Reflecting on labyrinth walks this year with a link to some of the past.

What Will the Year Bring?

Early in the year, facing low back surgery, I was uncertain how many labryinth walks I would make. It turns out later in the year offered many opportunities.  Here are some I took in this past year.

This past winter’s weather was a dud.  One week of winter with some snow.  But, mostly, cloudy, rain – not snow – and just day after day of waiting.  At least the labyirnth was accessible for me early on.  You can see the burn areas and the tan path to walk.  In February we drove north. The Keweenaw Peninsula had boatloads of snow, so I suppose my snow angel is “cheating” but with their labyirnth under feet and feet of snow, this will do.

We also stopped at Westfield, WI, to take in a labyirnth created by families in memory of a beloved son, son-in-law by the families. This labyrinth is well worth a walk. I hope counselors, pastors, and people in general will walk this wonderful labyrinth especially in these uncertain times.
Below is part of Roger Schmidt’s story he shared. We later talked on the phone.

“Everyday is a Holiday” (Andy Polk)

“Yes it is on the Westfield School Property.  I am quite sure that if school is in session it would be appropriate to go to the office and ask if you need permission.  If it is not a school day you can just park next to it and walk it.  I was the Superintendent at the time it was built and it was dedicated to my son in law who was killed in a tractor accident.  I built it with the assistance of Andy’s father and both of our families. I hope that you enjoy the journey.  Be sure to read the bricks as there are many that have messages engraved on them.  Andy was a beloved math and physics teacher and around 2000 people attended his funeral.  There were so many we had to have it in the school gymnasium.”

Something I CAN do!

While recovering I was happy to participate in and lead Friday Lapheld Labyrinth walks with and for Veriditas. Promoting The Labyrinth Society’s Gathering “Celebrating the Spirit of the Labyrinth” was great and a dry run for my talk in late October early November, “Spirits of the Labyrinths.”  Dia de los Muertos, All Saints and All Souls Days.

Embrace ‘Ayni’

This followed by a last minute request to help a colleague in Tasmania who had inadvertently double booked the time. “Embracing ‘Ayni’ through Solvitur Ambulando” or “What Can We Do When We Can’t Do Much?”*

*From online source Global Volunteers. “The Quechua word for this mutuality is “ayni”, meaning “today for you, tomorrow for me,” suggesting that giving comes before receiving. “Ayni” (eye-nee)   is the only commandment of the Incan religion that the Andeans know and keep until this day.”

Growing Together

What a happy way to contribute during what could be an otherwise slow recovery time.  Then, as fate has it, my colleague/friend, Tina in Tasmania, and I did a catch-up ZOOM.  As she shared why she needed a fill in for her presentation, another idea grew like summer blooms. Remember, this was summer in Australia and late winter in North America.

Competere*

 

Her community worked to prepare soil, grow and tend vegetables, pull weeds, sweat, complain and laugh together, gather and preserve fruits of their labor as they competitively “Grew Together.”  I was reminded of how the Friday Lapheld Finger Labyrinth walks had been growing since COVID-19 (March 2020 in the USA).

• Tina shared how a high shcool friend  and she bounced off ideas as they “competed”. From the Latin root word “competere” meaning to strive together, to seek together, to meet/coincide. Perfect!

“Growing Together” became our theme for an August Friday Walk. We engaged a conversation of how different groups can “grow together” and then invited our global labyirnth community to walk and share after. Amazing comments!

Mr. Rogers Inspirations

Again, filling in for colleagues, in late fall the theme, “Channeling Mr. Rogers: How the Ancient Path of the Labyrinth Can Guide Us as Modern Day Helpers,” struck a cord with participants in our Friday Handheld Finger Labyrinth walks. Technology expert, Annika, enthusiastically embraced the idea of short “chat rooms” so more people could participate.  The music selection initially was instrumental versions of Mr. Rogers’ songs. As tehcnology has it, something else happened and a riotous selection of similarly named songs popped up. People laughed as they delighted in this anomoly of music. Chats were followed by the closing plenary session. People shared such poignant comments as to fill my heart with appreciation for the opportunity to work with them and for branching out into a different way to engage people.

Stepping into Wellness

The “dud” winter proved helpful as I could walk the horseshoe drive for exercise.  Flat surface and enough steps to gain back strength. By spring I gingerly began walking the labyrinth using trek poles.  A measure of balance was the challenge of walking to the center on the raised limestone rectangles.  Over time I regained balance. By summer I was happy to see the flowers and as usual was delighted to see the blue lobelia and the Surprise Lily.

