What direction should the entrance of the labyrinth face?
Gothic cathedrals are oriented east and west. Even if they aren’t, the far wall, opposite the entrance, is called the “east wall,” representing the direction of Jerusalem. Symbolically, one enters in the west, representing the setting sun, death and dying, this world, and proceeds towards the east, representing the rising sun, hope, light, and transformation. Hence, labyrinths in Gothic cathedrals, including Chartres, have the entrance facing towards the west, so that one enters walking towards the east. There are other labyrinth traditions, however. One is to find the orientation of the labyrinth through dowsing or some other intuitive method. Literally ask the earth. In Scandinavia, hundreds of labyrinths were built around the Baltic Sea, with the entrances facing towards the sea. This was probably so the fishermen who built them could go from the labyrinth directly to their ships. Another way to orient a labyrinth is to line it up so the vertical axis points towards a feature in the
