I review books about labyrinths and mazes. I have learned that there are a few different types of focus on the subject. One deals with the history and symbolism of physical labyrinths you find in the world. The other focuses on the spiritual aspect of walking labyrinths and using them for prayer or meditation. Today I pull together 6 book reviews on the spiritual side, including the 3 from Rev. Jill Kimberly Hartwell Geoffrion. My original blog post features the best selling books from the space and is a good place to start if you are new to the subject:
5 Books About the Spiritual Aspect of Labyrinths
Labyrinth A-Ω by Clive Johnson 106 pages. AMZN.
Sometimes the author tells you about the book right there on the cover. This is the case with this book. The subtitle is “An Introduction to the How, What, and Why of Labyrinths and Labyrinth Walking”, and that is a perfect way to describe just what you will learn in this book !
What I learned in this book:
Despite reading many books on labyrinths in the past, I was still introduced to a few new ones I had never heard of. I found myself switching to a new tab and doing visual searches to see them.
The first chapter does a nice job speaking about labyrinths throughout history while the second speaks about why the labyrinth has so much appeal.
When I think of labyrinth legends I think of Theseus and the Minotaur. But I learned about a Hindu story that is about a labyrinth, from the Mahabharata that the warrior Abhimanyu where he is shown how to defeat his enemies but not how to return from the battlefield.
The word ‘maze’ did not appear until the 14th century, possibly coined by Geoffrey Chaucer. Before that labyrinth was used to describe what today we call mazes and labyrinths.
There have been health studies that verify the health benefits of walking labyrinths, including reduced blood pressure and reduced stress and reduced anxiety.
The organization Veriditas offers Facilitator Training for those that want to guide others through the labyrinth effectively.
What this book does best: Overall a good book. I really appreciated learning about many new and interesting labyrinths. There is also a nice directory of labyrinth resources that can be explored further.
The Complete Guide to Labyrinths: Tapping the Sacred Spiral for Power, Protection, Transformation, and Healing (2004) - by Cassandra Eason 336 pages. AMZN.
The Book explores the many ways that labyrinths have been used for personal transformation, protection, healing, and enlightenment throughout history. It also provides instructions for creating and using labyrinths in your own life.
What you can expect in this book:
The book begins with an overview of the history of labyrinths, from their earliest origins in ancient Crete to their modern use as tools for personal growth. Eason then discusses the different types of labyrinths, including the classical seven-circuit labyrinth, the Chartres labyrinth, and the hedge maze. She also explores the symbolism of labyrinths, which is often associated with the journey of the soul.
The second half of the book focuses on the practical use of labyrinths. Eason provides instructions for creating labyrinths in your own home or garden, as well as for using labyrinths for meditation, healing, and spiritual growth. She also includes a number of rituals and exercises that you can use to connect with the power of the labyrinth.
What this book does best: I really enjoyed Chapter 7 where the book discusses how to use labyrinths for meditation. There are a number of exercises that you can use to connect with the power of the labyrinth and to use it as a tool for meditation.
The Labyrinth: Rewiring the Nodes in the Maze of Your Mind by Rei Rei 242 pages. AMZN
First I need to mention that despite the cover and the title this book is not about labyrinths. It is also not about spiritually walking a labyrinth. To me it is a book of Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu guru sayings and thoughts. It reads like a spiritual self help book. If is full of quotes from religious texts and philosophers. To give you an idea of what you will find on the pages I present the following words found among a sampling of pages in the book to give you a sense:
divine quality
cosmic reality
manifest the will
guidance of the higher self
time-bound persona
self-imposed illusions
epigenetics
miraculous healings
high-beta brain waves
The chapters are in alphabetical order and include titles like: Abundance; Anxiety; Awakening; Core Beliefs; Compassion’ Conditioning; Disassociation; Forgiveness; Grounding, Manifesting; Meditation; Renunciation; Resilience…and many more.
I would guess that this gives you a good sense of just what is in this book.
If you are a spiritual person and like philosophy, this might be the book for you. If you are looking for a maze book based on the cover you can skip this one, it is not the droid you are looking for.