 

Travels Yield Labyrinths

August found us motoring to Chattanooga via Land Between The Lakes.  A fascinating history of taking over land, manipulation, regrowth, restoration. And, hugging the west side of Kentucky Lake is this wonderful little labyrinth. St. Peters of the Lake. A picnic, walk and into the Land Between the Lakes itself. Then on to Chattanooga.  Jessie and I endured heat on our walkabout to find the labyirnth at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. A respite inside the sanctuary revealed an elaborate and child centered altar. Terra Haute, IN, was a complete surprise.  Set off in Hawthorn Park a lovely labyirnth in honor of a family greeted us. Again a broiling day. So the coolness and sighing of the trees and quiet calls of summer birds soothed the soul.

Channeling Mr. Rogers 3.0

“It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a neighborly day in the beauty wood, could you be my, Would you be my?” Oh how people love Mr. Rogers to this day. And we could use more of him in our world today. Each presentation of Channeling Mr. Rogers has its variations. At the core is Pause…Kindness…Helping. And, Prairiewoods Spirituality Center is a grand place to live these values as a small group shared kindnesses they have received and extended to others. Autumn is just the right season to live Channeling Mr. Rogers 3.0.

Celebrating the Spirits of the Labyrinths

We meander. Springfield, MO, proved a great place to stop and the Drury Hotels scored again with service and friendliness. We plotted a clockwise route to visit three labyrinths in the late afternoon. The sequence proved just right.  The first labyrinth at Unity needs more than love.  While initially a good idea, without maintanence the labyrinth painted on a section of parkling lot way back in a corner had declined.  Uninspired it is bordered by a dumpster and storage building, faded, weedy and simply neglected.  * Contacts with the church asking their plans to revive yielded nothing. St. John’s Chapel United Church of Christ labyrinth is nicely situated even close to major roads.  Set down it’s protected by trees so has a cozy feel.  It, too, needs some love and the members appear to have plans to refresh it. The most inspiring and well kept is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church labyirnth.  Gorgeous!

 

Every year The Labyrinth Society hosts The Gathering.  In 2025 over Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, All Saints and All Souls Days we gathered at The Vines 4-H camp. Great time! Ingenious temporary labyrinths like the skull one this woman is walking.  And, reflections on creating a labyrinth from an old field.  Letting things happen and managing to a degree. (Note the reflection on the grass labryinth on the window to the left of the screen. Nearby Ferncliff Presbyterian Center’s labyrinth is tucked into the woods, tricky to find.  Worth it when you arrive. The website explains, “This 52 foot labyrinth of wood chips and rocks was built by students from Jonesboro, Columbine, Paducah who had been impacted by school violence and came to Ferncliff for healing over the course of five years.” The walk is not easy. Neither physically nor emotionally.  As my colleague and friend, Twylla, noted, “It’s all jumbled” and stirs up emotions.  In fact, the way is rough with rocks and roots. Healing is a messy path to walk.

 

Like the wise men in the Bible, we returned by a different route.  Our decision was simpler – we like to explore different places. So, Columbia, MO, found us exploring labyrinths, meeting friends for lunch and tucking in to another Drury Hotel. Prior to our visit the chaplain at the hospital and counselor at the high school all welcomed me with emails.

Again, our clockwise visits yielded the most serene for last.  The Rock Bridge Christian Church was an adventure getting to and finally in a round about manner, there we were.  It’s guardians are making renovations to the entry and near the center for accessibility.  A satisfying walk. Unity of Columbia maintains the labyrinth. The entry is lined with pavers of donors’ names and sayings.  A happy place. A friend whose wife had attended Hickman High School guided us via back byways to the school as traffic was building up. Students walked by as we watched. Later, Counselor, Paige Reed, explained that she and staff are working to refresh the labyrinth that was created in memory of a devoted friend and teacher.  Always a good feel to learn that. Last was a quiet walk at the Boone Hospital Foundation  labyrinth.

The Year Ends

The ONLY possible day for a burn was Sunday, November 23rd.  Clear skies and calm to light breezes finally followed days of fog and high winds.  The next two days fog rolled in again.  By then the Thanksgiving holidays were upon us.  And, a massive snow storm over that weekend.  I got in a walk on the burned labyrinth and am content now to let the labyirnth rest for the season.

Navigating Grief Through the holiday Season

Through the Nassif Community Cancer Center, Sayde Alexandrescu, Lisa Hanigan, and I created a poignant program for cancer survivor clients. Ways to acknowledge grief and welcome in light during this season where “abundance” can add to stress.  A lovely program and a surprise of connecting with  the labor and delivery nurse, Bonnie, who helped us navigate the journey of our son’s birth years ago.  Intersections.

This has been quite a year for labyrinth journeys.

• Note: As a Veriditas trained Advance Faciliatator and who works informatlly with webmaster, Jeff Saward, in the UK, I connect with labyirnth guardians. Each labyrinth I visit, I reach out asking the status and after to either compliment or ask their plans to refresh, restore or consider decomissioning.