Thursday, April 29, 2010

Simple Tools (the Labyrinth)

This I know
Simple tools are the best.

When I first gazed
upon a labyrinth path
It reminded me, laughingly, of my life.
As each wide arc
Of effort and emotion that
Carried me down some path
Never seemed to reach it’s goal.
Turning back on itself instead
To inscribe another arching roll
Then coming to a halt
in some empty inner space.
Requiring me to retrace
my steps in parallel strokes
Only to be spit out, frustrated and broke
Near the place where I began.
What a perfect joke! I thought
“Its a child’s toy, no more
Like Hopscotch, without keeping score”.


But with a little more information
And some newly focused intention
I made up my mind, and in I went
To walk the labyrinth path..
Without much effect, at first
But from learning and practice
And walking again
I came to believe that this was a tool
That could ground my journey,
All the way to the end.

Think on this.
A thousand,
Plus a thousand,
Plus a thousand,
Plus a thousand years
and more
Humans have created this pattern
On rocks and walls and floors.
In soaring cathedrals,
In musty hidden tombs
In glorious formal gardens
And simple mud-walled rooms

It has been looked on as a door
To capricious gods
A key to hidden truths
Protection from relentless foes
And long odds.
And a symbol of the christian church.
All of those, all of those, all of those,
and more!


Something must be working
In the flowing pattern of curves and lines
That pulls at the core of human kind
Guiding movement, calming the mind.
Some universal archetype
For all life’s journey taken to find
Our inner truth and outer signs
Of hope.

And no, it’s not a devil’s mark!
There is no evil there.
Only a simple form and true
Inviting you to walk in meditation
A frame for contemplation or prayer
Only a symbol
At the very center of the human breast
Remember,
Simple tools are the best.

By: Inez Dekker, April 2010
LIPS Member (Live Poets Society)

Join us at the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth on Saturday May 1st
as we "Walk as One at 1 for World Labyrinth Day"
Inez will open our walk with this poem!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Celebrate World Labyrinth Day May 1st at 1 p.m.

Saturday May 1st is World Labyrinth Day and we invite you to walk the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth on the property of the Victoria School Museum, 267 Edmund Street, as we “Walk as One at 1”.

This is the second annual World Labyrinth Day a global event celebrated each year on the first Saturday in May, sponsored by The Labyrinth Society, an international organization founded in 1998.  World Labyrinth Day is intended as a day that brings people from all over the planet together in celebration of the labyrinth as a symbol, a tool, a passion or a practice.

As part of the celebration you are invited to “Walk as One at 1” to effect a rolling wave of labyrinth walking as the earth turns. Enthusiasts around the globe over are asked to walk in their local time zone at 1:00 PM.

Labyrinths in a community offer a special place for people to come together for significant celebrations, to resolve a problem, to enjoy a meditative walk, or to simply take time out of a busy day.

To find out more about Saturday’s walk or the Community Labyrinth project contact Debby at 613-257-1014.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Preparing for Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator Training

I am starting to reread “Walking a Sacred Path – Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Sacred Practise” by Lauren Artress – in preparation for my Veriditas labyrinth facilitator training in early May!   I have only read the Preface so far - but found it really interesting to read about the meaning of the name.

The name “Veriditas” (the name of the Worldwide Labyrinth Project that Lauren founded) – comes from the 12th century mystic Hildegard of Bingen! It means “Greening Power”. The mission for the first stage of Veriditas was to “pepper the planet with labyrinths” – and that is exactly what the work has done.

The Carleton Place Community Labyrinth is proud to be part of the movement that is helping the green the planet
with labyrinths!