Chartres Labyrinth

In 2001 I visited Chartres, some 45 miles Southwest of Paris. Chartres has become in many ways a pilgrimage point for New Age Christians, and has a rich and fascinating history.

Many people have investigated the Sacred Geometry of Chartres. I decided to take a look at the Labyrinth, the meditational walk which is inscribed in the nave. This was installed in 1200.

The Chartres Labyrinth is probably the most famous labyrinth in the world. It is situated just inside the nave of Notre Dame de Chartres Cathedral, some 45 miles from Paris. Known as “Le Chemin de Jerusalém” or “The Road to Jerusalem", its circular design is based on a scheme of 11 circuits leading to its centre. Created in the year 1200 as the first step in the rebuilding of the Cathedral following a serious fire, it is the best preserved and largest surviving labyrinth from mediaeval times. The Chartres design is currently very popular and is now used all over the world, amongst religious groups of all denominations, as a form of individual/group meditation or spiritual exercise. A labyrinth is not a maze. In a maze there are dead ends and blind alleys- it is usually a puzzle to reach the centre. In a labyrinth there is only route which leads to the centre. Labyrinths throughout the world have had similar interpretations associated with going on a journey, and often they have had a ritual or ceremonial purpose which has been obscured by the passing of time. For the Christian the design inlaid in the pavement of the nave at Chartres represents the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. According to Malcolm Miller, the renowned historian of Chartres, this refers not to the earthly Jerusalem but to the heavenly one, for which the cathedral in its entirety is a symbol. My experience has led me to believe that the designers of structures likes Chartres used a sophisticated symbolic language. There are three levels to this- the manifest, the hidden and the symbolic. The first is the obvious (manifest) level and Chartres is an incredibly rich container of obvious symbols of all kinds and sizes, including sculptures, paintings and magnificent stained glass windows which seem to codify almost the entire old and new testament in a series of vignettes. The second level is the hidden level. This is the geometric basis for setting out the building, the windows, the vaults and so on and can be deduced by careful measurement and analysis. In my opinion, the designers did not leave anything to chance. They sought to include a justification, religious and rational, for every decision and therefore looked to the platonic forms of circle and square, cube and sphere. The last level is the symbolic, which cannot be proven beyond doubt. I looked for symbolism contained in the design of the labyrinth, which might shed light on the spiritual beliefs of the cathedral’s founders. This may in turn act as a key to the interpretation of the rest of the Cathedral, as the labyrinth was the first thing to be built of the new building. Symbols are principally in the form of significant numbers. Like all my adventures in sacred geometry, I found the journey to discover the meaning of the labyrinth thrilling and at times engrossing, moving and uplifting. When I look at something like this, I feel a great sense of connectedness to history and to something divine. I feel it is a pathway to expand my consciousness in ways which are not necessarily rational and might be termed visionary. So the first "vision" I had was that the 11 circuits were very important. Perhaps this was not accidental, however what significance could 11 have symbolically? I had been studying for some months introductory books to the ancient Jewish Kabbala, in an effort to understand this mystical approach to Judaism. The design of the labyrinth, with its 11 concentric circuits, on reflection, was extraodinarily reminiscent of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. The 11 Sephiroth or Spheres of the Tree of Life are usually depicted as separate spheres but they have also been described as containing each other as in the layers of an onion, which must be penetrated through meditation to reach the divine kernel at the centre. I have also seen diagrams showing the act of creation as a ray of light penetrating the 11 spheres to reach the point at the centre. See the top diagram shown below. Could the Chartres Labyrinth be nothing less than a Kabbalistic diagram depicting the Tree of Life? If so, what does the symbolism imply? Kabbalistic mysticism has been described as the esoteric mystical tradition of the West, and underpins both the Bible and ancient Hebraic mysticism. Like the Bible, it utilises geometry and numerology. To understand Kabbalistic Mysticism (and the Bible) it is essential to understand something of the Tree of Life. On depictions of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life there are 10 Sephiroth depicting attributes such as Judgement, Mercy and Wisdom and 1 Sephira representing Daath or Knowledge, the latter of which is sometimes described as hidden or occult. The