Ariadne’s Thread

The Greek myth of the Labyrinth (Maze) containing the minotaur is set on the island of Minos where a monster, half-man half-bull, is kept in a labyrinth outside of the city. Every seven years several of the young people are sent to the monster never to be seen again. The devious twists and turns of the labyrinth keep the monster at bay and the city safe. Theseus, a young hero, decides to confront and defeat the monster by entering the labyrinth alone. Ariadne, who is in love with him, gives him the end of a red thread and keeps the other end. She has no doubt he will defeat the monster within but is worried he may not be able to find his way back out of the labyrinth. The thread is the cord that connects him to the entrance and allows him to return.

You can read more here:
https://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/myth-of-theseus-and-minotaur/

The story in this instance is a metaphor suggesting that therapy can be like entering the labyrinth of our complex lives to confront the minotaurs we hold within. The therapist ‘holds’ the thread to make sure that we can find our way out.

Labyrinths are very old symbols and can have many meanings, both religious and pagan. A maze is a series of pathways developed to lead the explorer astray. A labyrinth is a winding journey to the centre and back. You may like to ‘walk’ one of the many grass or drawn labyrinths around the rural parts of the West Country.