The 3 circuit Chartres Labyrinth (the "Petite Chartres")

July 05, 2018

The 3 circuit Chartres Labyrinth (the "Petite Chartres")

Inspired by a blog post on blogmymaze about how-to-make-a-3-circuit-chartres-labyrinth/ I became obsessed with developing a way to draw it in a parking lot with no erasing of lines and no measuring tape. After many hours I discovered a way to do it!

The solution has three elements:

1) The heart of the Chartres labyrinth is a classical labyrinth so it has a seed. Combine that seed with just two ÷ (divide signs) and you have it!

2) It is always easier to make a curved line when drawing next to another curved line. Start with a storm drain and always work your way out, layer by layer.

3) A labyrinth path should be the width of your own shoulders. Use your Gandalf magic everyone-shall-pass-through-my-labyrinth staff to make perfect seed lines in a bare parking lot.

When I discovered the process for drawing the Petite Chartres seed it was electric. I couldn't believe a classical labyrinth seed plus two divide signs would crack the petite Chartres code. Here is the process:

Step 1) Draw the pretty, symmetric classical labyrinth seed. Start with a happy storm drain. The first two lines are easy, use the outside edges of the happy storm drain to make your two starting X's. Use shoulder width measuring techniques to make a three shoulder width line on the left and a 2 shoulder width line on right:

Step 2) Make another 2 shoulder width line on the left but align the bottom of that line with the bottom of the long line.

Step 3) Add the dots one shoulder width away from the two short lines:

Step 4) Draw the first line evenly around the storm connecting 1 to 1:

Step 5) Now you know where to put the first divide sign. Place it at a 90 degree angle to the center and just touching line 1. The divide sign line is 2 shoulder widths long and each dot is one shoulder width away from the middle:

Step 6 ) Draw line 2:

Step 7) Now you know where to put the 2nd divide symbol. It goes just touching line 2 directly across from the entrance. It has the same dimensions as the first divide sign:

Congratulations! You've just made the seed for the petite Chartres. All the rest is literally connecting the dots. Remember to always draw one curved line just outside another. Don't go wandering off into the parking lot. That's why line 4 and line 7 are two separate lines. You have to work your way from the center outward. You can't draw line 7 until line 6 is drawn.

A labyrinth just isn't a Chartres labyrinth until it has six petals with crosses in the center. Here is a graphic of the real Chartres labyrinth. Notice the six petals with crosses in the middle and the decorative edge. Note how the two entrance lines extend into the center to help form the petals:

Find seven stones that won't roll and are small enough to fit into your 1 inch diameter magic staff.

Pick rocks that won't roll down the drain!

Working in a hot parking lot is always hard but bending over and crawling around on it to get the rocks placed exactly right is murder. Don't do that. :) Use the hollow end of your staff to scoot the rocks around until they are perfectly spaced. Take all the time you need.

Setting the first two stones is easy. The first two go on the sewer drain edge in a direct line from the two lines entering the center. The third is easy too. It goes exactly opposite the center entrance.

The remaining four rocks will need a little fiddling.

Use the open end of your staff to shuffle the rocks around.

After a little fiddling you'll get them evenly spaced.

Draw the petals freehand using the rocks as a guide.

Extend the two entrance lines to reach the two rocks.

Then start looping from rock to rock.

Six petals, just like Chartres!

Add little crosses, remove and thank the rocks.

Anyone looking at your labyrinth will immediately see the resemblance to the Chartres labyrinth.

For even more detail you can add the eyelashes around the edge. They're called "lunations". Now it REALLY looks like a Chartres labyrinth!

These pictures are from the very first one I drew! This process works.

Allow the earth to tell you where to draw the labyrinths. You don't need a measuring tape. The labyrinth path should be the width of YOUR shoulders. The spiritual energy of the earth is called gravity and it is ever present but we rarely listen to it. You can when drawing a labyrinth. If you need a line exactly three shoulder widths wide let the earth tell you where to draw.

stand next to the starting point of you line. Grow still and just breath. Relax your body and your grip on your staff. Hold it very softly, about one inch above the ground, and the earth will do something magical to it. It will use gravity to transform your staff into a plumb line pointing at the earth's center. The staff will point directly where you should draw your X. Lower your staff and make an X. This is exactly where the earth is telling to you mark. Repeat this process as many times as needed until you have a line 2, 3, or more shoulder widths long. Do the same thing when measuring one shoulder width away from the divide line to make the dots.