Place Keepers

UPDATE (9 Feb 2010): I've canceled this event. Given the amount of snow on the ground and that expected in the next 24 hours, I think there's little chance that the labyrinth will be clear enough for a safe walk. And I'm not in a position to do any shoveling (doctor's orders). 

I do plan to mark the one-month anniversary, though, with a finger labyrinth at home. You can do the same online at either of these sites:

http://www.gracecathedral.org/labyrinth/interactions/index.shtml (Chartres design)

http://www.lessonsforliving.com/finger_labyrinth.htm (classical design)

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To mark the one-month anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, I am organizing an open labyrinth walk on Saturday, February 13, at Georgetown Waterfront Park in Washington, DC, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. 

Georgetown Waterfront Park labyrinth (in the center of the photo), as seen from the Key BridgeThe wide paths of this beautiful labyrinth, the most publicly visible in Washington, DC, offer an invitation to open the heart to those in need. It is located at 33rd and K Streets NW. Those who wish to walk the labyrinth may arrive any time during the event and walk the labyrinth at their own pace. Participants are urged to make a donation to the American Red Cross or other Haiti-related charity of their choice, in the name of compassion, hope, and healing. 

I will be present to facilitate the labyrinth walk, which will take place regardless of the weather (unless the labyrinth is buried under snow).

If you'd like more information or want to help with this event, please use the Contact Us page to send an email message. 

Mowing the lawn a few times this year -- a chore previously enjoyed exclusively by my husband, Robert -- gave me a new appreciation for the small bit of land that our house sits on in northern Virginia. I'm not skilled enough with the mower to carve neat patterns in the grass. I'm more tempted to take a tiller, shovel, and hoe to one corner (where the grass hardly grows), terrace it, and put in more stepping stones.

But yesterday's 6" snowfall offered an opportunity to sculpt the back yard on a large scale, with tools that I handle more easily than the mower -- a broom, a dustpan, and my own two feet. The result is a 7-circuit classical labyrinth. I can't wait to walk it under the full moon later tonight.

And what do you know? That unobstructed part of the back yard -- far from the bamboo -- is just about the right size for a labyrinth with 10" path.

My backyard labyrinth in Arlington, VA

Photo from the Snow Labyrinth blogWhen I lived in Moscow (1996-2000), one of the highlights of late autumn or early winter was building an ice rink on the upper level of the U.S. Embassy compound that could be enjoyed all winter. Once there was enough snow on the field across from our apartments, a group would gather one evening to push it into an oval berm, then use garden hoses to apply water gradually enough that it would freeze. With a little maintenance, it would provide a place place for young and old all winter. I remember well that first New Year's Eve when Annie's friends borrowed all her skating costumes and rang in 1997 on the ice while we sipped champagne. I'm sure those of you from Minnesota view the homemade rink as an annual, commonplace occurrence, but for someone who grew up in Atlanta, it was magical.

Well, here's another do-it-yourself snow sculpture project on a grand scale, far more intricate -- an 80-foot Chartres-style labyrinth using the snow that piles up where he lives in northern Vermont. The photos are just stunning, and the diary of all the preparation and building work is quite inspiring.

It's a living construction, because new snow falls frequently and the paths are walked to keep them clear. The opportunity to dialogue with the land (and the weather) on a daily basis in a space like this must be a real blessing. You can enjoy it from wherever you are with a virtual labyrinth walk on YouTube.

Neglected labyrinth at First Christian Church, El Paso, TX

My labyrinth marathon of 2009 continued right into the last week of the year, when I walked -- with some difficulty -- the neglected labyrinth at First Christian Church in El Paso, TX. What's going to happen to the labyrinths built today and in the past 10-15 years when their donors and building committees pass on? This sad site brought home that question, which I'll explore in a future post. 

Total for the year -- or rather, for the 10 months of activity from March through December: I walked 25 permanent outdoor labyrinths in 11 states. These are documented on a Google Map, so you can find out if I walked one in your neighborhood. I also built or helped build 3 temporary outdoor installations and walked indoor labyrinths at three churches. This was also the year I joined The Labyrinth Society and took the Veriditas labyrinth facilitator training. I also participated in a women's labyrinth dream quest facilitated by Judith Tripp.

My labyrinth-related goals for 2010 are taking shape: 

• Continue to learn about the many different roles that the labyrinth can play in people's lives
• Attend The Labyrinth Society's annual gathering in November 2010 in New Harmony, IN (I need to add some Midwest labyrinths to my life list.)
• Deepen the experiences offered to my labyrinth-related Meetup group
• Facilitate three labyrinth events, so I can earn certification as a labyrinth facilitator
• Help make a home in my county for the former Whitman-Walker Clinic of Northern Virginia healing garden and labyrinth

Update on Friday, January 15, 2010 at 03:16PM by Sue Mosher

I've heard from El Paso that some work has been recently done on the labyrinth that looks so lonely in the photo above. I am looking forward to new pictures!

I have updated the map of Labyrinths I Have Walked to include labyrinths from summer travels to Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New York, along with a couple in the Washington, DC area where I live.  The labyrinth at St. Bridget’s Catholic Church in Copake Falls, NY,  is particularly beautiful, surrounded by a dry-stone wall and standing stones donated by the Onandaga Nation. I walked it at dawn.

The list counts only permanent outdoor labyrinths, but I also wanted to express my appreciation for the September 11 labyrinth walk for peace and remembrance at Trinity Episcopal Church in Manassas, VA.

View Labyrinths I have walked in a larger map