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Crazy as a Loom

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

My Labyrinth

Is this not the coolest thing you have ever seen????? I am so excited about it. My husband thinks I am nuts, I have had a couple of people look at me with raised eyebrows and complete puzzlement. The guy who delivered me the load of rocks asked me what I was doing with them, and when I tried to explain, I felt like I was speaking a different language.
But here it is. Not quite finished......my helper Miles got tired after lugging all these rocks, so he organized all my spools of warp by color for the rest of the afternoon, and he will finish the labyrinth tomorrow.....filling in all the spaces between the rocks. This is a left sided 7 circuit labyrinth. We incorporated a tree stump, and a living tree.......I think it gives the whole thing character. I was amazed at how much space it really took up. This view is from bedroom window at the back of the house. Just out of site is a stockade fence that hides the whole thing from the road.....and creates what I like to call "my secret garden". My mother wants to buy perennials for me in the spring.
This is where I plan to start, and or finish, my days at the studio. What a beautiful way to get centered, refind my focus.
I do have alot of support from friends and family.....who may wonder why I do what I do, but love me anyway.
The labyrinth will be open to the public during the Christmas in the Country weekend.......and maybe I will have handouts, so those people who have never heard of a labyrinth, won't think it is a "maze".
On www.lessonsforliving.com I found the following description, which is perfect.

"Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love."
Caroline Adams

We are all on the path... exactly where we need to be. The labyrinth is a model of that path.

A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.

A labyrinth is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can walk it. It is a metaphor for life's journey. It is a symbol that creates a sacred space and place and takes us out of our ego to "That Which Is Within."

Labyrinths and mazes have often been confused. When most people hear of a labyrinth they think of a maze. A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is like a puzzle to be solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It is a left brain task that requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct path into the maze and out.

A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. The way in is the way out. There are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and out again.

A labyrinth is a right brain task. It involves intuition, creativity, and imagery. With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. With a labyrinth there is only one choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not. A more passive, receptive mindset is needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.

At its most basic level the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who you are.

4 comments:

Eulalia Benejam Cobb said...

Amazing! And wonderful. What made you do this? Will you plant herbs around it so you can smell them as you walk by?

Congratulations!

Hilary said...

Last year, I took my two grandsons to Harmony, in Comstock, there is a link on my Home Page. It is a wonderful place, acres of wildflowers, and total serenity. And they have a labyrinth. I asked my grandsons, 7 and 10 at the time, to walk it, stay in the paths, and think about what it meant. The oldest one said, "I don't get it." The younger one, after a while, said, "Mimi, I think I know what it means." I said, "Yeah?? What do you think?" He said, " I think it is where you find the center of your heart."
I still get cold chills every time I think about him saying that. And I knew I had to build a labyrinth.
I plan to plant creeping thyme and other nice things around the rocks, which, by the way, all have incredible personalities.
I am so glad you like it.

Candy Duell said...

Hey, I've tagged you for a meme (I dont exactly know what a meme is!) --- go see!

Anonymous said...

Hilary, now I can visit you again. I can "do" the labyrinth, which I have always wanted to "do." It'll be awhile, probably not until Gayle is driving again or Widget and I come together. I'm really looking forward to seeing it! What a wonderful idea. Love, Jan

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