A Day of Renewal and Inspiration

It was so inspiring to participate in the Renewal Day for Labyrinth Facilitators and Laybrinth walkers that was hosted by the Verditias (Labyrinth) Council on Saturday April 30th, 2016. I originally did my facilitator training right here in Ottawa with Rev. Lauren Artress in May 2010.  The Renewal Day was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with old and new friends who all share a common interest - a love of all things labyrinth!

St. Luke's Ottawa - Healing in the Heart of the City

It was fun to head into Ottawa - knowing that I was getting away for a mini-retreat.  I even parked a distance away - so I could take my time and walk to the venue - St. Luke's Church at 760 Somerset St. W.  Some highlights and links to handouts from the day follow.

Write your intention on a river stone and carry it with you on your labyrinth walk.

The first speakers - Chris Farrow-Noble and Linda Mikell - spoke from deep personal experience about creative ideas to enhance regular and special occasion labyrinth walks. Of particular interest to me were these examples of setting an intention. And the suggestion of writing down your intention on an index card or on a river stone - and carrying it with you while you walk.

• Find peace/inner peace/feel strong
• Gratitude walk
• Walk through a problem or a decision
• Examine a relationship in all dimensions
• Send good thoughts to someone who needs it
• Ask for help going through a transition
• Grieving - help feel closer to the person you have lost
• Ask a question, find purpose, find heartsong
• Let go of stress
• OR no intention - simply out for a walk - that is OK too!

We then had great fun with the "hands on activity" learning how to create our very own art journaling paper. Grace Amirault shared stories and examples of her own artistic journals she has created to capture visual and written travel memories.

We created our very own art journaling paper.

It was really interesting to notice that I felt fully present and "in the moment" 

and that the day unfolded slowly - it seemed as if "we had all the time in the world"!

Other presentations of the day included hearing from Linda Mikell, author of "Little Miracles on the Path" and how she began her journey of collecting stories about labyrinth experiences.  This process eventually culminated in the publication of a collection of the stories in honour of the 20th anniversary of Veriditas.

A portable finger labyrinth and bells used to signal the start and completion of our walk.

And then the focus turned to the topics of Spiritual Practise and Pilgrimage - with a story from Chris Farrow-Noble about "Walking and Journaling a Labyrinth Walk Every Day" and a presentation about the "Six Steps of Pilgrimage" given by Gracie Amirault.

Two spots of light seemed to glow on the labyrinth path.

And then as a grand finale - the tables were cleared and the labyrinth was revealed. The room was suddenly transformed - and a great feeling of calm and peace filled the space.  Musicians and choir members from St. Luke's appeared and music started to fill the air as we walked the labyrinth.  As I reached the centre and paused to reflect - the choir began to sing "Dona Nobis Pacum" (a song I have been learning with my community choir)! I silently gave thanks for the day and this gathering and left the labyrinth feeling renewed and reassured that I am definitely on the right path!

All of us on the labyrinth!  Photo: G. Amirault

This feeling was further reinforced by this email that came in - just as I was heading back home to Almonte...

Re: Almonte Canadian Gazette Article

Dear Christine,

I just read the article in the April 27th Almonte Canadian Gazette article that not only describes the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth and the different ways labyrinths can be used…it invites the people of Ottawa to come walk the labyrinth on May 7th for World Labyrinth Day.  As a Veriditas Board member and a certified labyrinth facilitator, I wanted to congratulate you on your labyrinth work and let you know how exciting it is for me to see our facilitators at work in the world, bringing the spiritual practice of labyrinth walking to their communities.  The work you are doing in your community is inspiring and I want to thank you for participating in this important event.

Blessings on the path!

Kathleen Pilus
Veriditas Board Member

Stewart Park Community Labyrinth

Our Carleton Place Community Labyrinth is providing inspiration to other communities!  We are so happy to be able to report that Perth, Ontario now has it's own community labyrinth - and Veriditas Certified Labyrinth Facilitator - Vanessa Compton is leading the way to make this a reality.  She has kindly agreed to having us publish the story here.

It didn't happen overnight... here's the story. (By Vanessa Compton)

Year 2 of the Stewart Park Community Labyrinth.
After the success of last summer’s Stewart Park Festival labyrinth, a one-day installation immortalized by Perth Community Police Officer Bird as “some seniors’ spray-paint graffiti vandalism,” I was encouraged by Stewart Park Festival workshop organizer Julie McIntyre and my fellow members of Transition Perth to plan a more durable version for the summer of 2015.

Surveyor's tape - laying out the medieval 7-circuit labyrinth in Stewart Park.

