they are and Set the intention to receive an
Then you find yourself in the fifth cir- invites them to move forward on their attunement – At the Reiki master level,
cuit and throat chakra, with its sky blue spiritual journey. you have the option of beaming and/or
color and lessons of choice and surrender- It is fun to play with the metaphors chanting all the necessary symbols for an
ing personal will to Spirit or the Divine. that arise while walking the labyrinth. attunement onto the labyrinth and call-
And finally you are to the center of the Frequently these metaphors are a chance ing in your Reiki guides or sacred beings
labyrinth for a time of resting, insight, to learn indirectly what the Divine is of the highest light you work with to par-
rejuvenation, and meditation before you trying to teach us in the mystical lan- ticipate in this special walk and assist in
reverse the process on the walk out. guage of the soul. An example of this was attuning you.
In the Veriditas labyrinth newsletter the first time I walked the Chartres Last spring Jessica Miller and I walked
there is a section called “Little Miracles labyrinth with my daughter, who was a large, outdoor Chartres-style labyrinth
on the Path” in which people share sto- eight years old at the time. She started located at Trinity Lutheran Church in
ries of healing, similar to the “Reiki Sto- first and I followed after a short time. Pullman, Washington. It has been on this
ries” in Reiki News Magazine. One story Periodically on the labyrinth we would land for almost ten years and has been
of a woman who had a stroke that left end up walking side-by-side and she blessed with Reiki energy numerous times
her paralyzed on one side illustrates would reach up to hold hands. Then one and numerous attunements have been
another aspect of these activities. She of us would come to a turn and we each given in the center. I have attuned Reiki
was drawn to the labyrinth in addition to went our own way. Later we would find students there who have shared wonder-
her physical therapy. Initially she used a ourselves passing each other going in ful experiences afterwards—they experi-
finger labyrinth, first “walking” with her opposite directions and briefly touch enced powerful attunements accompa-
“good” hand, then the impaired hand. hands, each on our separate journeys but nied by insights into challenges in their
She eventually was able to walk the also on the same universal path. This daily lives as they meditated after the
labyrinth with a cane, and finally inde- was a powerful metaphor for me because attunement. One student felt the walk
pendently. She attributed her rapid it gave me insight into my changing role out of the labyrinth was as if she were
progress to the labyrinth. In a labyrinth as a parent. walking a big CKR.
there are an equal number of turns to the Prior to our walk, Jessica and I chanted
left and to the right, which help in Enhancing Your Labyrinth and placed all the Karuna Reiki® symbols
establishing balance in a person’s brain Walk with Reiki onto the labyrinth with the intention of
and life. This results in stabilizing and Experiment with these ways to inte- sharing an attunement in the center. We
integrating the right and left sides of the grate your labyrinth walk and Reiki. got sidetracked and forgot about the for-
brain in a manner similar to the “crossed mal attunement until after we left for
technique” Mari Hall taught at the 2008 Charge the labyrinth with Reiki – home. Interestingly, I realized that I had
Labor Day Reiki retreat. This technique Before your walk you can beam Reiki to actually been attuned while walking the
helped me “rewire” my own brain that the labyrinth, or in the case of a finger labyrinth, despite our not having per-
September, six months after a car acci- labyrinth you have the option to hold it formed the physical ritual.
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 REIKI AND THE LABYRINTH

Explore the labyrinth with your Reiki The labyrinth and Reiki have deep- References:
hands – Jessica and I discovered other ened my spiritual practices. They have 1
Matthew Fox, One River, Many Wells:
curious energetic properties of the taught me how to get out of my own way, Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths
labyrinth. You can feel the difference to trust in something larger than myself, (New York: Tarcher/Putnam, 2000).
energetically between the path and the and they have taught me compassion and
lines of the labyrinth, and the energy of forgiveness. They have helped me learn 2
Lauren Artress, Walking a Sacred Path:
the lines extends vertically as high as we how to better stay in the present moment Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritu-
could reach. It was also interesting to and have given me wonderful tastes of al Tool (New York: Riverhead Books,
straddle a labyr, the double axe-head that that “peace that passeth all understand- 1995).
occurs when two 180-degree turns meet. ing.” I am grateful.
The sensation was of being in two differ- To find a labyrinth near you, check out 3
Caroline Myss, Anatomy of the Spirit:
ent energetic realities. This style of axe is www.veriditas.org, click on World-Wide The Seven Stages of Power (New York:
frequently seen in the hands of ancient Labyrinth Locator, and fill in the location Three Rivers Press 1996).
warrior goddesses. Symbolically, each of information in the box on the right hand
these turns is a choice, are you ready to
change directions and follow this non-lin-
ear path? It also provides a sharp edge to
side of the page.
1
“cut” cords binding an issue to a person as —Robin can be reached by Email at robin-
they walk, allowing them to release it. splace@q.com

36 © REIKI NEWS MAGAZINE • SPRING 2010 • www.reiki.org