above is one depiction. In addition there is the Ain Soph, which represents both the highest or absolute point of divine essence in the universe and also that within man which is the destination of the soul's quest. The Ain Sophis held to be unknowable and incapable of portrayal or description and therefore is not depicted on the Tree of Life itself. The Ain Soph may be represented by the unmarked Centre of the Labyrinth (12) surrounded by the 11 Spheres representing the 11 Sephiroth. If it is accepted that there is a strong similarity between the schema of the Sephiroth and that of the circuits of the Chartres Labyrinth, the question is how did this come about? Is there any evidence for a linkage between the Kabbalah and Chartres? In fact there is evidence, however this paper cannot go into the evidence in great detail. It is, however, widely accepted that aspects of the Kabbalistic tradition were and are a significant part of the practices of the Knight’s Templar and Freemasonry and it has also been established that there were strong linkages between Chartres Cathedral and the Knight’s Templar. Following the persecution of the Knight's Templar, it has been held that the traditions passed over into Freemasonry. The Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon, as the Knight’s Templar were originally known, rose to power in the 12th century, in the 80 or so years before the reconstruction of Chartres in 1200. In 1119, Hugo de Payens and eight other knights began protecting pilgrims on their way through the Holy Land. King Baldwin of Jerusalem gave them permission to set up their headquarters on the site of the Temple of Solomon - now known as the Temple Mount in modern Jerusalem. The Templars remained in relative obscurity during their first few years before receiving support from St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who was known as the “Venerable Socrates of Chartres Academy.” The linkages between the Templars and Chartres grew stronger from the mid-12th Century onwards. By the year 1200 the Knight’s Templar had become a very powerful organisation and they remained so for the next hundred years, before they were brutally suppressed by King Philip IV of France in 1307. The story of how the traditions of the Knight's Templar passed into Freemasonry has been eloquently written about elsewhere. Many books have been published on this theme such as the Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. If there was any truth in my recognition of the kabbalistic symbolism of the labyrinth, and if this was intentional, how did the designers come across the Kabbalah? This is a mystery and the answer is probably bound up in the research of the Knight’s Templar during their time in Jerusalem, particularly at the Temple of Solomon, and in the religious ferment of the times. As the Knight’s Templar were founded the Kabbalah (which means Tradition) was first being written down. At some point the Knight’s Templar may have absorbed the Hebraic mystical traditions and synchretised them with their Christian viewpoint. The outcome, following the suppression of the Templars, could well be said to be Freemasonry. And in terms of the labyrinth, it has been said that the architectural journey to the centre is at the heart of Freemasonry. So let us look further at the symbolic meanings of the numbers and forms of the labyrinth and of the kabbalistic tradition. It is known that the number 11 was highly significant to the Knight's Templar. The numbers 11, 22 and 33 are also known as Master Numbers in Kabbalistic numerology. There are 22 Connections between the different Sephiroth in the Tree of Life which are said to represent the 22 letters of the Hebrew Alphabet. The 10 Sephiroth (excluding Daath) + the 22 connections between the Sephiroth = 32 "Paths". The whole schema of the Paths is profoundly important to Kabbalistic mysticism and is described in the text known as the Sepher Yetzirah. Before leaving the notion of the 11 spheres behind it is interesting to note that, according to current scientific theory based on “superstrings”, there may well be 10 dimensions to the Cosmos- plus Time, making 11! The name for this theory is M, meaning the Mother of all theories, and it is a candidate for the unified field theory which was sought by Einstein throughout the later years of his life. There are 114 niches inscribed within the outer circle enclosing the labyrinth. Modern day practitioners using the labyrinth in private meditation often place a candle on each of the cusps in the centre, as well as one in each niche or lunation around the outside, requiring 121 candles - which is 11 x 11! In terms of numerology the number 121 in the lower canon is equal to the number of Jehoshua ha Meshiach, Hebraic for Jesus the Messiah, as set out by Gordon Strachan in Jesus the Master Builder. This might indicate that the builders of the cathedral may have been utilising the lower canon. This seems to have been intended symbolically. As symbols the candles on the internal cusps could have represented the 7 internal candlesticks of the