Spiritual Symbolism of the Labyrinth
by yoga teacher Gregorian Bivolaru
From an initiating perspective, the labyrinth is above all a significant mysterious interweaving, a web, a network of paths and trails, of which some have no exit. They are the so-called “garage” paths that many of us like to plastically call “dead-ends”. Once having reached the inner part of the labyrinth, the mysterious thread of the wisest intuition or in other words, the divine inspiration, to which we (previously) open ourselves, guides our steps and it leads us, step by step, on the mysterious road eventually leading, to the divine (supreme) center of this mysterious spider web.
We must take into consideration the fact that, in this case, the analogy with the spider web is not very accurate. This is because the spider web is symmetrical and regular, whereas the very essence of the labyrinth is that of circumscribing a very complex weaving of diverse paths into a tiny bit of space that – especially when spiritual intuition, which has to be supported by divine inspiration, has not yet awakened in our being – causes various delays in some cases. Other times, it makes it impossible for those who venture carelessly and thoughtlessly towards the magical center to which many aspire to arrive to the supreme divine center. Always, with no exception, an initiating labyrinth gives access to its center to those who venture along an initiating journey featuring various spiritual tests and initiating trials tailored especially for them. All this happens in a proper fashion when the respective human being can be totally guided by his spiritual intuition and he can resort, almost ceaselessly, to the mysterious and wise leading thread of Ariadne, just as the legendary Theseus did, when he came out of the labyrinth of the Minotaur victorious, safe and sound.
Also, the initiating labyrinth makes all those who, due to their critical mistakes, end up reaching ridiculous dead-ends that lead nowhere, get lost in it and wander aimlessly. This happens because always, (with no exception) the trial of the labyrinth is and remains a terrible one.
Amongst the lost ones, we can easily find those who leave this spiritual School as soon as they fail, one by one, to certain major spiritual trials and who leave this school – a place where they really had all the chances to discover the Supreme Center of the labyrinth – in order to focus, in complete disorientation and disarray, through their spiritual blindness, on the illusive and ephemeral appearances, going nowhere, embracing, in their perpetually deepening lunacy, the so called “precious” teachings of false “great initiates” or false “spiritual Guides”.
Only those rare human beings who are truly ready to face and eventually surpass this important spiritual trial are also qualified to reach the Supreme Center and they will eventually manage to triumph in this terrible trial of the labyrinth, when they finally reach the mysterious Supreme Divine Center that, whether they know it or not, many aspire to reach.
Analogically speaking, in the case of an assiduous and perseverant practice of the yoga system, the labyrinth foreshadows the initiating, wise path that the zealous aspirant is offered (within the millenary HATHA YOGA system), in order to succeed and eventually reach the supreme state of liberation (JIVANMUKTA), which also indicates the profound and complete revelation into his inner universe of the Supreme Immortal Self (ATMAN). When viewed from an initiating perspective, the labyrinth is similar to the fascinating structure of a MANDALA, which in fact resembles a sui generis labyrinth. In the case of each labyrinth, the issue of various kinds of initiating tests and trials appears. These trials require the awakening of divine intuition and the unconditional opening towards divine Guidance, which allows us to become aware of God’s Will and awaken our spiritual discernment. All these must exist and they must be adequately awakened into the universe of those human beings who dare to assume the terrible trial of the labyrinth, because beyond any appearances, all these facilitate the progress towards the hidden Supreme Center.
The artistic and initiating film “Stalker” masterfully describes such a terrible trial of the labyrinth. In the end, only a few heroes reach the Supreme Center, after having gone through many adventures. Also, each initiating labyrinth contains a divine creative potential which helps us avoid certain temptations and allows us to successfully defend ourselves against malefic influences of all kinds. Each initiating labyrinth evokes and foreshadows the presence of something magical and mysterious, of something mysterious and precious, of something godly which can be reached only when those who dare walk it triumphantly arrive into the Supreme Center. Within the millenary system of HATHA YOGA, this involves the profound and complete revelation of the Supreme Immortal Self (ATMAN). Only then, the yogi will have managed to surpass the terrible, fundamental trial of the spiritual labyrinth that he had attempted when, in the beginning, he started the practice of the HATHA YOGA system.
