Welcome aboard The Bus!
The Stop
Labyrinths are not mazes, despite the two words being generally synonymous. A labyrinth is a meandering, often unicursal (i.e., without branching or dead ends) single path that leads to its centre whereas mazes are ‘multicursal’ (i.e., with dead-ends and complex branching) paths designed to present a navigational challenge or puzzle.
Unlike a maze, the purpose of labyrinths is not to confuse the walker, but to serve as a form of purposeful relaxation and/or meditation.1 There is evidence of labyrinths existing for at least 4,000 years,2 and by the Middle Ages they had become a central feature in many European Roman Catholic Churches. The most famous of these can be found at Chartres Cathedral (about 90 miles outside of Paris). Built around 1200, believers walked it as a pilgrimage or journey to become closer to God3 - and it is still in use today. In fact, this labyrinth was so popular that its distinctive pattern has been frequently copied in other places.4
Recently, there has been a renewed interest in labyrinths5 following research into their psychological effects. Labyrinth walking enables ‘contemplation, reflection and transformation,’ and as such they have become effective emotional and spiritual support tools in ‘communities, churches, schools, parks, clubs, spas, spiritual retreats, and even prisons.’ Some hospitals have begun using them to support cancer treatments as they assist oncology patients in reaching a ‘contemplative and altered state of consciousness,’ and in Santa Fe, New Mexico ten primary schools built labyrinths on their grounds,‘resulting in calmer children and an increase in the ability to focus.’6
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to an article explaining how - for at least one thousand years - hands and fingers were used to remember data. A fascinating explanation - and I guarantee you’ve not considered your fingers and hands like this before, no matter how many notes and reminders you may have inked on them.
Handy Mnemonics: The Five-Fingered Memory Machine
The Book
Today’s book is Stephen King’s The Shining. Like many, you might be familiar with the story because of the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film, but please understand that the novel is very different - King himself notoriously disliked the film because of its departures from his book. Though the film is a true classic and excellent in itself, it’s important to remember that it’s Kubrick’s version of King’s story. And that’s basically a heady mix of anger, paranoia, alcoholism, marital issues, violence, wasp nests, supernatural possession and a debilitating snowstorm. Seriously - what’s not to like? Oh, and while there is a topiary maze in the film … it’s not in the book.
Review: The Guardian (Rereading Stephen King - The Shining)
Remember: You can buy The Shining at Amazon, but you can also get it from your local bookstore. And that’s better for everyone.
The Sounds
I really enjoyed putting this playlist together; it’s one of my favourite mixes so far. The Spiritualized track sets the tone and the two by Michael Kiwanuka are sublime. ‘Debra’ is in my opinion one of Beck’s best - a fantastic parody of the genre: when he sings, ‘I said, lady - step inside my Hyundai’ you know you’re in the hands of a master. The Labrinth track is excellent - and present, obviously, because of today’s Stop (plus, my daughter strongly suggested it). And then the best cover - ever - of a great GoGo’s song …. Enjoy!
As usual, feel free to shuffle or skip through, but please listen to it in order at least once as there is method to the mix!
The Question/Quotation
Today’s quotation comes from the French philosopher Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592):7
“Let us give Nature a chance; she knows her business better than we do.”
And that’s the end of this stop - I hope you enjoyed a brief diversion from your regular journey!
A sincere thank you to everyone who subscribes - I genuinely appreciate your interest and support. If you like The Bus, please SHARE it with a friend or several hundred.
If you haven’t climbed aboard, please do!
Until the next stop …
According to labyrinthsociety.org (yes, this is real) labyrinth walking produces ‘personal, psychological and spiritual transformation … [and evokes] metaphor, sacred geometry, spiritual pilgrimage, religious practice, mindfulness, environmental art, and community building.’ For a great article, see https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/walk-worlds-meditative-labyrinths-180957823/
For information about all things labyrinth, see: https://labyrinthos.net
The most famous labyrinth is probably the mythological one built by Daedalus for King Minos of Crete to imprison the half-man/half-bull Minotaur. A place of dread and doom, this is a very different portrayal of a labyrinth. But it’s a seriously cool story: https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Monsters/Minotaur/minotaur.html
The labyrinth was also walked for repentance: the penitent would ‘walk’ it on their knees.
There are many, many different labyrinth types and designs: https://labyrinthsociety.org/labyrinth-types
Though I haven’t sought out any labyrinths, I have walked at least three in the past few years: one while camping at Fintry Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada (https://www.fintry.ca/from-ancient-times-the-labyrinth/), one at the Lower Cape Fear Hospice and LifeCareCenter in Wilmington, NC where my grandmother was a patient (http://www.saltmagazinenc.com/a-slow-walk-into-the-soul), and the one at Davidson College, NC while passing through a few weeks ago. They’re certainly worth checking out and the very handy (if rather niche) labyrinthlocator.com website contains the locations of nearly 6000 labyrinths in over 85 countries. So, you better get started.
Montaigne was one of the greatest of the French Renaissance philosophers. We’ll be seeing a bit more of him, but a (very thorough) biography of him can be found here: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/montaigne/
At this point in the year, I could go for a long stroll in a Labyrinth, ideally the one created by Daedalus, but I’m not picky.
The vaguely retro bus logo and nuggets of new knowledge evoke the delightful experience of watching educational shows on Nickelodeon in the 1980’s.