Editing Labyrinth (section)

=== Cultural meanings ===
[[Prehistoric]] labyrinths may have served as traps for malevolent spirits or as paths for ritual dances.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}} Many Roman and Christian labyrinths appear at the entrances of buildings, suggesting that they may have served a similar [[wikt:apotropaic|apotropaic]] purpose.<ref>Ruth Mellinkoff, ''Averting Demons'', 2004, Vol. 2, p. 164.</ref> In their cross-cultural study of signs and symbols, ''Patterns that Connect'', [[Carl Schuster]] and [[Edmund Snow Carpenter|Edmund Carpenter]] present various forms of the labyrinth and suggest various possible meanings, including not only a sacred path to the home of a sacred ancestor, but also, perhaps, a representation of the ancestor him/herself: "...many [New World] Indians who make the labyrinth regard it as a sacred symbol, a beneficial ancestor, a deity. In this they may be preserving its original meaning: the ultimate ancestor, here evoked by two continuous lines joining its twelve primary joints."<ref name="Schuster 1996 307">
{{cite book|last=Schuster|first=Carl, & Edmund Carpenter|title=Patterns that Connect: Social Symbolism in Ancient & Tribal Art|year=1996|publisher=Harry N. Abrams|isbn=978-0-8109-6326-9|page=307}}
</ref> Schuster also observes the common theme of the labyrinth being a refuge for a trickster; in India, the demon [[Ravana]] has dominion over labyrinths, the trickster Djonaha lives in a labyrinth according to Sumatran [[Batak]]s, and Europeans say it is the home of a rogue.<ref name="Schuster 1996 307"/>

One can think of labyrinths as symbolic of [[pilgrimage]]: people walking the path ascend toward salvation or enlightenment. Mystical teachings in traditions across centuries suggest that they can also be understood as coded maps of the spiritual path.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bair |first=Puran and Susanna |title=Follow Your Heart: The Map to Illumination |publisher=Living Heart Media |year=2011 |isbn=978-0983303800 |pages=9–13 |language=English}}</ref>

Many labyrinths have been constructed recently in churches, hospitals, and parks. These are often used for contemplation; walking among the turnings, one loses track of direction and of the outside world, and thus quiets the mind.