I read Neil Gaiman’s “A Lunar Labyrinth,” from Trigger Warning, on World Labyrinth Day. World Labyrinth day occurs each year on May the 2nd.
I had no idea.
For me, a very good short story has the power to hang on. Not like a monkey on my back, but as a whispered side conversation I only realize is there when the day begins to drone. If the story is very, very good; it’s a new sieve to parse the world through. “A Lunar Labyrinth” is just that good. (As is the rest of the volume, but let’s save that for another day.)
“It’s probably easier now than it was when the bushes were high. It’s a chance. Otherwise, the labyrinth gets to cure you of all that ails you. “
I had post serendipity. Postipity? Poserentipity? when a Facebook conversation with friends began around The Labyrinth Revival. BTW: there is a World Wide Labyrinth Locator! BTW: there are 2 pages of results for locations with labyrinths to visit within 100 miles of Nashville! BTW: there’s a Labyrinth 5k! BTW, my friends have been holding out on this labyrinthine knowledge of their’s.
One friend suggested my sons, both on the Autism Spectrum with various (ADHD, OCD) and sundry (sensitivity to light, noise, crowds) perspectives, might feel some stress relief walking a labyrinth. I thought this idea had potential.
And meanwhile, the whispering side conversation added some ingredients…
We talk a lot about super heroes at my house. With a teen and a tween guy, who love their video games and comic books and Brandon Sanderson, it’s a regular topic of conversation. Okay, it may also be that mom adores Dr. Who, SciFi, and the Muppets. We talk about trigger warnings a lot, too. Mostly, how to tell other people which ones we own before they start blaring.
What was the response to my suggestion that we take a few summer trips to visit labyrinths?
“Yeah, mom.”
“Sure. Sure. We can go.”
“…you know we are in them all the time, though, right?”
“Yeah, mom. All the best games and stories ARE labyrinths.”
Ah. Maybe I didn’t need the courage to put on the cape. I needed a reminder I’m already in the labyrinth. Of course,
“(I’ll) have to run.”
Δ
The Labyrinth Revival. The Atlantic.
The World Wide Labyrinth Locator. (There are 2 pages of results within 100 miles of Nashville…)
Labyrinth Society Facebook page.
Labyrinth 5k. (Twitter.)