A labyrinth in the works

Yes, next month I’m turning 50.  

Okay, I heard those gasps and “OMG’s” – and now that you’ve stopped giggling, here’s what I’m doing to celebrate: I’m going to build a labyrinth in my backyard. What? You’re not giggling anymore!  

I’ve had a love of labyrinths for many years, stretching back to the days when Kelly and I had our wonderful little shop in Key West called Kindred Spirit. I had the chance then to walk my first labyrinths and to read about them in the books we had on the shelves. I’ve often dreamed of building my own. And this birthday seems like the right time to do it.  

So, during the month of July, I’m inviting anyone who wants to join me to come on over and help me build a labyrinth.  

Here’s what the space in my yard looks like today:  

The outside edge of the future labyrinth marked with stones. The angel statue will be in the center.

Based on the size of the circle, a classic 7-circuit labyrinth will fit. Although I’d LOVE to have a full size 11-circuit Chartres labyrinth, it just will not fit the space. Besides, it would be a lot more work to create (as you’ll see). So, here are two plans I’m considering using:  

Santa Rosa Labyrinth (designed by Dr. Lea Goode-Harris)

Winged Classic 7 (designed by John Ridder)

My idea is to have the path you walk on be earth (dirt) and the lines that mark the path will be a mosaic of broken china and pottery shards embedded in small trenches of cement. The lines will only be a few inches wide, but even a 7-circuit labyrinth will mean a lot of digging for the little trenches and a lot of shards to make the lines. (So, an 11-circuit is REALLY out of the question!).  

I’ve got a pretty good size stash of broken china and pottery from my many years in the tea business and the assorted accidents of life. But it may take even more than I’ve got. So, if you want to give me something for my 50th birthday, consider any chipped or broken dishes you might have! (Besides, I’d love to include them in my labyrinth as a permanent reminder of my friends.)  

Starter stash of broken china and pottery shards for the mosaic lines

If you aren’t familiar with labyrinths, there are many wonderful resources online to learn about them. Basically, they differ from a “maze” in that you cannot get lost on the path of a labyrinth. Unlike a maze, they’re not designed to trick you. There’s only one path in and out. You just follow it at your own pace to the center. Labyrinth’s are often considered to be a healing spiritual exercise that frees the mind and releases intuition. But, really, there’s no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth.  

So, if you’re game, drop me a message. I hope to be able to complete the whole labyrinth during July, but that’ll depend on how many of you want to help and how often we get out there in the sun to do the work of creating it.  

Don’t forget to check back to follow our progress!

A labyrinth called “Temple of the Heart” located at Star Dreaming in New Mexico