soul, the 7 churches or the 7 stars held in the right hand of the Son of Man in Revelations. It is noteworthy that the traditional Jewish candlestick, the Menorah, has 7 candles . Kabbalistic mysticism holds the schema of the Sephiroth and the Ain Soph - the Tree of Life and the transcendent absolute - to be representative of both the cosmos as a whole - the macrocosm - and also the microcosm within each individual human being. This correspondence is often known by the shorthand “as above, so below.” The 7 lowest spheres or Sephiroth on the Tree of Life by this correspondence are held to be situated in the spine of the human body, just as the Hindu concept of the chakras situates 7 chakras between the root of the spine and the crown of the head. It is noteworthy that both Hindu and Hebraic mysticism give the chakras/sephiroth colour, luminosity, and residing images, as well as letters and sounds. These aspects of the chakras/sephiroth are utilised in meditation and spiritual practice. It should be noted that the final section of the pathway of the labyrinth moves from the 7th circuit to the 12th, possibly representing the Ain Soph. This may not be an accident. It may perhaps be symbolising that the way to connect to the divine potential within man is through the 7th chakra. This is otherwise known as the ascending lightning flash on the Tree of Life, and in Hindu terms as the rising of kundalini. "I saw heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." Both Hindu and Kabbalistic mysticism hold that there are several "chakras" beyond the body, in the astral or etheric body of man. Once all the chakras are clear, the soul becomes united with its source. "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." Revelation 3.21 The labyrinth is an extremely popular meditation tool, and has been exported all over the world in the form of painted, pavement, hedge and even canvas labyrinths! When people use the labyrinth in meditation the internal niches are generally used as places for people to stand or sit in after they have arrived at the centre to extend their period of meditation. There is therefore practically room for 7 people at any one time, including the space for one person standing or seated in the very centre of the Labyrinth. This highlights once again the significant number 7, a symbol of the internal quest. In private use groups are more likely to use the centre of the labyrinth for seated meditation. This is very difficult in the middle of a crowded cathedral open to the public- with people crossing to and fro over the labyrinth itself! If the labyrinth was designed as a diagram of the Tree of Life, is it not highly likely that a meditational system would have been taught in conjunction with the labyrinth? The aim of Kabbalistic mystical meditation, was to "ascend the Tree of Life" through meditation on the numbers, names, forms and attributes of the spheres. Clues as to the nature of the meditational practices might be found in the Zohar, the "Book of Splendour" and the Sepher Yetzirah, two of the earliest written Kabbalistic texts. Remember that Kabbalah means "tradition" and it is said that the oral tradition was handed on over thousands of years. References to Kabbalistic mysticism can be found in much of the Bible, but it is not readily understood. What about the size of the labyrinth? The first question that had to be asked is what unit of measurement was being used. Fortunately, previous work by Painton Cowen ("Rose Windows") on Chartres has demonstrated that it likely that the designers used the roman foot. Remember that different "layers"of symbolism may be going on at once? Perhaps the significant measurement was not the actual diameter of the labyrinth but the diameter of the "hidden" geometry. Certainly the actual diameter did not appear to be significant. The lunations were measured and found to be 3 roman feet in diameter if they were complete circles. After further investigation it was found that the diameter of the circle which just circumscribes all the lunations is exactly 44 roman feet- exactly the same diameter as the great West Rose Window over the entrance!!! A multiple of the number 11 again- surely proof once again that these numbers were not accidental but were intended to be symbolic! Note the circle which traces out the outer circles of the niches. This is exactly 44 roman feet in diameter, precisely the same diameter as the great West Rose overlooking the Labyrinth. The distance between the centre of the Chartres Labyrinth to the West door is the same as that between the foot of the West door and the centre of the West Rose above it, thus forming a right-angled triangle with two equal sides where the hypotenuse is the distance between the centre of the rose and the centre of the labyrinth. What is that distance? As far as I am aware no-one has worked this out before! From the calculations I have done I believe it may well be 44 roman feet too! Certainly it is close to this value, but further research would have to be carried out to establish the exact measurement with any certainty. It has been