Confusion, wandering, isolation, darkness, disorientation—all evoke the labyrinth, a complex network of paths in which it is difficult to find one’s way out. Or do they? The labyrinth’s original meaning has been entirely distorted, which is only to be expected from such a perplexing symbol.
Today, the labyrinth is found everywhere: in architecture, art, books, movies, and games. The labyrinth is an archetype, a primordial image that dates back to the Bronze Age (around 2500 to 2000 BC), making it one of the oldest symbols. The archetypal image of the labyrinth fundamentally expresses the path of life, full of dark corners and unexpected turns. If we overcome them, we are transformed and enlightened – if not, we become disoriented and find life meaningless.
The labyrinth is an archetype, a primordial image that dates back to the Bronze Age (around 2500 to 2000 BC), making it one of the oldest symbols. It encompasses various images: the path of life, the Earth Mother, birth, dance, warding off evil, initiation, liminality, the descent into the underworld, symbolic death and rebirth, the journey to the Self, the alchemical Great Work and the pilgrim’s spiritual journey.
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⌛ Timestamps
(0:00) Introduction
(1:55) The Labyrinth as The Path of Life
(3:26) The Classical or Archetypal Labyrinth
(4:19) Labyrinth of Egypt
(5:03) The Labyrinth and The Maze
(9:18) Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom
(11:24) Time is a Labyrinth
(12:25) The Labyrinth and The Minotaur
(17:25) The Origins of The Mythical Labyrinth
(19:52) Archetypal Symbolism of The Labyrinth
(24:42) The Labyrinth: Descent into Hell
(28:03) The Labyrinth and Alchemy
(30:56) The Journey to The Centre (The Self)
(32:34) From Earth to Heaven to Earth
(34:16) The Medieval Labyrinth: Spiritual Journey
(35:15) The Labyrinth as The Pilgrim’s Journey
(39:25) Conclusion
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📚 Recommended Reading
▶ Through the labyrinth: designs and meanings over 5,000 years - Hermann Kern
https://amzn.to/4e5WAW1
▶ Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart - John Amos Comenius
https://amzn.to/4dWV0WV
▶ Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings - Jorge Luis Borges
https://amzn.to/3Z2LCvW
▶ Pilgrim’s Progress - John Bunyan
https://amzn.to/3yZl9VK
▶ The Divine Comedy: Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso - Dante Alighieri
https://amzn.to/3zkiHZQ
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▶ https://amzn.to/332zPzN
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