This morning I got up and moving in time to walk the labyrinth as dawn arrived. I realize that is no great feat of waking discipline at this time of year, but the deep blanket of snow which arrived yesterday had been poking me to experience a first snow-walk of the labyrinth that we all brought to life this past August. The snow had a pleasing squeak underfoot walking the path, and standing still at Centre I was surrounded by the deep silence that fresh fluffy snow brings. The crisp air reflected a particular sense of clarity in the labyrinth.
D-I-Y SOLSTICE
Solstice arrives this Saturday evening. If you are looking for a peaceful way to observe this seasonal passing that connects nature with spirit, you are welcome to come walk the forest labyrinth. There is no ceremony or program (perhaps the next solstice!)… but I will put a few lights at Centre, keep the fire by the labyrinth burning from around 7PM until around 11, and you can be free to mark solstice in whatever way is meaningful to you, and of course respectful to the place, space, and anyone else who may be using it at the time.
Bundle up, for the cold will find you during a slow walk. And you will need a headlamp or lantern. If you wish company or additional presence for your walk, I am pleased to join but otherwise I’ll leave you to it. Follow the yellow trail markers, which will lead you from parking at the house to labyrinth and back. You may see me appear occasionally to tend the fire. Feel free to check in at the house if you need anything.
REVISED VISITOR GUIDE
I made a few revisions to the Visitor Guide, mainly to page 3, suggestions for walking a labyrinth, which came about from a week-long labyrinth mindfulness retreat I attended in Nova Scotia in the fall. Download the updated Guide here.
LABYRINTH BOOK RECOMMENDATION
I was in Ireland briefly with a good friend last month. In Dublin, at the Dervish Bookshop & Holistic Centre, I picked up a deck of “Labyrinth Wisdom Cards” by Irish labyrinth designer & authority Tony Christie, then subsequently purchased his book “Labyrinth: Your Path to Self-Discovery” for reading on the flight home. The title modestly hides that this is the most comprehensive exploration of labyrinths I have come across and what’s more it is unique in balancing concrete details with esoteric notions and concepts which can straddle both… it will appeal to left and right sides of the brain!
DONATIONS
The labyrinth is a tool created to be shared. I do not charge a fee to use it. I do accept donations, the entirety of which goes to M’Wikwedong Indigenous Friendship Centre in Owen Sound at the end of each year. I do this as one action to acknowledge that the labyrinth is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinabek Nation: The People of the Three Fires known as Ojibway, Odawa, and Pottawatomi Nations.
Warmest regards of the season, Neil
The Forest Labyrinth 