Your Help Needed to Light up the Labyrinth

Let's "Light up the Labyrinth" together - from 6:30 – 9:00 PM on Friday, September 7th, 2018. 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, during the walk, local musician Rob McMurray will be playing electric guitar with electronic effects (delays, reverb, and more).

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.

Your help is needed to help light up the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth! (Photo: C. Pragnell)

Christine Hume, 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!”

Our candlelit labyrinth walks have become a popular fall event, as individuals and families 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 Connie Prichett, 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 Christine Hume, cel 613 859 2136
Blog: carletonplacecommunitylabyrinth.blogspot.com

Pilgrimage Notes and the Yellow Mosaic Arrow Project (Part 1)

My pilgrimage journey from Ottawa to Montreal with Chemin des Outaouais ended up being very different from what I expected. And I am reminded now that I was to go on my long walk with "no expectations" and to be open to whatever happened along "the way".

Leading up to the walk, in the midst of relaxation during a yoga class - an idea occurred to me. I could make some yellow mosaic arrows (inspired by the Camino arrows).  How interesting!

An example of the yellow arrows found along the Camino in Spain (Photo credit: Debby Lee Jagerman)

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Over the next week this idea started to take shape. I would create portable yellow arrows and leave them along  "the way" as I walked.

After my early morning quiet time - the idea starts to take shape.

I ordered some yellow tiles from Glass Mosaic Canada. And I asked friends to donate yellow bits and baubles for use on the arrows.

Yellow arrow bits and pieces given to me OR found.

I decided to make the arrows so they could be hung up along "the way".  And to use plywood as the base for the arrows. I was on a training walk one day - and there was the piece of plywood that I needed on the side of the road!

I spent the afternoon designing the arrows and drawing them on the plywood. I borrowed a jigsaw and had just started to awkwardly cut them out - when a neighbour dropped by and offered to cut them for me. Within an hour or two - he was back with all 12 arrows done!

The base for my yellow arrows - ready for creativity :)

I spray-painted the arrows black. And was ready to create the first prototype. I planned to create the rest of the arrows while I was walking.

My first yellow mosaic arrow - a work in progress.

 To be continued....

*NOTE: Here is a wonderful article about the Camino yellow arrows, written by Debby Lee Jagerman.