Dedication of the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth - June 18, 2011

Preparing for the dedication!

We who are gathered here hold hopes and dreams for this beautiful labyrinth. Take a few moments to silently identify our own desires and prayers for this wonderful healing tool. (Pause.)

I invite you to cup your hands before you. (Like this.) Imagine putting all your desires for this labyrinth in your hands until they are overflowing.

As you open your hands outward, send all the possibilities that you have imagined for this healing tool toward it.  Thank you!

I am going to offer several prayers for this labyrinth. After each, I would invite all of us to respond by repeating the following phrase,
“We dedicate this labyrinth to the well-being of our community.”

If you would like, lift your hands toward the labyrinth as an indication of the blessings we are sending to it.

The positive energy could be felt by all!

Leader:
Please join me as we dedicate this labyrinth.

Community:
“We dedicate this labyrinth to the well-being of our community.”

Leader:
May this labyrinth be a place where we welcome the hopes that are brought here, as well as the pain, the questions, the sighing, the laughter, the tears, and expressions of surprise.

Community:
“We dedicate this labyrinth to the well-being of our community.”

Leader:
May those who arrive in despair find the courage to step over the threshold into the possibility of transformation.

Community:
“We dedicate this labyrinth to the well-being of our community.”

Leader:
May those who walk here seeking wisdom, find it.

Community:
“We dedicate this labyrinth to the well-being of our community.”

Leader:
May those who travel the labyrinth’s path carrying heavy burdens discover the ability to set them down.

Community:
“We dedicate this labyrinth to the well-being of our community.”


We all feel connected!

Leader: May the center be a place where those who are exhausted find rest, where those who are grieving receive comfort, and where those who are dejected encounter unexpected joy.

Community:
“We dedicate this labyrinth to the well-being of our community.”

Leader:
May those discovering new perspectives here, find the courage to act on them.

Community:
“We dedicate this labyrinth to the well-being of our community.”

Leader:
May all who experience the labyrinth discover Divine Love as their companion.

Community:
“We dedicate this labyrinth to the well-being of our community.”

Leader:
May it be so! Amen

Closing the dedication with a chain dance to the centre!

CREDIT:
The prayer was from Jill Geoffrion, and I changed some a bit.  Vanessa Compton

The Granite Bench!

This Wednesday the "Finger Labyrinth Granite Bench" was installed at the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth.  We chose to show the Chatres pattern as the finger labyrinth - as this demonstrates that there are different styles of labyrinths, this one being the most dramatic! 

Using your finger to trace into the center and then out again, will give you the possibility of experiencing some of the same healing, centering and guiding energies you can find by walking the full-size version.  Remember to bring some of the calmness and stillness you feel with you as return to your busy life!

Bench installation by the creators - Kinkaid & Loney Monuments, Smiths Falls



The Chartres Labyrinth's geometric form beautifully etched in granite.



A place to pause and ponder!



Labyrinth Fest - Schedule of Events

“Labyrinth Fest” which takes place on Saturday, June 18th from 10 am to 4 pm, is a celebration to open our new community labyrinth! Labyrinth Fest will be a community wide and beyond celebration, the schedule for the day is unfolding wonderfully!

Schedule of Events (as of June 2nd)

• 10:00 am  Welcome - Harpist Marion Miller and Janice Parton
• 10:15 am  Opening Ceremonies - Mayor Wendy LeBlanc
• 10:30 am  Blessing of the Labyrinth & Facilitated Walk - Vanessa Compton
• 11:00 am  The Saturday Singers: Gloria Baker, Peter Brown, Frak and Mary Martens
• 11:30 am  Learn About Labyrinths, Presentation - Debby Lytle
• 11:30 am  Drumming Group
• Noon         Yoga Demo with Tamara and Tomasz from the Yoga Station
• 12:15 pm  Lunch
• 1:00 pm    Taoist Tai Chi Demonstration
• 1:15 pm    Sara Mitchell, Singer/Songwriter/Musician
• 1:30 pm    Learn About Labyrinths, Presentation - Debby Lytle
• 2:00 pm    Facilitated Labyrinth Walk - Marie-Chantale Noël
• 2:30 pm    Barley Shakers Musical Group
• 3:00 pm    Pets in the Labyrinth, Facilitated Walk - Christine Hume
• 4:00 pm    Close

