The most commonly-found style of labyrinth is a seven-circuit or Cretan labyrinth, and can take a round or square form. It is defined as having seven paths and eight walls, and when you look down on the shape from above, it mirrors itself left-to-right (bilaterally). For this design to be large enough for more than one person to walk it at once, it needs to be laid out in an area covering 40ft. to 45 ft in diameter. What makes a labyrinth different than a maze is that labyrinths have one walking path, while a maze will have multiple pathways, most of which switchback and turn into dead-end, thus obscuring the true path to the center. A labryinth has just that one path to its core.

The Romans were the first culture to embrace the labyrinth and they were fond of executing them indoors, crafting them from floor tiles.  They expanded beyond simple shapes and explored styles such as the spiral and the meander.  During the ninth and tenth centuries, labyrinths came into vogue in Europe, and began to be created and walked in context with Christian belief systems.  Some of this was due to the Church working to absorb and assimilate Pagan beliefs in order to draw more worshippers.   One of the most famous labyrinths in the world is found at Chartres Cathedral in France.  The elaborate design on the cathedral floor was created c. 1205 and is one of the cornerstones of modern labyrinth design to this day.

The process of walking a labyrinth and what it symbolizes varies with different belief systems. Here is a general interpretation that can work for many people curious to give walking a labyrinth a try.

• Before you begin, take a few moments to calm and clear your mind. As you start walking on the labyrinth path, think about a simple, solitary question for which you wish you could get an answer. Some people prefer to have their question firmly in mind before they start walking, others let the question arise as they step onto the path.
  

• Arriving in the center, stay focused and see if any new thoughts or revelations pop into your mind. This space is where one is supposed to be able to receive advice or an answer. Some people stand when they get to the center and others prefer to kneel down, but either way, stand in the center in a meditative state until you feel a sense of "being done.
  

• To leave the labyrinth, you reverse your path and walk back out the same way you entered. This stage of the walk is when one should ponder the information received in the center and consider how to integrate that information into daily life or practice. Some people offer prayers of thanks as they leave the sacred space.
  

For some labyrinth practices, multiple walks are taken as a complex matter is pondered in smaller pieces, or if a clear answer doesn't arise right away. For larger labyrinths where multiple persons can enter and exit at the same time, keeping a meditative focus and not talking is helpful for addressing your own issues and blocking out distractions.

There are many different ways and means to create a labyrinth.  Careful research will let you know which method is best for your physical abilities and budget.

Turf-scraped - The design of the labyrinth is scraped on the ground, creating a very subtle trench. The extra material collected is deposited outside the scraped lines to build up the mounds.

Stone-marked - Pebbles or stones used to mark the path of the labyrinth. Can be combined with turf-scraping if desired.

Embossed Path - the labyrinth path and surrounding surface are the same texture and material but some sort of patterning made on the surface denotes the labyrinth.

Raised Path - Most often a solid brick or stone path set into a softer surface.