The Psychological Labyrinth at Owl Creek Bridge, Yellow Wallpaper and Garden of Forking Paths For millennia, the labyrinth has been used as a sacred tool for spiritual enlightenment. Sometimes called a "divine imprint" due to its prevalence combined with its unknown origin, the labyrinth provides a "transcendent experience of connection and clarity" ("What is a Labyrinth") through the act of navigating the winding paths until at its center. Unlike a labyrinth, which has dead ends and misleading turns, the labyrinth has only one path leading to and from the center; the principle of the labyrinth is such that a person must pass through every centimeter of space before reaching his goal. In this way, the labyrinth subverts the logical aspect of the (normally dominant) mind and allows the individual to enter a state of mental calm, allowing him to experience the spiritual benefits of a sort of walking meditation. Probably the most famous historical labyrinth is the one built by Daedalus to house the Minotaur in classical mythology. In that case, according to Ovid, Daedalus "built a house in which he confused the usual passages and deceived the eye with a contrasting labyrinth of various wandering paths ("Ariadne's Thread"). There is no mention of a specific form for this" house, "but traditionally most of these labyrinths were made in a circular formation. Another famous labyrinth is embedded in the floor of Chartres Cathedral; the fact that the same design was found on coins minted at Knossos gives rise to the theory that it could be connected to the labyrinth of Daedalus and the Mi...... at the center of the card......Garden of forking paths.» The Story and Its Writer. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1391-1392. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Boston". : Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1995.531-542. Green, Edward J. "Labyrinth". www.concentric.net/~Egreen/prof/otherstudies/labyrinth.html. (accessed 11/21/99 ).Irwin, John T. "A Key to a Clue: Locked Rooms and Labyrinths in Poe and Borges." MasterFILE Premier Database from Raritan, Spring 91, vol.10 issue 4. <... /print2.asp?records= CURRENT&pFormNum=PrintCitation&pFulIText= ON&kwic=on&deliv>(visited 11/20/99).“What is a Labyrinth?” www.mindspring.com/~Iabyrinth/Iabyr2.htm (visited 11/20/99).