Vendors
Finger Labyrinths in Glass and Polymer Clay, Handcrafted Journals - Joanne Foster
Meditations in Watercolor and Pencil - Jacquie Christiani
Swirlicious Jewellry - Teri White
Labyrinth Pillows and Hangings - Joyce Layman

Food Vendors
Saigon's Delight
St. James Anglican Women's Council

Other Attractions
Children's Activity Table
Carleton Place in Bloom/Carleton Place & District Horticultural Society
Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum
Hall of Valour

We Walked as One at One!

A small group of enthusiastic walkers, some with their dogs, joined together to walk the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth at 1:00 pm on Saturday May 7th, 2011. At the very same time around the world, there were others walking labyrinths in honour of World Labyrinth Day!  The simple objective is to effect a rolling wave of peaceful energy as the world turns.  How profound is that!

Walking the Path Together Makes a Difference!

Our Dream Becomes Reality!

 “The labyrinth is a larger-than-life metaphor of the spiritual journey. It calls you to trust the path and to experience directly what is happening. The path, the turns, the center, and all that you encounter on the walk have something to teach you.”

Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress, The Sacred Path Companion

It feels absolutely wonderful to have a long-awaited dream come true!  Here are some photos to show recent changes - as the labyrinth space starts to come together.  We are working towards having everything ready for our Labyrinth Fest celebration on Saturday June 18th... Hope to see you there.

A place to rest and take some time for reflection.



Garden beds full of promise.

A Welcoming Sign invites you to Walk the Path

Inspiration underfoot.

Inspirational Stones

These stones will be set
into the pathway leading to the labyrinth entrance.

Labyrinth Fest! June 18th - 10 am to 4 pm

Come and Celebrate the Official Opening of the Carleton Place Community Labyrinth!

On Saturday June 18th, a festival of fun for all ages will showcase the official opening of Carleton Place’s newly built permanent labyrinth on the grounds of Carleton Place & Beckwith Heritage Museum (formerly the Victoria School Museum). Organizers from The Labyrinth Committee (TLC) are planning an informal daytime festival theme, where visitors are welcome to drop in between 10 am. and 4 pm. on Saturday the 18th. We invite you to experience our newly completed labyrinth, enjoy a wide variety of music, visit artisan booths with labyrinth themes, and enjoy lunch or snacks from the vendors on-site. Children of all ages can visit the activity table to make a lantern for future evening walks.

Make a lantern for an evening labyrinth walk!

“It’s a really exciting time for the Committee - after three years of planning, fund-raising, and holding several public events, the labyrinth will now be a permanent fixture in Carleton Place. We are proud to bring this experience to our community! ” exclaims Debby Lytle, TLC chairperson.

A Grand Opening and Official Ribbon-Cutting will kick off the festivities. For those who are new to the labyrinth experience, facilitated walks will be held throughout the day by qualified instructors. A slide presentation will also be shown inside the museum for those interested in knowing more of the history and reasons for the labyrinth's modern revival.

“We decided that a fun, festival-like feeling is a perfect way to open the new labyrinth, and thank our many community supporters and volunteers,” adds Lytle.

For those who are new to the labyrinth experience, a labyrinth is a circular path - an ancient spiral form that has been used for over 4,000 years. A single entrance point guides the walker through a series of turns that lead to the centre of the pattern. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth holds no tricks or dead ends. The walker can focus on a thought, a prayer, or simply enjoy the walk itself. Walking a labyrinth has been used for centuries to support healing, meditation, and personal growth.

For more information call Debby 613-257-1014
A full schedule of events will be posted here soon!