Labyrinth News

Our retail store, 2 Women Traders, was named New Business of the Year by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce!

The Stars of Lake County program was initiated in 1998 by Judi Pollace, past president of the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce, (now the Lake County Chamber). The program was co-sponsored by Lake County Publishing and Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa, for the first twelve years.

The Lake County Chamber’s board liked the idea of providing recognition for the hardworking volunteers, businesses and organizations who do so much for Lake County and the Stars of Lake County Community Awards are the result. It is the only recognition program of its kind in Lake County.

During the first fourteen years 1500 individuals, businesses and organizations have been acknowledged by community nominations for their efforts to improve the quality of life in the community of Lake County. We average over 100 nominations each year from throughout Lake County. The Selection Committee is comprised of individuals from every part of the County, who receive copies of each nomination before meeting to choose the recipients in each category. Once they come together, each nominee is reviewed and then a secret ballot is cast. Only three people know who the recipients are prior to the an-nouncement at the Awards Program.

We love where we live and  appreciate the great people who make up our community and clientele! Stop by Two Women Traders in Middletown to see our iSpiritual labyrinths and spiritual gifts "up close and personal".

The third World Labyrinth Day will be held on Saturday May 5, 2012. World Labyrinth Day is an annual global event celebrated each year on the first Saturday in May, sponsored by The Labyrinth Society, an international organization founded in 1998.

The Labyrinth Society invites the world to ‘Walk As One at 1’ in an attempt to create a wave of peaceful energy moving around the planet. To participate, people are invited to walk a labyrinth at 1:00 p.m. in their local time zone. While large group events are planned, no event is too small. Individuals who wish to participate may use a finger labyrinth in the comfort of their home.

In the past, a variety of events were held at over 100 locations worldwide, including the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., churches, and even a maximum-security women’s prison. Countries joining the celebration included: the United States, Canada, England, the Bahamas, France, Spain, New Zealand, China, South Africa, and Australia.

While the origin of the labyrinth is unknown, labyrinths have been found all over the world dating from earliest antiquity. Once popular in the Middle Ages, labyrinths have been experiencing a resurgence in popularity. It has become increasingly common to find labyrinths in schools, prisons, parks, hospitals, spas, churches, and retreat centers. The World Wide Labyrinth Locator, www.labyrinthlocator.com, an online database, lists over 3400 labyrinths around the world.

Labyrinths are thought to enhance right brain activity, and uses include problem solving, conflict resolution, walking meditation, modern day pilgrimage, and stress management. The American Cancer Society states that labyrinths "may be helpful as a complementary method to decrease stress and create a state of relaxation."

Research studies conducted in a variety of settings consistently have shown that walking a labyrinth reduces stress. In fact, over the past few years, this has been the most commonly reported finding related to the so-called ‘labyrinth effect,’ according to John W. Rhodes, Ph.D. Chair of The Labyrinth Society Research Committee.

The Labyrinth Society (TLS) is one of the foremost groups responsible for promoting the current international labyrinth movement. The Labyrinth Society is an international organization whose mission is to support all those who create, maintain and use labyrinths, and to serve the global community by providing education, networking, and opportunities to experience transformation. Since its inception, more than 1500 people have joined TLS. One of The Labyrinth Society’s greatest contributions has been helping to establish The World Wide Labyrinth Locator.

Additional World Labyrinth Day information and resources are available on The Labyrinth Society’s website at http://labyrinthsociety.org/world-labyrinth-day

We are excited to present this new product  from the same artisan who made the popular Shanti chimes. The Koshi Chime is a new concept in chimes, with a new design and new melodies.
From the artist: The ‘Koshi’ chime is an authentic musical instrument, an original creation of high quality. Hand made at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains, each chime is the result of meticulous craftsmanship.
Eight chords are welded with silver into the metal plate at the base of the resonance tube. Precise tuning creates a play of clear tones that is rich in overtones. The overtones of the shorter chords gradually dominate and become fundamentals, thus forming a circular tone range.
Koshi chimes come in four tunings. Each has a specific magic timbre and can be played harmoniously with all others.
The tube, made in our workshop, consists of bamboo veneer treated with natural oil. I have used bamboo veneer as it is much stronger than the natural bamboo. A true “resonance tube” of a high acoustic quality is made with thin layers of bamboo. This and a new tuning technique that I developed give the sound even more depth and enrich the harmonics.

Move the chime gently holding it by its cord: the crystalline, relaxing sound may leave you in quiet wonder. Outside, as it plays with the wind it will carry you away on an unexpected melody.

We just loved finding this article about planting a "bulb" labyrinth.  Many of our hand held labyrinths are used in settings with children. This is another wonderful example of  inspiring and being inspired by children and the possibilities of labyrinths. See the entire article here.

• Why engage young people in constructing a labyrinth from flower bulbs?

Labyrinths are often constructed from stones, or from larger plant materials such as herbs, flowering perennials and shrubs. Planting bulbs directly into a lawn is a faster and easier way to create one. You can organize a planting, and enjoy the labyrinth as a temporary and beautiful construction that is simply mowed after the bulbs have flowered. It is a unique, low maintenance, creative, celebratory experience of nature and ancient customs.