It would need to be easy and cheap to maintain, of minimal cost to the Town of Perth, and in harmony with the aesthetics and community guidelines of Stewart Park. With the help of the Town of Perth’s Karen Fox, Director of Special Events, Shellee Evans, Director of Community Services, Jim Niblock, Supervisor of Parks and Facilities, and Kari Clarke, Coordinator at Downtown Heritage Perth BIA, who helped steer the project through Council, we were put in contact with Kat Watson, Coordinator of the Youth Action Kommittee (YAK) Skills Link program, and Rick Woods, the Parks and Facilities go-to guy and keeper of the keys to the lawnmower.

Enthusiastic YAK team members, help to make the Stewart Park Community Labyrinth a reality!

Kat arranged for me to visit with the spring cohort of the YAK Skills Link program, to explain about labyrinths in the community, and what the project would involve. The young people were so enthusiastic about it, they were ready to haul stones and make a permanent masonry version that afternoon, and were annoyed to have to wait for Council approval. I had to laugh – they reminded me so much of my impatient younger self.

On a cold sunny day at the end of April, a team from YAK helped lay it out using surveyor’s flags and tape, and fence staples, a generous donation from the Perth Home Hardware store. We had decided on a Medieval 7-circuit with x and y axes to make U-turns on the path. We made mistakes and laughed a lot and had to make emergency trips for more supplies, but finally the CAUTION tape went up and we waited for the grass to grow.

First mowing by Jordan Lye-Lee, a YAK member planning to start his own landscape business.

First mowing was May 8th. Jordan Lye-Lee, a YAK member planning to start his own landscape business, was our first volunteer. The lines are just starting to show!

Perth Parks crew mow the labyrinth every Friday - the labyrinth starts to take shape!

The mowing was scheduled for every Friday, when the Perth Parks crew would be on site. We alternated just mowing the path and mowing both the path and the lines at different heights. It was such a rainy spring and early summer that it sometimes took three passes to get the whole thing done.

An information sign is installed at the entrance to the labyrinth.

Thanks to Image Printing in Perth, an information sign was installed at the entrance to the labyrinth. By mid-July, we noticed that the path hardly needed mowing because it was getting beaten down from being used so much!

Two weeks before Stewart Park Festival, YAK was between Skills Link cohorts, so “Sherpa” Mike Fletcher mowed the thick vegetation. It looked like a scalp job, but by Festival weekend, the grass had grown in and the labyrinth looked serene and lush.

By Festival weekend, the grass had grown in and the labyrinth looked serene and lush.

Festival weekend dawned – rainy and hot. By Saturday the weather had cleared, and the labyrinth provided a cool sanctuary for people of all ages, over 500 by one account. During the hot afternoons, the labyrinth was a magnet for kids and families whether playing make-up-your-own-games or taking a break from the crowds and noise. It was a pleasure to walk barefoot on the cool springy clover turf… or run races, reinvent hopscotch (one of the historical origins of the turf labyrinth), stand on your head… even check your FaceBook!

During the hot afternoons, the labyrinth was a magnet for kids and families.

We’re looking forward to seeing the labyrinth through the fall, and experimenting with some judicious application of slow-release fertiliser. While the long term goal is to put a stone paver labyrinth in place eventually, mown turf labyrinths can last for decades, with a little maintenance. In the height of a hot summer day, there really is nothing more delightful than walking a fragrant clover labyrinth in your bare feet.

There really is nothing more delightful than walking a fragrant clover labyrinth in your bare feet!

Memories of Chartres

When I took the Veriditas Facilitator Training with Rev. Lauren Artress in May of this year, she mentioned the Veriditas programs held in Chartres, France.  In particular there was a one week program called "Walking a Sacred Path: The Spiral of Transformation" planned for the first week of September, 2010.  I was immediately drawn to the "idea" of going there.  I mentioned this in an email to a good friend - and she instantly replied and encouraged me to follow my intuition.  I was already going to Ireland for two weeks to visit cousins of my Mom's that I had met in 2008.  How hard would it be to add one more week and travel to France first?

As I planned my trip, I began to realize that I was going on a Pilgrimage, a special journey that I had to do on my own.  Here is a definition of "Pilgrims" that seemed particularly fitting:

"People passing through territories not their own, following their own spiritual compass".

My week spent in Chartres was simply magical!  Rather than staying at Maison St. Yves with the rest of the group taking the workshop - I stayed at a lovely B&B (Chambres d'hotes MFL) on rue Muret. 




Entrance to my B&B, built in the 17th century!

Each morning as I wandered up the hill, looking up at the awe-inspiring Gothic cathedral that towered over the landscape, I found it hard to believe that I was actually there. And continually thought how great it is when you follow your instincts and go and do something that you feel really drawn to do!