reported by Templar scholars that the number 11 was highly significant to the Templars and represented Intuition or Enlightenment. It is also said that to the Templars 22 represented the number of the Master Builder and 33 represented Christ Light. Christ is said to have died in his 33rd year. So the fact that the labyrinth has 11 circuits, a radius of 22 feet, a diameter of 44 feet, and is designed for 121 candles- i.e. 11 x 11, surely leaves no doubt as to the significant symbolism involved? At this point I think it is clearly established that the evidence is there for a link between the labyrinth and the kabbala. What else can be said about the design? The Sepher Yetzirah is one of the earliest Kabbalistic texts and is a description of the 32 Paths by which God created the Universe, or more precisely the 32 emanations of God. This equates to the 10 numbers and the 10 Sephiroth added to the 22 connections between the Sephiroth and/or the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. 10 + 22 = 32. If the labyrinth is definitely a diagram of the Tree of Life, the number 32 or 33 would almost certainly feature prominently. The hunt was on to find it. After a lot of meditation on the design, I noticed at last that there are 32 changes of level on the journey through the Labyrinth, where a change is taken as any “jump” or connection between levels. The Central Point could be said to represent the 33rd point or destination. Or, looking at it another way, there were 33 paths. It is appealing to my mind that the Templars may have taken the extant Kabbalistic tradition of the 32 paths and turned it in a specifically Christian direction. The Labyrinth may therefore symbolise the fact that to the Templars the Christ Light is equivalent to the Ain Soph - the Heart of the Christian Revelation that God and Christ are One and that we may also partake through Christ in the mystery of resurrection into a state of Unity with Him. Furthermore that God has come down from the unknowable heights to become flesh and blood as one of us. It also possibly symbolises the fact that Christ's Light is the object of the soul on its journey. 10 + 32 + 1 = 33. Is it possible that the Templars took the idea of the 32 paths and added one representing Christ as God made flesh? By highlighting the number 33, were the inspired artists of the Labyrinth stating that Christ was the Messiah, representing the emanation of the Ain Soph, the fulfilment of the Kabbalah and the Jewish religion? Is all this not too far fetched? I felt I was going too far with my speculation until I started researching the existing Freemasonry traditions.What may at first seem far-fetched becomes less so when one examines the living traditions of Freemasonry. And here it all becomes a bit clearer. Here the official banner of the Scottish Rite Freemasons is encircled by serpents, double-headed eagles, the Templar cross and a phoenix rising from the ashes. In the centre is the number 32 inscribed within a pyramid. This represents the 32 degrees of initiation within the Scottish Rite! As there are 32 changes in direction or “jumps” between levels, there are 33 paths to the centre of the labyrinth. By adding One to the 32 paths of the Sepher Yetzirah to produce 33, the designers of the labyrinth may have been calling attention to Christ, for this is the reputed age of Christ when he was crucified and Christ is seen by Christians as the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets. Alternatively, the designers mave have been adding 1 representing Daath, knowledge, which is the hidden 11th Sephiroth, or 1 representing God. We have discussed the importance of the number 32, however 33 is also an extremely important number to Scottish Rite Freemasons, whose doctrines and rites are acknowledged to be based on the Kabbalistic tradition handed on through the Knight's Templar. Indeed they still have a branch known as the Knight’s Templars. In Scottish Rite Freemasonry, the number 32 has already been shown to be important. The 32nd degree of initiation is the last which is formally written down. However, there are in fact a total of 33 degrees of initiation for Scottish Rite Freemasons. The 33rd degree is reserved for the most deserving of candidates, and this is conferred on one or two recipients in a secret ceremony once a year. The official banner of the Supreme Council, 33rd degree, of Scottish Rite Freemasonry is shown below. Significantly, the number 33 is at the top, supreme, inscribed in a luminous pyramid of light. The importance of these numbers is revealed by the fact that the Headquarters of the Supreme Council, 33rd. degree, Southern Jurisdiction is in Washington DC. This is contained in a temple with 33 columns, each 33 feet tall. There are 33 members of the Supreme Council! What a strange journey of discovery! By looking at the symbolic meaning of the geometry and numerology of the labyrinth we have uncovered relationships between Chartres, the Knight's Templar and modern Freemasonry which could not have been guessed at before! What else is waiting to be discovered in Chartres?