My husband Andy and I created a labyrinth on our wooded property. Or as my husband says, we uncovered it much like Michelangelo removes bits and pieces from a large piece of marble to reveal a sculpture. Here is the story.
I have been very fortunate to have labyrinths come into my life about ten years ago. At the time, I was in a yearlong leadership training held in Sebastopol California for four one-week intensive sessions. The retreat was held on a beautiful redwood covered property that had many wonderful facets. I loved the outdoor shower, completely secluded with views of the woods and plenty of hot water. Not far from that was a swing that swayed on a very long rope beneath a lovely tree. The grass covered hill had a large labyrinth made of berms covered with grass, the path, worn down earth. Each day, our class of twenty would walk the labyrinth together, passing each other as the path meandered this way and that way. We would offer a smile to our passing friend; sometimes we had our fingertips graze each other. I came home thinking about labyrinths all the time. And when I went to San Francisco to take my coaching certification exam, my husband surprised me by taking me to Grace Cathedral to walk their labyrinth. I was hooked.
At home, we took off on our property to select a spot to build a labyrinth. The found location had a natural boulder right in the middle of an area miraculously absent of trees, except for the circular perimeter. We decided to collect rocks from our property to line the labyrinth path and I chose a design: the Baltic or Goddess labyrinth. My sweet Andy is a structural engineer so he created sketches and using laser levels and stakes, mapped it out on the land. Over a few weeks of backbreaking labor, the two of us collected the rocks and placed them to create the labyrinth. I have walked the labyrinth many, many times over the past decade in all seasons and have enjoyed the meditative space that the labyrinth has provided. A few summers ago on my birthday, Andy gave me a large brass temple bell that he placed just at the entrance. Now I ring the bell three times before I walk our treasured labyrinth and I remain so grateful that the labyrinth was revealed from our property.
Love Beauty Peace 