The Labyrinth
There’s a reason why this symbol is so powerful for me and my work.
Take a few moments and trace your finger through the labyrinth above (sorry for smudging your screen).
First off, notice how it’s not a spiral—there is no straight shot to the center in this particular labyrinth.
And finally, it’s not a maze—there are no dead-ends or wrong turns.
The labyrinth is an ancient, mysterious symbol representing transformation, spiritual contemplation, and the challenges of human life.
But it serves us in a more specific ways.
When we hit our midlife, we all want our new path to be a straight shot to fulfillment because that’s how we were raised in the plug-and-play first half of life. Our brains hate uncertainty, so it gives us things to do or be.
But life transitions aren’t like that. And our souls crave wholeness, not certainty.
So we lack traction to get going, lose momentum, and make mistakes. We expect the path to be a spiral, and when we get lost, we decide it’s to a maze we got lost in.
It’s neither.
True growth takes patience, creativity, and self-compassion.
You’re measuring success against the wrong expectation.
The midlife path is a labyrinth path.
Trace your finger again. You see right near the middle of your journey, you get just near enough to look like you’ll make it, then—nope, you’re moving outward again. How frustrating! How maddening!
This is one the reasons why this symbol has been around for thousands of years:
It’s not just a physical path, but a psychological one. As we walk it we must have faith that it will lead us to the center.
When you’re in a midlife transition, you begin losing parts of your old life and gaining parts of a new one. This comes with a whole host of powerful emotions as you deal with uncertainty.
The labyrinth path is how you deal with uncertainty by reminding you that as long as keep walking, you’ll get to the center.
In other words, don’t lose hope when you feel like you’re moving farther away from where you need to be, just keep walking it.
The path is a challenge to our resolve.
Even when your faith, your hope, your will, your energy, and even your own sanity sometimes seem gone, it's enough to just put one foot in front of the other and keep going.
But it also symbolizes something familiar to you…
It’s a hero’s journey. And you’ve already been on it—as a creative.
The thrill of the beginning, the mucky slog through the middle, the tests of nerves and faith, the setbacks, the battles of will—this is what it’s like creating!
And when you the find the treasure in the middle, you still have to struggle your way back out again to share it with the world.
You’ve been here before!
The message is simple: Keep Going!
Except this time, you’re not creating a work of art, you’re reconnecting with your true self.
This is why the labyrinth holds such a powerful energy, for me, my coaching, and now for you, if you accept it.
It’s not just a symbol, it’s a map, a challenge, and it’s a hero’s journey all rolled into one.
Walk your own true path and no one else’s. It’s one of the greatest most difficult adventures any one person can take.
And I know you’ll make it.