Trusting the Path, Despite the Pandemic

I am taking some time to reflect on a very different kind of year at the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth. As of early March 2020 it became apparent that our planned schedule of community events needed to be put on indefinite hold. But the "labyrinth keeper" in me realized there was still something that I could do.  Following is a diary of the year...

CARLETON PLACE  LABYRINTH IN THE MEDIA

Thankful for these posts that helped to continue building awareness of our lovely labyrinth:

Ottawa Road Trips - 10 Things you Didn't know about Carleton Place
Getting on Travel - An Ottawa Road Trip - includes CP Labyrinth

APRIL 2020

April 8 - Garden tending.  For most of April I would go to the labyrinth - and tend one garden at a time; trimming the grasses - and feeling better for being there - working away quietly and meditatively. 

April 18 - Labyrinth opens. Message of encouragement at the start of this year's journal. 

April 29 - Stones of encouragement left in the labyrinth mailbox. 

MAY 2020

May 2 - Solo World Labyrinth Day walk - feeling centered and grounded.

May 13 - My labyrinth walk, finding art (Hope!) along the path

JUNE 2020

June 7 Thought for today's labyrinth walk... dawdle and walk aimlessly - inspired by Thich Nhat Hahn

June 8 A gift of stones left at the labyrinth

June 23 Rainbow of hope mosaic, created by Christine Hume Mosaics. (Wherein I participate in an online project called "Mosaic a Rainbow of Hope" organized by my mosaic teacher Suzanne Spahi, in Italy!)

JULY 2020

July 7 Picnic and barefoot labyrinth walk

AUGUST 2020

2020 Journal Entries... So good to know people are finding solace in walking the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth during these challenging times!

SEPTEMBER 2020

In the Fall we reopened - it was good to be able to offer several community events.

September 6 - Drone photo taken of the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth! (Photo credit: Sean Kilpatrick)September 6 and 20 - Yoga at the Labyrinth.

 

OCTOBER 2020

October 4 - St. Francis Day walk with your companion animals!

While this year has been challenging on many levels, tending and walking the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth has kept me grounded and encouraged me to follow my intuition and simply trust the path! A very good reminder that things are often "solved by walking"... See you at the Labyrinth :)

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
 

A New Year, Some New Events

It is so amazing to realize that I will have been a labyrinth keeper of the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth for a decade this year! I feel so blessed that have had the privilege of doing this special work. Thankfully there is a small committee working together with me, who share the love of the labyrinth, and help with facilitating our community events.

We have decided to change up our events a bit for the coming year - and are looking forward to meeting you on the path!

Community Walks:

Earth Day – Wednesday April 22, 2020, sunrise 6 AM (labyrinth walk & meditation)

Summer Solstice – Saturday June 20, 2020 1 PM (labyrinth walk for inner peace  & create a heart rock)

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

Yoga on the Labyrinth:
 
Monthly yoga class on the labyrinth – May, June, July & August, last Sunday of the month @ 9AM.

Sunday May 31, 2020 9 AM

Sunday June 28, 2020 9 AM

Sunday July 26, 2019 9 AM

Sunday August 30, 2019 9 AM

This year we also plan to reach out - with the goal of having an event or two at the Labyrinth - facilitated by other groups or individuals. We will keep you posted as these plans come together.

Tending the Labyrinth

There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to keep the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth's grass path and gardens tended. To make it the peaceful and beautiful oasis that it has become.

Garden tools at the entrance standing stone - getting ready to tend the labyrinth.

The Town of Carleton Place trims around the stones that edge the labyrinth path.

Tending the CP Community Labyrinth is a labour of love that our small committee has embraced for a decade! We couldn't do it without the help of the maintenance crew of the Town of Carleton Place - and more recently with the help of the Carleton Place and District Horticultural Society!

Edging and trimming the garden beds - much easier with extra hands helping!

Due to various circumstances, at times there were primarily only 2 or 3 active labyrinth committee members (aka labyrinth keepers) this year. One of our members proactively took it upon herself to put together a presentation and attend a CP and District Horticultural Society meeting with an idea...

We suggested connecting the Victoria School Museum Garden beside the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum somehow to the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth.  And asked for help with the maintenance of the gardens.

So thankful for the expert tree-trimming help.

The finished stone bench garden - so inviting now to sit and reflect.

As a first step, in the fall of 2019, we worked together with several CP and District Hort Society folks to tend the garden beds and trees surrounding the labyrinth. It was fun to work together - and to learn more about pruning and gardening as we went along.

The wooden bench garden trimmed and edged, with some lovely hostas added.

We thank the labyrinth for the inspiration to ask for help! And look forward to further developing the idea of connecting the Museum garden and the labyrinth in 2020.

This leaf, found at the centre of the labyrinth on our garden-tending day, a good reminder to just "let go"!