Maze of the Week #118 - Spider

Maze of the Week #118 celebrates Be Kind to Spiders Week which is April 1-7. I hope you enjoy this Spider Maze.

Were you able to guess correctly based on my preview ? I think this was one of the easier ones !

Tarantula Maze Preview

Here is the first version of the maze.

Tarantula Maze

And the alternative version where I tried to adjust the color so the body was black and the tonal background is light grey. Not sure if I like it.

Tarantula Maze alt color

Downloads are available in the comic book style maze section. Come back tomorrow to see what the comic book cover looks like !

Next weeks Maze Preview: What do you think the maze is ? I think we have another easy one !

maze preview

9 Labyrinths to Visit in Indiana

Indiana is the home to over 80 labyrinths. I have selected 9 of the best worth a visit that are publicly accessible, focusing on the state’s large population areas. If you want a full list of labyrinths in the state check out the Worldwide Labyrinth Finder. When writing this post I had trouble finding photos I was allowed to use (so if you have any to share please reach out to me).

Why visit a Labyrinth ?

Labyrinths are ancient and mysterious symbols that have been used for centuries for meditation, contemplation, and spiritual renewal. They are also a lot of fun to explore! If you're looking for a unique and challenging experience, walk a labyrinth with intention - it often leads to self-discovery. Personally, I like to walk labyrinths between dawn and sunrise or at sunset until dusk, but any time of day works. You may not realize it, but there is probably a labyrinth near where you live. Today we explore…


9 Labyrinths to Visit in INDIANA

1. Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis Labyrinth

This classical 7 circuit labyrinth is open to the public during daylight hours.

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

Address:
615 West 43rd St.
Indianapolis, Indiana 46208

2. Cumberland First Baptist Church Labyrinth

An 11 circuit Chartres style labyrinth in the grass that is featured on the church home page.

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

Address:

116 South Muessing Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46229

3. Resurrection Lutheran Church Labyrinth

This labyrinth is located in the churches park, was built in 2015 and you can read about it on the church website. “This space is a gift to the community with love from Resurrection Lutheran Church.”

Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana

Address:

14318 Lima Road
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46818

4. University of Southern Indiana Labyrinth

If you follow this link you can watch a one minute video showing the opening ceremony of this labyrinth, a beautiful 60 foot diameter labyrinth in the Chartres style.

Location: Evansville, Indiana

Address:
8600 University Blvd
Evansville, Indiana 47712

5. Clay Church Labyrinth

This 40ft diameter labyrinth is medieval style and made of bricks/pavers.

Location: South Bend, Indiana

Address:
52866 Ironwood Road
South Bend, Indiana 46635

6. St. Peter's UCC Labyrinth

A Chartres style 8 circuit labyrinth outlined in pavers in the grass on the right side of the church.

Location: Carmel, Indiana

Address:

3106 East Carmel Dr.
Carmel, Indiana 46033

7. First United Church Walk in Peace Labyrinth

This medieval labyrinth made from rocks and mulch is located at the back of the property.

Location: Bloomington, Indiana

Address:

2420 E. 3rd Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47408

8. Cathedral Labyrinth and Sacred Garden Labyrinth

This Chartres style labyrinth made from granite is located in a park near the visitors centre.

Location: New Harmony, Indiana

Address:

309 North Street
New Harmony, Indiana 47631

9. Harmonist Labyrinth

I had to end with this tourist attraction, which is a replica of the original hedge labyrinth from the 1800’s. Yu can plan your trip to see the labyrinth on the labyrinth’s website.

Location: New Harmony, Indiana

Address:

1239 Main Street
New Harmony, Indiana 47631

5 TIPS FOR VISITING A LABYRINTH

  1. Set an intention for your walk so you can walk with purpose. It could be prayer, reflection, meditation, contemplation, or openness.

  2. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes, as you will be doing a lot of walking.

  3. Bring water with you, especially if you are visiting on a hot day.

  4. Take your time and enjoy the experience. There is no need to rush through a labyrinth.

  5. Be respectful of other visitors. This includes not making noise and being respectful if walking with other people.





5 BOOKS TO READ ABOUT LABYRINTH WALKING

I wrote a blog post reviewing the following 5 books, each that deals with walking labyrinths. You can check them out yourself at the Amazon links below or read this blog post: 5 Books about the Spiritual Aspect of Labyrinths to learn a little about what each book teaches.