Now, I am going to review and compare 3 different labyrinth books by Rev. Jill Kimberly Hartwell Geoffrion. If you are not familiar with the author she has her own website where you can learn about all her writings, labyrinth pilgrimages, and ministries. If you are interested in the spiritual aspect of walking labyrinths she is a resource you will want to be familiar with. On her website, in her about section it notes that she “is a world-renowned expert on labyrinths, labyrinth prayer, and the Chartres Cathedral.”. I couldn’t say it any better than that. Some of you will want to read all 3 books, but I will aim to show you the differences if one is more to your liking. Short summary is at the end. Let’s get to the reviews.
Living The Labyrinth (2009) - by Rev. Jill Kimberly Hartwell Geoffrion 88 pages. AMZN.
This third book is the least spiritual of the tomes and the one I like best. It is broken into 11 parts which groups different ways of approaching a labyrinth together.
What I learned in this book:
This book is all about 101 different ways to walk / approach a labyrinth. The supposition is that there is no right way to walk it. This gives you options on how to walk the labyrinth.
I really liked the quote below which has been added to my maze/labyrinth quote page. What follows is a discussion of the passage which I really enjoyed.
Although most of us acknowledge the desirability of labyrinths, when it come down to it, we generally see our lives as mazes, not labyrinths
What this book does best: It is very creative in coming up with ways to walk a labyrinth and how those ways can be thought about. If I asked you to come up with 101 ways to walk a path when would you get stuck ? After 10 ? And could you give meaning to each ‘way’. This author can.
If you want to experience labyrinths in a new way, this is the book for you.
Pondering The Labyrinth (2003) - by Rev. Jill Kimberly Hartwell Geoffrion 112 pages. AMZN.
The book has fifteen short chapters broken into 4 parts. Part One is a nice overview of Labyrinths. Each of the next 3 parts deal with questions to ponder in different stages of walking a labyrinth. The author is a Reverend and the book is spiritually based.
This is the follow-up book to Praying The Labyrinth from 1999 from the same author. The books are similar.
What I learned in this book:
This book is not about facts as much as it is about reflection. Reflection when you walk a labyrinth.
What this book does best: I really like the historical labyrinths that are featured, one in each chapter at the beginning and end. The questions are very good and plentiful - while not all will have meaning for you, you will find meaning in some in the depth and breadth presented here.
If you are a spiritual person that likes to walk labyrinths, this book is for you, similar to her previous book, but shorter and with less scripture than the book below.
Praying The Labyrinth (1999) - by Rev. Jill Kimberly Hartwell Geoffrion 181 pages AMZN.
The book has two main parts - Getting ready for the labyrinth and then walking it. It has many short one page sections (chapters), each with their own thoughts and accompanying prayers. The author wrote the book about her experience walking the Chartres Labyrinth in France.
What I learned in this book:
The Chartres Labyrinth in France has a unique design and the center is often called the rosette, which has a six-petaled rose shape
That walking a labyrinth can be a deeply religious experience. The book is a prayer guide that mixes thoughts on walking a labyrinth with scripture from the Bible.
What this book does best: Is a guide of the feeling, meditations, thoughts and prayers that go into walking a labyrinth with intense purpose. Full of Biblical scripture.
If you are a spiritual person that likes to walk labyrinths, this is the book for you.
Summary:
Praying the Labyrinth delves into a Biblical look at walking labyrinths.
Pondering the Labyrinth is focused on reflection, or basically how you think about walking the labyrinth.
Living The Labyrinth is the least spiritual of the books. It features 101 different ways to walk / approach a labyrinth.
Similar posts to this one:
5 BOOKS ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL ASPECT OF LABYRINTHS
Reviews these 5 books with long titles !!!
Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool
Labyrinth : Your Path to Self-Discovery
Exploring the Labyrinth: A Guide For Healing and Spiritual Growth
Walking the Labyrinth: A Place to Pray and Seek God
Labyrinths from the Outside In: Walking to Spiritual Insight
To find a labyrinth in the United States: I completed a year long project where I researched the best labyrinths from each state in the United States and wrote a blog post about them. You can find that archive, and much more labyrinth walking content in the US Labyrinths visit section of the website.