Walking the Labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral

Walking the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral is a really wonderful mystical experience for those open to connecting to their soul path.   I made it my sole purpose of going there to walk and spend the night to take in their famous light festival.   I wanted to share my rather strange, unsettling and spiritual experience.

It is only about an hour’s drive south of Paris, and I decided on taking the small country roads, instead of the larger toll one, fearing getting caught in the massive wave of traffic of August vacationers.

I had been several times before, but never on Fridays when the nave of the church is cleared so the labyrinth can be walked.  As in all things in life, there is timing that we are never fully aware of.

Chartres cathedral is considered the most complete, the most preserved and the most representative of all Gothic cathedrals in the world.  Besides being huge and majestically resplendent in all ways, it is also a mind-blowing testimony to the tremendous skills and devotion of these ancient masons who lavishly and with much devotion constructed her in only about  26 years!

The actual cathedral was finished in 1160, and is the fifth cathedral to have built on that spot of sacred earth.  The first church of the roman era dated back before the fourth century and each were successively destroyed by fires.

Legend has it that the location was considered to have divine energy and was a place of worship by Druidic tribes who constructed a sacred well, that is still preserved today. Chartres Cathedral sits atop strong telluric or geomagnetic currents that flow under the surface of the earth below.

By 846, it was already a place of pilgrimage and study, in part from acquiring the Blessed Virgin’s tunic brought from the Holy Land.  Today millions come to revel in her myriad of beautiful stained glass windows and intricate carvings in stone with over 3,500 statues adorning her walls and choir.

Several miles before you reach Chartres, the breathtaking and majestic image of this stunning cathedral suddenly seems to just sprout into view.  Because the church occupies the highest part of the city; from afar it gives the illusion of being set in the middle of vast golden cream-colored wheat fields that stretch for miles.

I arrived at mid-afternoon and as soon as I came through the entrance, I was met with several instant contrasts. From the exceedingly bright sunlight, my eyes had to momentarily adjust to the prevailing dimness.

The immersion into the sudden refreshing coolness felt very welcome on my warm skin.  Then there was the subtle but recognizable change of energy that engulfed me.

The cathedral was already full of adoring tourists milling around as I spotted the labyrinth in all its splendor.    There are supposedly 270 to 272 stones to walk, representing the approximate length of human gestation.

I was surprised to see a fair amount of people in the process of walking the labyrinth, as well as several children, who unfortunately had parents allowing them to run along the lines for fun.

Determined to not let this disturb my own experience, I started off in earnest, initially quite aware of  their little voices of glee.  In a few minutes, they seemed to fade into the distance as my meditative trance took over.

I walked slow and deliberately as my mindfulness of the stones deepened.  Was I walking the path or were the stones walking me?  Somehow I felt propelled by another force than myself.

Soon there was only an awareness of the rhythm of my gait as my mind cleared into practically nothingness, broken only by a child and an occasional adult meeting me in the opposite.

I must confess I initially felt bothered by them, until it became apparent they represented life’s little distractions and frustrations that we are constantly presented with over a lifetime. I came to see the children too as a reminder of our innocence and playfulness that we lose during our lifetime.

In walking along those ancient colored stones, smoothed by the many feet who had walked before me, there nevertheless were some pock-marked and broken over time, and I thought of the brokenness we all feel sometimes in our life journey.

The sensation of timelessness also prevailed, as in a time warp, because I was unable to determine where I was in relation to the distance from the beginning to the end of the path that lead me into the center circle.

Arriving at the end of the path was almost anticlimactic and I felt myself wanting to go back to recapture the momentum of walking.  The center was surrounded by 6 cream-colored stones, with the seventh being the center representing the mysterious void from which we came from and into which we will proceed.

After a few moments of reflection, I made my way back to the beginning entrance and repeated the walk over and over as if I was being called to do so from a source within.

Was my soul trying to reveal another dimension of my path to come? Was my consciousness trying to seek more awareness?  Was I hoping to be able to obtain more information about my future life path?

Although I can not be sure of exactly where I was on the labyrinth path, there were times when I felt acute heart pain that startled me and was initially frightening.

As I approached the sharp curves of the path I sometimes felt tearful.  Somehow the labyrinth had leached out memories of painful events in my life and brought forth the sorrow within.

The labyrinth reminds us that life continues despite our losses,  misfortunes and setbacks.  We may very well carry our sorrow and grief like little knapsacks within the recess of our hearts, but the journey must continue.

Some sorrows and grief are too deep to be emptied of, but we have to nevertheless persist till the end.  

In walking the labyrinth I noticed my eyes focused on the stone ahead to stay on the path as if I had lost awareness from where I had been.  Another reminder that the past is gone and although we may carry scars,  we need to let it be. Our eyes should be on our present path into the future.

Eventually soothed and quieted by the momentum of the labyrinth, I left to explore again the intricate beauty nestled in every carving and glory of this magnificent place.  The stained glass windows filtered rainbow-colored hues of light that illuminated and pierced through the dimness.

Our Lady of the Pillars, one of the most beautifully dressed black madonnas, always beckons me for quiet prayer and reflection enveloping me with her maternal tenderness.   On the opposite side of the cathedral, one finds the tunic of Mother Mary Theotokos preserved in a lovely reliquary seen in the photo.

Venturing down into the crypt was even cooler and damp.  The crypt runs the entire length and width of the cathedral.  Besides the many little side chapels, there can be seen the original roman era remains of the church.

The druidic well that the cathedral was built upon gave off an eery feeling I can not describe.  Peering down into its depths I felt somewhat light-headed as in vertigo. The guide said it was 33.55 meters deep and was square at the bottom to mark to four corners of the world.

The other black madonna, Notre Dame de Sous Terre was there too but was a replica of the original statue that was destroyed during the revolution. The original one dated back to the first church and was even preceded by a  Druidic virgin that was destined to bring forth a child.

Upon exiting the crypt, the bright sun and heat brought me back to the present. I felt in need to heed the message so well engrained from the labyrinth, that life is a continuous journey to be lived with our eyes to the future.  As my pleasure-seeking compass chimed in, I headed over to an outdoor cafe to quench my thirst.

After downing a pitcher full of water, I ordered a flute of champagne to savor the moment at hand.  It was already around 6 pm and I had an hour or so before dinner reservations down by the river.

With the sun still high in the sky, I found myself again in total amazement just lazily gazing at this breathtaking work of mankind in front of my eyes, while slowly sipping the cold bubbly champagne. Certainly, one of life’s magnificent pleasures!

As the cathedral sits on the highest point, the lower part of Chartres cradles the river Eure winding around the medieval part of the old city.  After a lovely dinner of quail with apricots at the restaurant Les Feuillantines, which I recommend, I walked along the banks of the river waiting for the sun to go down.

With the shadows of evening turning into darkness, the spectacular light show began to come alive everywhere. Walking up the many steps back up to the cathedral, my eyes met the incredible beauty of colored lights and figures skillfully illuminating the walls of the cathedral.

The light show illuminating the front of the cathedral transformed it into something even more magical than it already is.  Choreographed with classical music in the background, the lights and figures danced in a kaleidoscope of changing colors of vivid reds and blues and all hues in between.

Mesmerizingly captive is an understatement of what I felt as I marveled through the majestic artistry of lights and sounds that seem to change the dimension to another time and space.

The labyrinth in Chartres can be seen as representative of an archetypal blueprint of our soul and life path that each one of us has embarked upon.  It reminds us of the continuity of life and that the path ahead will unfold as should be.

In seeking the path with hopes and optimism, I will find the next stone to follow effortlessly because it will present itself to me in due time.