  1. Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool by Dr. Lauren Artress 201 pages. AMZN

  2. Labyrinth : Your Path to Self-Discovery by Tony Christie 312 pages. AMZN

  3. Exploring the Labyrinth: A Guide For Healing and Spiritual Growth by Melissa Gayle West 209 pages AMZN

  4. Walking the Labyrinth: A Place to Pray and Seek God by Travis Scholl 240 pages AMZN

  5. Labyrinths from the Outside In: Walking to Spiritual Insight by Rev Dr Donna Schaper and Rev Dr Carole Ann Camp 187 pages AMZN





If you are interested in more spiritual labyrinth aspects I suggest the following websites:

  1. Lauren Artress website - For coaching, workshops and classes.

  2. Veriditas - The nonprofit labyrinth group founded by Lauren Artress

  3. Worldwide Labyrinth Finder - Find a labyrinth to walk near you, or while on vacation


I am a maze artist and have made a maze of one location in Indiana:

George Rogers Clark Memorial - Vincennes, Indiana

Making mazes with AI: Google Gemini

Gemini logo.

Making Maze Art with google gemini

You can access the website here. You must sign into your google account to use Gemini. There is not limit to the number of images you can generate. Each prompt returns 2 images with the option to generate more. For this exercise I chose the one closest to what I had asked for, or the most interesting.

My original testing took place in March 2023. Gemini (formerly Bard) just started this feature in Feb 2024 so it late to the party. Next week I will be going back and seeing how AI image generation has improved in a year:

Making Mazes with AI - one year later

But, next week is next week, let’s get to how Google performs:

Prompt 1 - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel Tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish

Gemini - Eiffel Tower

That is the Eiffel Tower. There is a maze looking section and an arrow. Typically I do not get arrows, so this is an improvement.


Prompt 2 - Draw a medium difficulty large maze of the Empire State Building with the start and goal embedded in the structure

Gemini - ESB

Similar to the 1st maze but in a new style. Got the famous building correct. Looks like a maze but is not a maze.

Prompt 3 - Draw a difficult maze of the White House pixel art style

Gemini - The White House

Again, we have the right building. Wrong style. No Maze. But good job if I had written a different prompt.

Prompt 4 - Draw a difficult maze that looks like a drawing of a famous building in sketch style

Gemini - building maze

The top is a sketch of the very famous ______ building. The bottom is a hand drawn maze that actually is a maze, i mean if it had a start and goal !

Prompt 5 - Draw a maze in the style of doyoumaze.com of a skyscraper in NYC

Gemini - NYC skyscraper

Cool NYC image. I think I like the marble sky. No Maze, not my style, but at least it is cool !

Prompt 6 - Draw a maze in the style of Sean C Jackson of a scene from a large outdoor market

Gemini outdoor market

This has potential. Change the perspective and switch from watercolor to more comic and you’ve got it.

Prompt 7 - Make a maze of a slice of an orange in color

Gemini - orange slice maze

Sure.

Prompt 8 - Make a maze integrated on top of a photograph of a king sitting on his throne looking cantankerous beside his beautiful queen

Gemini error message

Weird. I didn’t ask for a specific king and queen. Any would do. If I ask for a plumber or bus driver is it blocked ? And, after I asked this…well you all saw the many stories !

Prompt 9 - Make a solvable maze that is very large and very difficult to solve because it is so complex

Gemini - maze from above

Looks like a hedge maze from above. Nice style.

Prompt 10 - Make a 3d render of a red and blue glossy cube maze

Gemini - red and blue cube structure

No.

How did Google Gemini do ? I think it was average. It has less structure than other text to image generators. You can ask for whatever you want (except people I guess). And there are no limits. But it also has no built in styles or adjustment buttons that are helpful with other AI image sites.

So this post comes many months after my initial AI review:

Comparison of 12 AI generating websites - Who did mazes the best ?

Would any of these Google Gemini images make the best of ? I think the first 2 would be considered. The orange slice (not the one you want to win) and maybe prompts 6/9. Still the overall is average. I still prefer my original picks.