The Edinburgh Labyrinth

My torpor of yesterday was washed away with the violent thunderstorm in the late afternoon; crashing thunder sounding overhead just as the lightning flashed through the gloom.
I watched in fascination as the rain fell like a solid curtain, the water bouncing inches off the patio in competition with the hailstones.

I dodged the remnants of the rain to attend a talk by Di Williams on labyrinths in the new bookshop in Quartermile.
It was fascinating to learn of their origins about 4000 years ago, ancient circle patterns that have developed through the ages into pathways on the ground which if walked, lead to a space at their centres with spiritual connections.

The difference between them and mazes is that the latter are only about 500 years old and are puzzles with dead ends and choices of paths. Labyrinths have continuous paths and no dead ends.

They provide such a calming effect on the step by step walk to the centre of the pattern with hopefully the shedding of worries or the solving of problems and the achievement of inner peace, that recently they have been constructed in hospital and hospice grounds, although there are a myriad of older ones in all sorts of places if you look.

The rain miraculously stopped and the sun came out briefly as we visited the Edinburgh University one in George Square gardens which was designed by Di Williams our guide.

It is a medieval eleven circuit labyrinth, a replica of the one in Chartres Cathedral in France. The centre space is shaped like the rose window in that church.

Before we parted, we were shown how to design our own labyrinth.
I can't wait to visit a beach and try out my design in sand or with pebbles or shells.