Publicity Pathfinders Time Out New York, October 21 2004, p51, By Marissa Lownestein Finding Zen within the travails of life in New York is a constant challenge. In our never-ending quest to tame tension, weıve turned to everything from traditional Eastern practices such a yoga and meditation to more New Agey activities like chakra balancing and gemstone therapy. The latest preoccupation for chill seekers is equally ancient and far-out: labyrinth walking. Though the trend is just emerging in NYC, labyrinths themselves are nothing new. The sacred, hand-built circular patterns have been around for more than 4,000 years and have been traced to ritual in the Native American, Celtic and Jewish cultures. These ancient labyrinths are not mazes: they have no walls, there are no directional choices to be made and no getting lost. Walkers follow one unbroken route to the center and take the same way out. Beyond what weıve gleaned from relics of the labyrinths themselves, little is known about the purpose of the prehistoric designs, thought most experts agree that they were originally created to induce introspection ­ whether about religious matters or nature. ³We donıt know much about the history of labyrinths, but one of the draws is an appreciation of the mystery," says Diana Carulli, an artist and labyrinth designer whoıs been studying their history for nearly ten years. The swirling patterns come in an array of sizes and shapes, but the two most popular labyrinth styles are the seven-circuit (a circuit in this context is a winding spiral) and the 11-circuit. Chartres Cathedral in France hosts one of the first known 11-circuit versions, which was installed in its stone floor in the 13th century. Experts in the growing field of labyrinth studies ­check www.labyrinthsociety.org for a peek into this subculture ­ believe that elderly religious pilgrims circled the Chartres labyrinth as a substitute for the journey to Jerusalem they were unable to make. Today, more and more New Yorkers are using labyrinths as a walking meditation tool. Labyrinth-making in New York gained legitimacy in 2002, when artist Ariane Burgess was commissioned by the city to create a meditative space in acknowledgment of the first anniversary of September 11. Given just on month to develop and implement the idea, Burgess decided on a labyrinth design and turned to a secluded, densely planted spot in Battery Park to set down a seven-circuit brick-inlaid path. ³The goal was to create a place where New Yorkers could go to remember, reflect, honor and heal,² she says. Since the projectıs completion, hundreds of mourners, visitors and curious passersby have silently walked Burgessıs creation, enjoying the open views of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty while they introspect. ³The wonderful thing about labyrinths is that they create a space away from all the rushing, ³ says Burgess, who has also built three community labyrinths in the Bronx. ³My main focus is to create spaces where urban people can connect to nature.² Burgessıs labyrinths is just one of approximately 15 currently scattered throughout the five boroughs. Some are privately ovens, but most are open to the public free of charge, 24 hours a day. Though theyıre often obscured by Greenmarket vendors, Carulliıs Union Square labyrinths, designed in 1999, are probably the most heavily traveled in the city, weaving brightly painted paths through the north end of the square. The park hosts to of Carulliıs creations, an 11-circuit and seven-circuit, which twist across the rectangle of asphalt just below 17th Street between Broadway and Park Avenue South. The bustle of a public park may not seem the ideal location chill out, but Carulli says the choice to produce labyrinths in such a highly foot-trafficked space was intentional. ³Rather then just hurrying to get from point A to point B, [being on the labyrinth] gives you pause,² she says. Carulli also built an extra concentration-forming facet into the Union Square spots: Instead of staying within an outlined path, walkers must keep the curving line between their feet. ³It helps people focus,² she says. ³It starts them turning inside to their own senses.² The 58-year-old professional artist and lifelong New Yorker became intrigued by labyrinthine design in the early 1990ıs, after walking one in San Francisco. ³One of the things that drew me is as an artist was that you have all this room for interpretation and your only requirement is that is has to be one line and it has to follow a path,² she says. As a member of the Union Square Community Coalition (a grassroots organization focused on improving public land), Carulli was also interested in the utility of the labyrinth: ³Theyıre a way to take advantage of and increase the functionality of space ­ something we donıt have enough of in New York.² To date, she has created five in the city and is in discussions to build an additional pavement installation in Union Square. While many people who use labyrinths are looking for purported spiritual benefits, most simply find them a great stress-busting tool. They require virtually no skill or commitment. The only rule is that you stay within the boundaries of the path ­ which can be drawn on the ground (or a piece of canvas, then spread out like a Twister board) or laid out with stones or other markers. Walking the swirling designs usually takes no more than 15 minutes and can be done in any fashion ­ slowly, quickly, on one foot, backward. Asphalt labyrinths are particularly good for rollerblading or biking. Tracing the labyrinth often feels like nothing more than moving in a circle, but facilitators (enthusiasts who lead walking tours, often by given spoken meditation instruction) believer that this monotonous winding occupies the right side of the baring, creating a calming state that allows the left side to work out subconscious clutter ­ neuroses, insecurities anxieties. Labyrinths experts and walk facilitators also recommend that travelers pose a question before entering, wait in the center for guidance or intuition, and then process the information as the exit via the same path. ³A labyrinth can be anything you want it to be,² says Elisabeth McGowan a New York artist who designs portable canvas labyrinths and facilitates walks in schools and corporations. ³In the city, weıre seeing them become a wonderful way to take time out and release stress, fear and grief.² For New Yorkers especially, walking a labyrinth may work more effectively than standard sit-in-lotus position meditation. The sacred spirals force people to slow down without screeching to a halt. ³Itıs hard to go from running to sitting still ­ the labyrinth is a transition,² McGowan says. ³Itıs an easier way to meditate.² But donıt plan on any alone time in a public labyrinth. Just like with the subway, people are often getting on at the same time your are. Nevertheless, ³it helps people practice holding focus, learn to challenge that focus and create calm in a public space,² says Carulli. And thatıs a skill we can take anywhere.