The labyrinth is a primal human symbol that has appeared independently in different forms in all cultures for around 5000 years. The intercultural creation of labyrinths is seen as an expression of the fact that humans have accepted the cycle of life: becoming-being-perishing-re-creating. A labyrinth is not a maze in which one gets lost. There is always a path leading into a labyrinth in and out. This path is pendulum-shaped, has no branches, has twists and turns and leads to a center. Walking through a labyrinth is like walking through your own life: never straight and always full of twists. It is a contemplative, insightful, humble path to your own center and back to life.
We, a group who completed their training in 2002 with Dr. Jorgos Canacakis on Ikaria held a week-long seminar on the subject of “labyrinths” in 2012. The idea of creating a labyrinth on Ikaria came about a few years earlier at one of the regular training events where the group experienced the intensive effects and benefits of the labyrinth for life and grief support.
The seminar included the construction of a stone labyrinth in a dry riverbed in the mountains near Pezi, as well as meditative exercises, labyrinth walks, labyrinth dances and theoretical units on the history, spiritual meaning and construction of labyrinths.
One of our labyrinth visits dealt with Greek mythology, which Ikaria is directly affected by through the death of Ikaros. Ikaros, the island’s namesake, fled Crete with his father Daedalus. Daedalus built the labyrinth for the Minotaur on behalf of King Minos. Theseus killed the Minotaur and found his way out of the labyrinth with the help of Ariadne’s thread.
Since I don’t encounter the monster Minotaur in the labyrinth, but rather myself, the central question is: Can I endure the encounter with myself, including my shadow sides?
All seminar participants were deeply impressed by the aesthetics and expressiveness of the labyrinth. We were all able to have profound experiences for the rest of our lives and felt grounded, strengthened and revitalized after the seminar week. We thank the island and its residents for making such a project possible.
We know that the winter rains will wash away our labyrinth.
Everything is fleeting, that is life.
Written by Stephan Schlebusch, Heinsberg DE. In 20002 I completed my training as a life and grief counselor with Dr. Jorgos Canacakis, got to know Ikaria and since then I have traveled to Ikaria almost every year and come back enchanted by the originality and the wildly romantic naturalness.
Note from Ursula
Thanks for the wonderful labyrinth! It enriched us and the island! We spontaneously visited the labyrinth during our dance vacation in October and walked with the whole group, humming an old Ikaria melody and doing the classic Labrinth step. It was very, very impressive! What amazed me most was how long you’re on the road, another twist and another, you inevitably end up in a kind of trance state. An unforgettable experience that was repeatedly mentioned as great by the participants.
