i was reading a book and came across this very nice description of a labyrinth.
years ago i studied labyrinths and understood them in an intuitive level but never did i come across a description as eloquent as this.

a labyrinth is not a maze, it is a journey. you begin by facing your desire, whether it is to find yourself, jerusalem, or enlightenment, and you follow a path of knowledge. once committed you cannot leave that path. sometimes it is direct and your destination is clear before you. at other times it leads you to the side, and this is a time for reflection and discovery of wider perspectives. sometimes that is a dark night of the soul, a time of severe testing when you closest companion is despair. but always the path of the labyrinth turns again. it approaches the point from which you began, but it is a new point and a new departure. and eventually by being persistent you will find your way to your hearts desire.