The Labyrinth at Blue Heron House
A Chartres-style labyrinth with an open invitation . . .
"Labyrinths are usually in the form of a circle with a meandering
but purposeful path, from the edge to the center and back out again,
large enough to be walked into. Each has only one path, and once we
make the choice to enter it, the path becomes a metaphor for our
journey through life, sending us to the center of the labyrinth and
then back out to the edge on the same path. The labyrinth is a
spiritual tool meant to awaken us to the deep rhythm that unites us to
ourselves, and to the Light that calls from within. In surrendering to
the winding path, the soul finds healing and wholeness."
From Walking A Sacred Path by Dr. Lauren Artress
From August 2004 to May 2005, many friends joined me in completing a labyrinth project at Blue Heron House. First, my friend Tim and I walked a section of my home property, getting a sense of what placement would be best. We pounded a piece of rebar into the ground and said, "There . . . the center of our labyrinth." I then found a quarry nearby whose managers were willing to donate the rock for my project, even though they thought I was the strangest woman ever to come onto the quarry site! Tim and I brought small loads of rock to the site, one at a time and we began, with the help of several friends, to place the rock in ever-wider circles.
Then winter came, and the labyrinth project, with three of the twelve circles completed, went to sleep. In early spring, a few of my youngest son's friends brought a big pick-up out to the quarry site, and in one day we had enough rock to complete the circles. It took more days, friends, and good weather to complete. My partner, Neil, worked alone for the better part of two days to finish creating the three outermost circles (a very large task!) and we took our first walk through the circles and turns on Memorial Day weekend, 2005.
This stone labyrinth, nearly 100 feet in diameter, is patterned after the classic eleven-circuit labyrinth embedded in the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France. It has a long stone bench in the center, and small solar lights around the outside. One of my students said, "The labyrinth is meditation for people who can't sit still!" One way to look at it, and there are many more. If you haven't taken a labyrinth walk, I invite you to try it. If you have walked a labyrinth, you will find this one a lovely quieting experience. As you turn through the circuits, you see water, mountains, fields, trees, and horses. The stone bench in the center offers a perfect place to sit and reflect, with or without your journal. Full-moon labyrinth walking is very special as well!
You are welcome ANYTIME to walk the labyrinth, day or night. It is located just on the east side of the Studio. No need to call or give notice in any way. Many of you have already come often to visit and walk, and I love seeing footprints in the snow or looking up from my house to see one or two or three or four of you doing the slow circuit of the Chartres path
You can find many, many other labyrinths throughout the country and the world. One source for this information is a labyrinth Locator. Large and small, Chartres-style, spiral, Cretan, Santa Rosa, and other free-form or structured styles grace our planet Earth, made of rock, marble, grass, brick, canvas, hedges. Portable or fixed, inside or out of doors, all soothe the spirit in their own way. I invite you to come. Allow yourself at least 30 minutes so you are not rushed. Walk. Write. Meditate. In whatever way suits you, give yourself the gift of labyrinth walking.
NOTE: The labyrinth is OPEN again, until further notice l The killdeer hatched in May, and though I don't live at Blue Heron House anymore, I still own the property. I will put notice on this site and by e-mail when things change.