By Cyrus Guccione
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A few times a week, Fountain Hills resident Beth Dyer can be found walking the labyrinth behind The Fountains United Methodist Church.

A self-proclaimed labyrinth enthusiast, Dyer has walked upwards of 80 labyrinths around the country and will soon take a trip to France to complete a labyrinth pilgrimage to become a full-fledged labyrinth facilitator.

Dyer’s enthusiasm began in 2008 when The Fountains installed its labyrinth. Since then, she has found herself walking the labyrinth as a meditative practice in one of the town’s best-kept secrets.

“It’s like having a park that nobody knows about,” Dyer said. “I think many people aren’t even aware that it’s here.”

When Dyer’s husband passed away in 2015, the labyrinth was used during his service, making the experience all the more meaningful for her.

As a retired global operations director for a large electronics company, Dyer would often travel for work. When her workday was done, Dyer would scour the Worldwide Labyrinth Locator and visit the nearest labyrinth in her area.

From the Berkshires of Massachusetts to the streets of New York City, Dyer has visited labyrinths in towns and cities throughout the country. One of her favorite labyrinths is located on the campus of her alma mater UC Santa Barbara.

“They have a beautiful labyrinth there that overlooks the ocean,” Dyer said. “It has a lot of really unique aspects to it and you can stand on it and look out and see the vistas that are really wonderful.”

As a Fountain Hills resident since 1996, Dyer has visited several Arizona labyrinths in Tucson, Sedona, Cave Creek and Phoenix. According to the Worldwide Labyrinth Locator, there are over 100 labyrinths in Arizona.

Labyrinth pilgrimage

In September, Dyer will travel to Chartres, France to become a labyrinth facilitator. It is there where the oldest labyrinth in France is located in the Cathédrale de Chartres, which was built from limestone in the early 13th century.

The pilgrimage will be led by Dr. Lauren Artress, an Episcopalian minister from Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Calif., who Dyer considers to be the “mother of modern-day labyrinths.”

Labyrinth history

Labyrinths have been around for millennia, dating back to a time when they were seen in ancient Greek and Roman hieroglyphics nearly 4,000 years ago.

“If you look up a definition in the dictionary, it will say a labyrinth is a maze,” Dyer said. “But truthfully, a labyrinth is not a maze. There’s only one way in and the same way out. There’s no getting lost in a labyrinth.”

To Dyer and many who follow the labyrinth facilitation protocols, the practice of walking a labyrinth mimics a pilgrimage of life. The entrance symbolizes the beginning of a pilgrimage and the release of any weight or burden on one’s heart.

The center symbolizes reaching a place of insight and an opening of oneself while the exit signifies a personal renewal and a time of reflection.

“It isn’t a religious practice, there isn’t a god related to the labyrinth…It’s just a different type of meditation than sitting and listening to a meditation app or sitting in silence,” Dyer said.

Throughout her labyrinth journey, Dyer’s enthusiasm has spread to others. While on a retreat in Costa Rica, Dyer helped facilitate a labyrinth walk by drawing one in the sand. When Dyer told her co-workers about her interest in labyrinths, a few of her team members in Sweden decided to go and visit one for themselves. 

Every May, The Fountains celebrates World Labyrinth Day which promotes peace around the world. Dyer hopes to soon hold a labyrinth event every quarter and is willing to host anyone interested in a guided labyrinth walk in Fountain Hills.

"I’m thrilled that Beth’s journey has her stepping into a tradition that, while unfamiliar to some, goes back 1,200 years — and that’s just in its Christian form," says The Fountains Pastor Rev. David Felten. "Beth is helping the whole community connect with the Labyrinth's rich history and benefits as a spiritual practice."  

For those new to labyrinths, Dyer says there’s no right or wrong way to walk them. She encourages all to approach them with an open and curious mind.

“We are all walking a path in this life and we’re all in different places on that path,” Dyer said. “To me, it represents the fact that we are all on the same path.”

The Fountains Labyrinth is open at all times and located at 15300 N. Fountain Hills Blvd. To locate a labyrinth in a particular area, visit labyrinthlocator.com.

To coordinate a labyrinth walk with Dyer, send her an email at beth.dyer@labyrinthsociety.org.

We invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Cyrus Guccione can be reached at cguccione@iniusa.org.