[Woodcarver] Geometry question for the group

[Victor Hamburger]

harry hadadi wrote:
>  
> when i go in to a labyrinth i always keep my right hand against the 
> right side, never got lost so far.
> as for the lay out of a 13 point star i never heard of it, is there a 
> reason or porpose they did that for?

Hi Harry,

Well, you shouldn't get lost keeping your right hand against the wall, as the 
labyrinth is laid out as a single path, allowing your to flow thru along the 
walk without concentrating on where you are going.  This is all discussed in a 
book by Dr Lauren Artress, "Walking the Sacred Path".  It speaks of the more 
mystical side of walking a labyrinth as a spiritual journey.  It blends a great 
many ideas from different religions into both the layout and the journey itself 
of the labyrinth.  The fact it is laid out on the floor of ancient cathedrals 
speaks to the designers knowing some of the same truths about meditation that 
were known and practiced around the world.  BTW, if you laid the great Rose 
window of the Chartres cathedral down on the floor, the rose window would match 
up exactly with the labyrinth.  It is designs like this that I find facinating 
with the use of geometry and simple tools!

The 13 point star, when all the arms are connected, is the only way to lay out 
the 6 petal flower pattern in the center while leaving room for the pathway into 
the center. It is invisible in the actual labyrinth, but critical to the design 
and layout of the pattern.  BTW, 13 was a sacred number to many people, being 
the number of diciples and Christ together.

	Best,  Vic H