Fall Events at the Labyrinth

Join us in September and early October for some special events at the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth. The labyrinth has been open throughout 2020 and people have been coming to walk and finding solace and peace during this particularly challenging year.

“June 5/20 - A happy day with my friend – trying to make the best of the pandemic on a sunny day. H.”

“June 18/20 – thank you for the lovely experience. B.A.”

“July 27/20 – The labyrinth walk calmed me! So peaceful! Thank you for sharing. G.U.”

We are happy to once again to be able to offer community events as follows. They will be offered in a safe and responsible manner in accordance with present legislation and guidelines. The events are free, but a $5 to $10 donation is suggested to help support future activities at the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth.

Yoga on the labyrinth – Sunday Sept 6, 2020 and Sunday Sept 20, 2020 9 AM to 10 AM

Come and enjoy a relaxing and meditative yoga session at the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth. The sessions will be facilitated by Dawn Bone, an experienced Kundalini yoga teacher. Bring your own yoga mat and mask, all are welcome. 

  

St. Francis Day – Sunday Oct 4, 2020 11 AM (walk with your companion animal at the labyrinth)

Join us on the feast day for St. Francis for a special labyrinth event celebrating and blessing our companion animals. St. Francis was known (among many things) for his love for all creatures. You are welcome to bring your pet (on leash) to join you for a walk at the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth. If it isn’t possible to bring your companion animal, bring of photo of your pet and walk with it.  Important to note: Walkers are responsible to have their pet under control at all times. 

Bring your pet (on leash) for a labyrinth walk on St. Francis Day

Labyrinths exist in many forms, in places as diverse as Peru, Iceland, Egypt, France, and the United Kingdom. There are more than 4,000 labyrinths active today. Some labyrinths have been built on private lands, while others, like the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth, have been created as a public space for all to enjoy.  

The Community Labyrinth is located at the corner of George and Baines Streets, beside the Carleton Place & Beckwith Heritage Museum. The labyrinth was built in 2010, and construction was made possible by the Town of Carleton Place, individual, business & community sponsors, and a Trillium Foundation grant.

For more information contact Christine Hume: 613-859-2136 or christinehume@bell.net
 

Summer Solstice Peace Walk

From 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. on Thursday June 21st, 2018, the Labyrinth Committee will present a "Summer Solstice Peace Walk” at the Community Labyrinth in Carleton Place.

With this summer evening event, the Committee hopes to focus attention on the need for peace in the world and within ourselves. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools and have even been used for bringing peace and reconciliation between individuals in conflict.

"I believe that walking the path of the labyrinth can bring peace to those who seek it," says Stephanie Bray, a volunteer for The Labyrinth Committee of Carleton Place.

Join us for an evening labyrinth walk and help to collaboratively create a community dreamcatcher.   During the walk – the Rhythm and Song Community Choir directed by Jennifer Noxon – will sing songs with the theme of “Peace”.

All are welcome! You are invited to picnic in the garden beforehand.

Donations in support of the Labyrinth Commitee’s programming are gratefully accepted.

Carleton Place Community Labyrinth is located beside the Carleton Place & Beckwith Heritage Museum, at 267 Edmund St.

For more information contact Christine at 613-859-2136

Magic on the Labyrinth

This year's Light up the Labyrinth event held Friday September 8th, 2017 was especially magical! Our small committee was fully prepared with a Plan B - as the weather was being very unpredictable and there was a 60% chance of rain.

We started by setting up the outer ring of 150 luminaries in white bags with red maple leaves (some with peace messages from our Summer Solstice Peace Walk). As the weather seemed to be holding - we continued to set up luminaries on the whole labyrinth (375 instead of the full 600). Thankfully there were volunteers on hand - to help!

We setup the outer ring of 150 luminaries in white bags first (in case of rain).

It takes many helping hands to "Light up the Labyrinth".

Now where should I put this star lantern?

The lanterns are arranged with care at the entrance to the labyrinth - ready to light the way.

Can I help put the luminaries onto the labyrinth? Definitely!

At dusk the luminaries start to glow.

A simply magical moment.

Kerron Lamb performs the perfect music to accompany our walk.

After dark - the light show begins.

We couldn't have done this without your help! See you next year.

A heartfelt thanks to our sponsors for your support!

Your Help Needed to Light up the Labyrinth

Let's "Light up the Labyrinth" together - from 6:30 – 9:00 PM on Friday, September 8th, 2017. During this event, the warm glow of more than 600 candlelit luminaries will flicker along the path of Carleton Place's Community Labyrinth. This year, we are fortunate to once again have guitar and didgeridoo music by local musician Kerron Lamb.

Enjoy guitar and didgeridoo music by local musician Kerron Lamb.

We will also be wrapping up our "150 Labyrinth Walks for Canada 150th" commemorative event on this evening. Join us to celebrate our combined achievement!

To make this event more collaborative - organizers are asking participants to gather at 6:30 PM at the labyrinth to prepare and place luminaries for a 7:30 PM candlelit walk.

Debby Lytle, Chairperson for the Labyrinth Committee, explains: “As a very small committee we need many hands to help us light up this spectacular display on the labyrinth.  Join us at 6:30 PM and be part of the assembling and placing of the luminaries, bring along your bbq lighter to help us light the candles before the walk.  The dismantling at the end of the walk is a huge job and extra help is very welcome then, as well!”

As dusk approaches, the luminaries start to glow! (Photo: L. Laflleur)

Our candlelit labyrinth walks have become a popular fall event, as individuals and families from across the region come to enjoy an evening labyrinth walk.  "Children and those young at heart can be part of this festive labyrinth walk by carrying a lantern, wearing their glow-in-the dark-apparel, glow necklaces, glow sticks, and more. Be creative!" say Julia Heathcote, a volunteer labyrinth keeper. Parents of young children should be cautioned that the luminaries are real flame and to please consider clothing and lantern choices carefully.

