Ely’s Labyrinth on the 39th Parallel

By Nancy Riedell

Tucked away in the Ely Renaissance Society Sculpture Park on Aultman Street, is a labyrinth designed by artist Sarah Sweetwater. This labyrinth is designed to be used for meditation and healing purposes when walking the path.

The labyrinth was built by the Prisoner Honor Camp Crew of the Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF). These prisoners were so taken by this design that once they were out of prison, they brought their families to it so their families could experience the meditation and healing properties of the labyrinth.

Prehistoric labyrinths have served as traps for malevolent spirits or as paths for ritual dances. Many Roman and Christian labyrinths appear at the entrances of buildings, suggesting that they may have served a similar apotropaic purpose (having the power to avert evil influences or bad luck).

In the book, Patterns That Connect: Social Symbolism in Ancient & Tribal Art, authors Carl Schuster and Edmund Carpenter present various forms of the labyrinth and suggest various possible meanings. One meaning includes not only a sacred path to the home of a sacred ancestor, but also, a representation of that ancestor. To quote,

“…Many Native Americans regard a labyrinth 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.”

Schuster also observes the common theme of the labyrinth is being a refuge for a trickster.

For example:

• In India, the demon Ravana has dominion over labyrinths,
• The trickster, Djonaha, lives in a labyrinth according to Sumatran Bataks, and
• Europeans say it is the home of a rogue.

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.

Labyrinths are often used for contemplation; walking among the turnings, one loses track of direction and of the outside world, and thus quiets the mind.

It is important to note that the labyrinth in Ely is on the 39th parallel. The 39th parallel is a circle of latitude that is 39 degrees north of the Earth’s equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean.

At this latitude the sun is visible for 14 hours, 54 minutes during the summer solstice and 9 hours, 26 minutes during the winter solstice.