The classical 7-walled labyrinth came into being about 4500 years ago. It appeared simultaneously in places as diverse as Cornwall (England), Crete, Arizona, and Sumatra. It is as if this pattern broke through into human consciousness everywhere and in "learning"; or walking it, one is simply being reminded.
A labyrinth has a single, winding, unobstructed path from the outside to the center, unlike a maze which has many dead ends and wrong choices designed to trick the mind. Therefore, the labyrinth is often seen as a metaphor for our spiritual "life"; journey; many twists and turns but no dead ends. In other words, we always have the opportunity to make another choice in life or "turn"; in the labyrinth.