For those who wish to relax and watch the candlelight, garden benches and a wheelchair-accessible contemplation ring encircle the labyrinth. If you would like to sit for a while and take in the candlelight glow, bring along a lawn chair too.

Thanks to support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Town of Carleton Place and individuals and businesses within our community, this permanent labyrinth exists for people to use at any time. The labyrinth is located at the corner of George and Baines Streets beside the Carleton Place & Beckwith Heritage Museum, 267 Edmund Street in Carleton Place, Ontario.

For more information or if you would like to help prepare the luminaries,
please contact Debby Lytle: 613-257-1014
Facebook: /CarletonPlaceCommunityLabyrinth

A Special Evening at the Labyrinth

What a wonderful way to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Our recent peace walk at the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth, held on Wednesday June 21, 2017,  was a good reminder of what it is like to gather as a community - walk the labyrinth and connect afterwards.  These photos help to capture the essence of this wonderful gathering. Thanks to all who were able to attend.

"When we walk the labyrinth with others, it becomes a tool for understanding relationships and community.... We may be at very different places on the path, but we all share it... We are all pilgrims on the same path, with the same hope of reaching the same centre." (Excerpt from "The Spirituality of Mazes and Labyrinths, G. MacQueen)

Parvaneh Rowshan performs an opening dance honouring our sense of self and inner peace.

Members of the Labyrinth committee gather to set up for the Solstice Peace Walk.

Peonies bring their beauty to our Summer Solstice peace walk.

Labyrinth walkers finding inner peace on this beautiful summer evening.

A family places their personal messages of peace on the picnic table tree - together.

The messages of peace speak for themselves.

World Labyrinth Day Walk - Saturday May 7th at 1 p.m.

Join us at the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth on Saturday May 7th for our first public event of 2016  as we "Walk as One at 1" in celebration of World Labyrinth Day.  If you are new to the labyrinth experience, this Saturday walk will be a perfect introduction for you. Information about the history, benefits and unique aspects of the labyrinth will be available onsite.

World Labyrinth Day, declared in 1998 by The Labyrinth Society, brings people together globally to recognize the labyrinth as a symbol and tool for healing and peace.  This will be the 8th annual World Labyrinth Day, as we join individuals or groups from around the globe who will walk their local labyrinths at 1:00 pm. in their local time zones.  This world-wide event included walks in over 20 countries last year, and it is estimated that more than 5,000 people participated.

By walking a labyrinth, we are rediscovering an ancient tradition, which is still relevant today. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth is designed as a single path. There are no dead-ends or tricks. The path on which you enter is the same path on which you exit. A walker is free to focus on a thought or a prayer, or to simply enjoy the energy of the walk itself. Many walkers find that the circular pattern holds them in a type of walking meditation long enough to let their problems and worries fall away. In a busy world, walking a labyrinth can provide an opportunity to foster connection, support healing, and promote well-being.

Carleton Place Community Labyrinth - a peaceful and welcoming space

Labyrinths exist in many forms, in places as diverse as Peru, Iceland, Egypt, France, and the United Kingdom. There are more than 4,000 labyrinths active today. Some labyrinths have been built on private lands, while others, like the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth, have been created as a public space for all to enjoy. 

The Community Labyrinth is located at the corner of George and Baines Streets, beside the Carleton Place & Beckwith Heritage Museum. The stone-bordered grassy path is the focal point for Labyrinth Park, a peaceful garden filled with ornamental grasses, native trees, benches for sitting, and a wheelchair-accessible contemplation ring that encircles the labyrinth. The labyrinth was built starting in 2010, and construction was made possible by the Town of Carleton Place, individual, business  & community sponsors, and a Trillium Foundation grant.

For more information contact Debby: 613-257-1014

Like us on Facebook

Opening the Labyrinth

 The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month. —Henry Van Dyke

"Listen to your heart" Octagonal Labyrinth Mosaic (detail) by C. Hume

My heart filled with joy the other day - to see the paths of the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth finally revealed as the snow has melted away and Spring is upon us. (I am choosing to ignore the fact that we may have another 15 cm of snow tomorrow!)

We have a series of events planned throughout 2016 - and hope that you will be able to join in.

And if you prefer to experience discovering and walking the labyrinth on your own - feel free to come and do a meditative walk any time. There is an informational sign that will guide you on your way! And you can also find some labyrinth walking tips here.

Earth Day Sunrise Walk -  at sunrise 6:00 a.m., Friday, April 22.

Saturday, May 7th - World Labyrinth Day - join us at 1:00 p.m. Annual global event celebrated each year on the first Saturday in May. You are invited to “Walk as One at 1” to effect a rolling wave of peaceful energy as the world turns.

Biweekly Walks - the 1st and 3rd Tuesday mornings, June through September,  from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. Labyrinth keeper on site.

Thursday, June 16th -  “Finding Inner Peace on the Labyrinth” Join us at 7:00 p.m.  at the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth for an evening labyrinth walk, gather afterwards to collaboratively create a large collage mandala. You are welcome to picnic in the garden beforehand.

Tuesday, July 19th  - full moon walk at 8:00 p.m.

Friday, September 9th - "Light up the Labyrinth" Gather at 6:30 p.m. to prepare and place luminaries, walk at 7:30 p.m. Bring or wear your lantern/light creations and be part of the fun!

Sunday, October 16th - full moon walk at 8:00 p,m,

Carleton Place Community Labyrinth is located at 267 Edmund Street, on the property behind the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum.

For more information contact

Debby Lytle 613-257-1014
dlytle@rogers.com

Like us on Facebook!