Mazes and Labyrinths, Chartres, France. Out behind Chartres Cathedral, looking over a massive wall I discovered a maze cut into the lawn.

Labyrinths and mazes are different things that are often confused, even more so here at Chartres, where in addition to this maze you can find probably the most famous Labyrinth in the world, tiled into the floor of the cathedral, dating back to 1200 AD.

To clear up the confusion:

"A maze is like a puzzle to be solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It is a left brain task that requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct path into the maze and out."

"A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. The way in is the way out. There are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and out again."

"A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools." (For a lot more about Labyrinths, including the one at Chartres, check out this site.)