Labyrinths and Pilgrimage
Last month a friend of mine died unexpectedly. Jim Bailey was a 'life to the full' kind of person, gifted in many and diverse ways, an inspiration to all who knew him. Jim set up a website and ran a business that involved walking. Its name was almost the same as this one: Pilgrim Paths. Jim's passion was labyrinths. He designed them, produced resources, walked them. Above all, he insisted to everyone he met how important and valuable it was for soul and spirit to walk labyrinths,
A labyrinth is a one-way path which twists and turns as you make your way from the entrance into the centre. You can't get lost, provided you stay on the path and are not tempted to step outside. But along the way you find yourself being taken in unexpected directions, and the walk provides an opportunity to reflect on the journey of one's life. Maybe a fresh insight is gained, or a problem or issue is pondered and addressed.
A labyrinth is a pilgrimage in miniature. Instead of several miles, you walk a few tens of metres. Instead of a day or more, it might take you half an hour of slow walking at the most. But it enables many of the same interior processes which walking a pilgrimage elicits.
Indeed at many pilgrimage destinations you may well find a labyrinth. The best known is that in the Medieval Cathedral of Chartres in France, marked out in stones on the floor. Pilgrims would arrive at the Cathedral after their challenging journey and then complete it by walking the labyrinth. This provided an opportunity to reflect upon the journey they had just made, what they had learned, to reinforce the interior work of the pilgrimage.
Some of the pilgrimages I lead either start or finish with a labyrinth. Just as I like to walk longer distances, I also love labyrinth walking. I find that the intentional, slow, deliberate reflective walk in a labyrinth frequently opens up a fresh insight, emotion or decision. Sometimes I can find myself unexpectedly in tears or ecstatic joy. Sometimes I see something of myself in a new and deeper way. Sometimes I receive a precious gift from God. Sometimes it's just quiet and peaceful. But always, every time, there's something.
A labyrinth is a mini-pilgrimage and its benefit is that it's much more accessible. You don't have to be physically fit. You don't have to have time or money to undertake one. You can follow a labyrinth in your own home. Just print one out and trace it with your finger. You can create your own labyrinth in your garden from stones or leaves. You can mark one out in the ground or the sand of a beach with a stick.
I commend labyrinth walking. Give it a try. See what happens. Become a follower of these pilgrim paths.
Paul Revill
February 2026