Sowing Seeds

I walk the square labyrinth, turning right angles at each corner. After completing three outer circuits, I enter the circular inner paths, walking four curved circuits before arriving in the center. Standing in the core of this labyrinth, I honor the eight directions—east, south, west, north, earth, sky, relations, and ancestors—and then begin my outward journey.

A seed pattern for creating a labyrinth determines the number of circuits (or paths) that encircle the center. It also determines the general shape of the labyrinth, often oval or circular. The shape, however, can be modified in ways that yield fun and

complex designs. For example, a simple

4-circuit labyrinth becomes a spiral galaxy when curved lines are added to the third circuit. Similarly, a hand-shaped labyrinth can be made by adding straight lines for fingers and thumb, and a spider labyrinth can be made by adding more body parts, such as the cephalothorax,

legs, and palps.

While most labyrinths I make do not use a seed pattern, I have created labyrinth designs that, in turn, become the seed for a series of labyrinths. The circle in square labyrinth, described in the opening passage, is a 7-circuit labyrinth that gave rise to two additional labyrinths—the starburst and starburst flower.

I enjoy the progression of this series from the simplicity of the circle and square shapes to the elaboration of an eight-pointed star (starburst) and, finally, in the creation of the curving petals of a flower. Delightfully so, the core of the starburst flower reminds me of the stigma, style, and stamen of an actual flower. While walking this labyrinth, one might imagine themselves as a bee on a journey to the center of the flower or as a grain of pollen on its way to the stigma, where it initiates the development of seeds and fruit.

I love the way seemingly inorganic shapes of the circle in square labyrinth morph into a starburst (like a star going supernova), and then transform into the starburst flower, an organic shape that reflects the beauty and biology of a flower. To me, this labyrinth series is a cosmological trinity that conveys the evolution of our universe from simple particles to complex forms of life.

For all that is,