Building a Labyrinth

Overall Size
This a picture of the labyrinth I designed. It is a square version of the Chartres labyrinth in France. The design is flexible in that you can adjust the overall size of the labyrinth to fit the room you will be using. You do this by by adjusting the width of the path itself. I recommend that the path be a minimum of 18 inches wide. At 18 inches wide, the overall size of the labyrinth would be 27' wide and 22.5' tall. If you make the path 24 inches wide the labyrinth would then be 36' wide and 30' tall.

Building the Labyrinth
Your first decision is what to use to build your labyrinth. I usually use blue painter's masking tape and stick it right to the floor. The tape doesn't leave a residue on the floor when you pull it up and yet it has good adhesion for up to a week's time. A friend of mine hit up a local bill board company and got some huge sheets of free vinyl (You can sometimes get ad misprints for free. One side might have a beer advertisement, but the other will be blank). This friend used duct tape to outline his labyrinth and it is still going strong after years of use. Four canvas drop cloths from the local hardware store can also be Velcro'd together to achieve the right size for a labyrinth. I've even seen hay bales used before.

Construction
Here's my preferred method for building the labyrinth. Two people can do it in a 3-4 hours. You'll need a chalk line, a 90 degree laser level, a long tape measure, and plenty of blue tape. First use the laser level to tape two lines at a 90 degree angle to each other (the bottom and one side of the labyrinth). If the pathway is 18 inches wide then one line will be 27' long and the other will be 22.5' long. Now use the level again to shoot the other side and top of the labyrinth. When you are done you should have a big rectangle taped to the floor. It is important to measure the rectangle from side to side and top to bottom in several locations to make sure the lines are the same distance apart (parallel to each other).

Next use your chalk line to snap a line on the floor every 18 inches. Do this from side to side and top to bottom. You'll wind up with a big blue grid on the floor. This is what takes the longest amount of time to do. Now you are ready to tape.

Since you have laid down a grid, it is simply a matter of looking at the design picture (the one with the grid at the top of this page) and counting boxes to determine how long a line is. I like to start by taping the very middle station (#6) and working my way outward. By looking at the design I know the middle station is six grid lines from the left side, six grid lines from the right side, seven grid lines from the top, and six grid lines from the bottom. You can also start in a corner and work your way out from there.

I don't put the tape directly on top of the chalk line. The powder will prevent the tape from adhering to the floor. I place the tape just to the side of the chalk line. Just make sure you are consistent with which side of the chalk you place the tape. Otherwise the labyrinth won't line up with itself.

Once you are all taped, sweep up the chalk and start decorating. It is important to transform the space into something different. You want people to walk into the room and realize that it is a place set apart for something holy.

Using the Labyrinth
This labyrinth is a journey in three parts. Stations 1-5 are an inward journey about shedding the outside world and entering a state or attitude of worship. Station 6 is the center of the labyrinth. It is the heart of the theme and an unhurried place to give yourself over to God. Stations 7-9 are the outward journey which are about taking what was encountered or learned back out into the world.