Directions to Make a Labyrinth
Few things are more rewarding than to create a labyrinth and walk it afterwards. The love and care that go into the building - and in the walking - add to the transformative benefits of the labyrinth.
This part of the website will teach you how to make your own labyrinth. Currently, we have just directions for the Masking Tape Chartres Labyrinth. In the future, we will be adding Baltic, Classical, and Concentric labyrinth directions as well as tips for use of materials and other information to help you in your labyrinth-building efforts.
10 Adding the Lunations
The circles forming the halo around the outside of the labyrinth are sometimes called lunations because they are believed to comprise a lunar calendar. With such a calendar, one can determine the date for Easter (the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox).
When making a labyrinth, the lunations take as much time as the rest of the labyrinth combined. Such small circles are almost impossible to make with tape. However, if you are energetic, you can make little lines that look like rays coming out of the labyrinth. The distance between the rays may be calculated by dividing the diameter of the labyrinth by 36. So, in our 36-foot example, the rays are placed every foot. Alternatively, you can calculate the circumference of the labyrinth and divide by 114. The circumference equals the diameter times pi (3.1416). So here's the calculation for our example: 36 x 3.1416 = slightly more than 113. Divided by 114 it equals 11 and 29/32 inches). You don't actually have 114 rays. One was removed for the entrance, leaving 113. The top-most ray lies right on the central axis.
The length of the rays is the same as the distance apart, which in this case is 12 inches. However, that includes the thickness of the line. So, if you are using three-inch tape, the rays are actually 12 minus 3, or nine inches. Cut a piece of cardboard three inches wide and twelve inches long, with a line across it at nine inches from the end. This will be your guide. Cut the tape so it is even on the end and a bit longer than nine inches (so it can lap onto the outer circle). Use the 12-inch piece of cardboard to mark the space between the rays. Then, turn it so that the line is at the edge of the circle and the cardboard sticks out nine inches. Slide it over so that it is beside the mark you made to locate the ray. This will show you where to put down the piece of tape you cut so that it is the right length. Just lay it right beside the cardboard.
The distance from the labyrinth entrance to the first ray on either side of the entrance is equal to one-half the distance between the rays. If the rays are one foot apart, the first rays would be six inches on either side of the entrance.