Another good example is Beltane or May 1st. Likewise, on the 25th of December - at the exact opposite end of the solar year, if you have once again been paying close attention to the rising or setting sun on the horizon, you can see that the light is returning (the days are having more light than dark) - an apt reason for that day being chosen by the Church as Christ's birth.īut labyrinths have been used to mark many other points on the solar year as well. "Solstice" means "Sun Stands Still." June 24th is the first day after the Summer Solstice (usually the 21st of June) when, if you are paying very close attention to the Sun's rising or setting point on the horizon, you can see that the sunlight is actually going away - the days are growing shorter. So it comes as no surprise that the Vikings saw that as an important turning point of the year. Mid Summer (St John the Baptist Day, June 24th) has long been a very important holiday in Sweden. For example, many of the Swedish Viking inland labyrinths are oriented toward the Mid-Summer Solstice Sunset. It is clear that labyrinths have been used for millennia as tools for rituals and ceremonies. I will be glad to share information on managing large numbers of walkers, exhibit and educational information, and experiential elements like music, ceremonial flags, and labyrinth rubbings. The users place the labyrinth on their laps with a marble to roll through the paths, with or without the help of hand holding. I also have a ‘lap-top’ labyrinth which can be experienced sitting down. In this area people of all ages can create labyrinth rubbings and see examples of different types and uses of labyrinths. I also include a table where labyrinth-centered experiential activities are available. Sometimes we even invite the musician to play the ‘pied piper,’ playing the instrument while leading the walk, and then once in the center, bathing each person in good vibrations. The musician sets up a booth from which the healing sounds are offered before and after the labyrinth walk. When crafting a labyrinth event, I love to include sound, especially didgeridoo and flute music, to expand the walking and healing experience. Here are some images of those walks which incorporate a 26-foot canvas labyrinth. In these programs, I use the labyrinth to open and close the day, with students bringing along their journals to record their reflections at the end of the day. I've also offered labyrinth walks within both the summer and after-school programs at The Learning Tree, a school in Carmichael, CA. View this short Soles4Souls labyrinth Video Hundreds of people, children included, enjoyed walking the labyrinth and sampling the many holistic services available that day. In perfect synchronicity, the event also happened to coincide with World Labyrinth Day. It was called the ‘Soles4Souls’ labyrinth. In 2011, Earth Day was moved from the university, and I was invited to collaborate with local groups in Carmichael, CA, that started an annual Day of Peace event.įor their first event on May 14, 2011, I was honored to create a labyrinth made entirely of donated shoes. Each year on that day, thousands of children encountered the labyrinth. For 15 years I created a temporary 75-90 foot labyrinth as part of the annual Earth Day celebration for California State University in Sacramento.
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