Studies have shown that walking a labyrinth encourages right hemisphere activity in the brain, promotes a calm focused attention span, and mentally, physically, emotionally refreshes children, youth and adults who walk the path. It connects to history, math sequencing, philosophy, and even architecture. It promotes spiritual development without focusing on “religion.” Children report that they feel less angry or frustrated, and that they gain insight for solving problems. Some children may indicate a closeness for friends and others with whom they walk the labyrinth. Walking the labyrinth can help in the grieving process.

The labyrinth can provide a unique alternative to traditional playground activity, and the process promotes planning, collaborating, and connecting to the community.

We recently read about the  labyrinth project of the Almetto Howey Alexander Foundation.  This may be the first Afro-Centric Labyrinth in the United States. Artist Tom Schulz  designed a specific labyrinth that while based on the conventional eleven-circuit pattern, speaks to the ancient African origins of the labyrinth. His studies and to-scale painting interpret aspects of Almetto Howey Alexander's life journey through personalized symbolism, imagery and color.

Activities are often thought of as group-oriented, competitive sports, skill-oriented, performance or even pressure. The labyrinth provides a balancing activity, one which may best be pursued alone, in one's own time of need, searching, or desire for peace and focus. Experiencing the solace of journey provided by a labyrinth brings peace, healing, and enlightenment — mental health — appropriate for people of any age. The labyrinth itself is a beautiful monument to heritage and history.

The spiritual and actual presence of the labyrinth will fulfill the dreams of its founder — a person who spent her life working for her community in education and civil rights — and will offer the benefits and reminders of this continuing journey to the community's next generations.

Read more here and on the Foundation website.

We are now offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $65.

New Item! Glass Labyrinth Sun Catcher

Aurora Glass Foundry, owned and operated by the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, Oregon. Aurora Glass has become a powerful resource for the community, recycling old windows and other waste glass that previously landed in the dump. All the profits are returned to the community in the form of assistance for homeless and low-income people through emergency services, housing, jobs, training, and other charitable endeavors.

This tasteful recycled glass Labyrinth Suncatcher with the Chartres labyrinth image will add beauty to your home all year round. It hangs from a looped hemp cord finished with Czech glass beads.

Veriditas shared this wonderful finger labyrinth online tool. Open with the "click here" link and follow the path.

We have set up a page of our site with all our Chartres style labyrinths, and started gathering more historical information about this beautiful and legend- rich labyrinth.  The best article  was written by Jeff  Saward  and is posted on Labyrinthos.

With its history, inspiring architecture and beautiful stained-glass windows, it is no wonder that Chartres Cathedral is one of the most popular tourist attractions in France along with the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.

Labyrinths only became popular as meditation devices in the past 20 years, according to  Dr. Lauren Artress, author of “Walking a Sacred Path” and a priest at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Artress started promoting labyrinths in 1991, founding the organization Veriditas with the goal of “peppering the planet with labyrinths.”

Artress said she started promoting the use of labyrinths when she noticed people needed something to give them sustenance and solace that was not exclusive to Christianity. She said her first experience with a labyrinth captured her imagination.

“It was such a wonderful way of being able to quiet the mind and focus, so I had control over my thoughts rather than my thoughts had control over me,” Artress said.

While labyrinths are used for walking meditations now, it is still uncertain what the original creators of labyrinths had in mind. Labyrinths appeared in pre-history in a variety of cultures around the world, said Kristin Doll, a doctoral candidate in religious studies at NU who wrote a master’s thesis on the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France.

“The way they actually used and conceived of the labyrinths is still mysterious,” Doll said.
Despite its mysterious origins, there are many labyrinths around the country. According to Veriditas’ website, there are 2,660 portable and permanent labyrinths in the U.S.

Cloth Labyrinth at Northwestern U

Students and faculty at Northwestern University looking for a spiritual experience or calming environment can visit Parkes Hall, Room 122 and follow a winding, circular path to the center of a labyrinth.
The labyrinth is not a permanent fixture but a piece of fabric laid on the floor with a printed maze-like pattern. Candles are placed around the cloth, which is the size of an average classroom. It is open for anyone to visit every Wednesday throughout Spring Quarter.

This article was excerpted from The Daily Northwestern.

We are always delighted to find labyrinths in new places. This one is in Philmont NY.  It is the creation of Walking the Dog Theater,  Columbia County’s most prominent theater organization, which is dedicated to serving the community through the arts.

The labyrinth, a maze-like structure that invites walking along its curved paths, appreciation of the landscape around it, and activities for all ages in all seasons, has become an attraction for inhabitants of Philmont as well as for visitors from far and wide.

Tea House Labyrinth in Philmont NY

Tea House Clean-Up
The marble floor of the historic Tea House at Harder Mansion (now The Hearth) was recently vandalized. Young people smashed the marble tiling - and were caught. Sentenced by the judge, the three young people were required to work under the guidance of stone mason and Philmont resident Tim Smith of TD Smith Stonemasonry. The international work crew as well as several members of the community joined forces with the idea to recycle the vandalized, broken marble tiles of the historic Tea House into the central piece, the “Rose”, of the labyrinth that would be placed below/South of the Tea House, and to consolidate the marble tiles that are still whole in the center of the Tea House floor, readying it for a future, more complete restoration. The Tea House is now safer and by involving the youth of the community, it will hopefully prevent future vandalism, as was and is the case with the beautifully restored bridge in the park.