The essential purpose of the authentic spiritual Guide is that of helping the aspirant to get to the Supreme Center of the labyrinth as fast as possible and in complete safety, without ever falling on a dead-end path. In the case of false spiritual guides, it is obvious that they will inevitably lead the false aspirants to a point where they get lost, ending up in a ridiculous dead end, where they will endlessly run around in circles, deceptively thinking they are advancing, even though they are actually going “nowhere”. It is a truly noteworthy fact that only the rare human beings that are endowed with spiritual intuition and with exemplary spiritual discernment (or, in other words, only the initiated ones who also let themselves be guided by GOD and only according to His Will) have access to the Supreme Center of the initiating labyrinth.
The Supreme Center that is to be reached and that is permanently protected by the occult structure of the labyrinth is always reserved to the advanced initiates, or, in other words, to all those who successfully pass the terrible trial of the labyrinth. Such rare human beings are the ones who, during all the initiating trials [or, in other words, in times of distress that occur when they are tempted to choose all sorts of detours in the labyrinth (before reaching the center)], deem themselves worthy of eventually gaining access to the supreme divine mystery-filled revelation that the essential center of the labyrinth saves for the few and chosen ones. As soon as he reaches the Supreme Center, such a human being also implicitly manages to surpass the terrible trial of the labyrinth and he or she is intimately integrated into the enigmatic and fascinating arcane of the supreme Knowledge. Altogether, the respective human being is, in some way, connected by the indescribable power of the initiating secret to never unveil the formidable secrets disposes of to those who are not deemed worthy. The formidable initiating experience which manifests every time, inside the labyrinth, in the case of all genuine spiritual seekers, is equivalent to a mysterious essential search, similar to the search for the golden apples by the hero Hercules, in the Garden of the Hesperides, or the search for the golden fleece in Colchis, by Jason. When regarded from a yogi perspective, this equates to the profound and complete revelation of the Supreme Immortal Self (ATMAN). Each of these essential aspects also signifies the profound, adequate and victorious pervasion into a magical space filled with mysteries, which is hardly accessible, well guarded and in whose center we discover the Supreme Core of Divine Power. Sometimes, the initiating labyrinth also fulfills an unsuspected magical divine function, because it contains the supreme divine mystery at its very core.
In the case of the macrocosmic manifestation, this mystery is PARAMATMAN, the Supreme Absolute Self of GOD, THE FATHER. In the Microcosm of the human being, in the center of this complex labyrinth dwells the Supreme Immortal Self (ATMAN) that the aspirant needs to eventually reveal completely, profoundly and fully.
In the eyes of the sages, the initiating labyrinth is the image of complete spiritual realization, of attaining the state of wisdom which also involves the successful surpassing of some major difficulties. When regarded and considered in the perspective of the millenary TANTRA YOGA system, the labyrinth shows us that we need to wisely use the gigantic creative potential that we are endowed with, we need to transmute it and transform into an immense energy which we have to be able to sublimate and focus in order to facilitate tremendous spiritual leaps. All these also involve the discovery of GOD THE FATHER, in our very own inner universe. To succeed in all this, we need to firmly and constantly focus our attention especially on our very own inner universe, paying close attention to the occult resonance processes that are triggered every minute. In this manner, it becomes possible to “navigate” amongst the thousands of paths of sensations, emotions, revelations and creative ideas. Knowing this, we need to permanently be aware and act in a manner that allows us to suppress any obstacle in order to successfully pass all the major initiating trials, with the help of pure, divine intuition which is easily awakened in our being especially when we have access more and more often to our supra-mental layer (VIJNANAMAYA KOSHA). In this way, we can return forever, into the divine light, without letting ourselves be fooled by the twists and turns of the paths or potential dead-ends.
This article is an excerpt from The Program of the Spiritual Yoga Camp – Herculane 2012, published by Shambala Publishing House and printed at Ganesha Publishing House.
yogaesoteric
June 18, 2014
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