View of Notre Dame du Chartres from rue Muret

Early in the week,we had plenty of time to explore the Medieval village on our own.  After the morning workshop, I wandered each day and enjoyed spending time in a Horticultural Garden; picnicking by the Eure River; peering down interesting alley ways; walking through the Cathedral; sitting in sidewalk cafes savouring a perfect cafe au lait, having a glass of wine at the historic Le Serpentine Cafe! I was perfecting "the art of doing nothing", giving myself time to "just be".

Lovely tree with ivy ground cover at le jardin d'horticulture

Beauty beyond the wrought iron gate

Picnicking by the Eure River - bliss!

Another aspect of the trip to Chartres was the opportunity to go on a tour of the crypt and a tour of the cathedral.  And also the chance of a lifetime to walk the labyrinth at Chartres! We were very privileged to be able to participate in a private, after hours candlelit labyrinth walk on the Thursday evening.  The labyrinth at Chartres is covered by chairs during the week, and only during the tourist season (from May through to the end of  September) - the chairs are removed early on Friday mornings and promptly moved back over the labyrinth late in the afternoon.

The centre of the labyrinth is divinely lit from within!



The labyrinth at Chartres fully revealed, we are walking a well-travelled path!

I have been back from my travels for almost a month, and know that I have been affected profoundly by the whole experience! This message from a labyrinth card pulled twice during my week at Chartres sums it up nicely:

I walk in reflection of the completed lesson and I choose to move forward. I am at peace!

The view from Maison St. Yves, anything is possible!

Creating a Special Space at the Health & Wellness Show

How satisfying to have pushed myself out of my comfort zone!  Yesterday was the first time Marie-Chantale, Amanda and I got to practise doing the basic presentation we had learned in the Veriditas Labyrinth facilitator training. We introduced people at the Health & Wellness show in Ottawa to our temporary classical labyrinth "under the willow".  We all felt nervous and anxious about the day - but those feelings fell away as we started to tell the story about this ancient and powerful meditative tool!

The whole process has been very energizing.  From having the initial idea, planning the event and how to promote it, to building the labyrinth out of rope and garden stakes in less than 2 hours!  The moment I saw the suggested location for the labyrinth I knew it was perfect.  I could even see circles and a spiral pattern in the grass.  We only noticed yesterday as people were doing the first labyrinth walk - the lovely statue of Mary - that could be seen through the trees.  It seemed as if she was also pointing right to this spot!

After we finished building the labyrinth on the Friday evening - I stayed on - and was setting up the signage for the event...  A young family came by and were having fun lying on the grass watching a hot air balloon fly overhead.  Their young son saw the labyrinth and immediately leapt up and ran over to the entrance.  He skipped and ran joyfully to the centre and back out - while his family went on ahead.  Our labyrinth was officially opened and ready for more visitors the next morning!

Throughout the day people started to make their way to the labyrinth.  Some on their own, a family with young children, a mom and dad with their grown daughters, a group of young professionals, a couple that had travelled the world, girlfriends, and so on.  Many people didn't understand the difference between a maze and a labyrinth.  Everyone seemed to have time to have thoughtful, meaningful conversations. They all interacted with the labyrinth in their own individual ways - and came away feeling calmer, more centred, and grounded. 

We found that we were very energized by the day and many creative ideas for future labyrinth experiences and events were flowing!

Labyrinth at the Health & Wellness Show

Recent graduates from the Veriditas Facilitor Training Workshop (held at St. John’s Anglican Church and facilitated by Rev. Lauren Artress) will be creating a temporary Classical labyrinth at this year’s Health & Wellness Show. The show is being held this weekend - Saturday June 5th and Sunday June 6th - at St. Paul's University, 223 Main Street, Ottawa.

Four open walks will be held during the weekend:
Saturday June 5th: 
Opening walk - 10:00 - 11:30 am; Afternoon walk - 2:00 - 3:30 pm
Sunday June 6th:
Morning walk - 10:00 - 11:30 am; Closing walk - 2:00 - 3:30 pm

The objective will be to introduce people to the meditative, healing and stress-relieving aspects of labyrinth walking. Each walk will be presented by a different facilitator – who will provide a brief introduction about labyrinths – and coordinate the open labyrinth walk. There will be an opportunity to reflect on the walk afterwards through creative expression or journaling.

A freewill donation will be requested. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Children at Risk (a charity supported by the Health & Wellness show organizers ) and to help build a permanent labyrinth in Carleton Place.

For more information contact:
Christine Hume, Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator
613 859 2136, chume@bsl.com