iSpiritual Blog

In this video, Eve Hogan, a certified labyrinth facilitator and author of "Way of the Winding Path," provides information on the use of labyrinths throughout time as well as its use as a nondenominational path of self-discovery. The labyrinth provides the perfect experiential tool for practicing the skills of self-observation, removing obstacles to success, gaining perspective and insight, and choosing appropriate action. Participants have the opportunity to walk the labyrinth to discover, first hand, its many beneficial attributes leading toward greater balance and harmony both internally and externally.
You can find Eve's book, The Way of the Winding Path on our site.

Shanti Chimes

There are so many products on the iSpiritual site, sometimes it's hard to find all the treasures hidden there! At the risk of appearing a little bit "sales-y" we are highlighting some of our favorites here.  We would love to hear your responses.

Shanti Chimes
The 'Shanti' chime is an authentic musical instrument, an original creation of high quality. Hand made in 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.

Shanti chimes come in several tunings, each with its specific magic timbre. Click PLAY to hear samples of the chimes.

* Moon Reflection- PLAY
* Crystal Morning - PLAY
* Sundance -PLAY
* Golden Harvest- PLAY
* Echo of Silence- PLAY

English Labyrinth

There are many purposes for labyrinth walks, including  monthly full moon labyrinth walks for women,  Lent walks at churches, labyrinth gatherings for the World Day of Prayer,  hope and healing labyrinths in hospital settings. We are constantly hearing about labyrinth events and gatherings happening all around the world

There is a comprehensive list of events on the Labyrinth Society Event Calendar.

Moonlight Labyrinth Walk

Maui Labyrinth

We have established wonderful connections with hospitals, providing products to facilitate healing and reduce the stress many patients experience.  We we charmed to read about the maze/labyrinth installation at the Dell Children's Medical Center in Central Texas.

“Throughout the hospital, artwork and sculptures grace the walls and reception areas,” explains Robert Bonar, President and CEO of Dell Children’s. “Since ancient times, art has been used as part of the process of healing. By providing a nurturing setting—whether it’s a piece of artwork, a courtyard or other symbols—we’re able to use these surroundings to join young patients’ spirits, minds and health.”

A stroll through Dell Children’s has been described by design specialists as “breathtaking.” It features:

* a three-acre, multi-level Healing Garden complete with a labyrinth, human sundial, reflecting pond and bridge;
* a plethora of art from both local and global artists, chosen more for the collection’s clinical healing power than for simple aesthetics; and
* courtyards and gardens that represent each of the seven eco-systems, each corresponding to a distinct area of the 46-county Central Texas region that Dell Children’s serves.

iSpiritual Labyrinth Designs for Hospital Use

Labyrinth facilitators around the world hosted labyrinth walks on January 22nd as an opportunity to provide healing for the victims of the Haiti Earthquake. Events were held throughout the United States and also in Canada, South Africa, Japan and the Netherlands.  Read entire article.

Global Labyrinth Prayer Walk For Haitian Earthquake Recovery

We are always delighted to read about new labyrinth installations. This article describes a new labyrinth project at Juniata College in PA.

On every college campus there is a student center, but where can students go to become centered? On the Juniata College campus, stressed-out scholars can head to Beeghly Library and "walk" the newly installed labyrinth, an ancient aid to meditation or prayer.

A labyrinth is a maze-like structure laid out on a flat surface, but the labyrinth differs from mazes in that mazes are complex puzzles featuring choices of path and direction, while a labyrinth has just a single path that leads to the center. Juniata's circular labyrinth is constructed in paver bricks and forms a contemplative study space near the north end of Beeghly Library.

"To 'walk' the labyrinth you start and follow the meandering math until it leads you to the center," explains David Witkovsky, chaplain at Juniata. "The metaphor is that as you walk toward the center, you clear your mind and find your own center. The center of a labyrinth is designed so you can stand or sit in the center if you are feeling meditative or prayerful."

Juniata's labyrinth was installed this fall as the class gift from the college's class of 2009. The project cost $15,000 and the class raised $13,380 for the gift. About 71 percent of the class contributed to the gift. The labyrinth, which is shaped as a circle, was installed by Tussey Mountain Landscaping.

Labyrinths date back more than 4,000 years and archeologists have found the pattered structures in sites in Crete, India, Egypt and Goa. In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was built by Daedelus to house the Minotaur, a ferocious half-man, half-bull that was killed by the Athenian warrior Theseus. The mythological labyrinth is described as a maze, which has lent confusion to how modern labyrinths can be used.

"The labyrinth doesn't have to have an overtly religious connotation, it really predates Christianity and many other religions," Witkovsky says. "It's a very old method of contemplation used (by cultures) all over the world."

The labyrinth form became associated with churches in the Middle Ages, when Christians who could not make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land instead visited cathedrals and made a pilgrimage through the labyrinths set in stone on the floors of the great churches. The pattern in Juniata's labyrinth is the same pattern used in the labyrinth at the historic medieval cathedral at Chartres, France.

"Typically, people start quickly and then slow down as they find their own rhythm and pace," Witkovsky explains. "As you walk out of the labyrinth, the idea is that you leave behind any worries or stress and then you're ready to re-enter the world."

Witkovsky is planning a spring event to "christen" the new quadrangle feature, although students already use the space as a study site. He plans to hold an educational talk and demonstration on how to walk the labyrinth, tentatively scheduled for the college's annual Springfest.

Juniata has held labyrinth events for the past few years, using a canvas labyrinth that rolls out onto a floor. The college uses the Sill Boardroom for most of its labyrinth events. Typically the campus ministry office advertises an opportunity to use the labyrinth once or twice a semester, usually around Christian Holy Days, such as Easter, Rosh Hashanah or Ash Wednesday. The college also has held events on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

"I see the labyrinth becoming part of our traditional events such as Springfest, Homecoming and Commencement," Witkovsky says.

Ashland, OR

Without any fanfare, a new labyrinth, made of natural stones, has sprung up in Ashland's railroad district, where it is offered as "a gift to the community" and a place to "center yourself in the big picture that surrounds us."

Created in the tiny, 21-foot-wide front yard of the Ashland Yoga Center at the corner of Fourth and B streets, the labyrinth invites the public to wander a seemingly aimless, stone-lined path to the center, where users have left notes with smiley faces and the word "love."

Read the entire article here.

Encinitas, CA

For the fourth year in a row, local artist Kirk Van Allyn, affectionately known as Kirkos to his devoted fans, painstakingly began creating an elaborate meditation labyrinth in the sand.

Against the bluffs sat an odd collection of tools including custom-made hybrids of lightweight fishing rods attached to squeegees and rakes, stainless steel angles and arches, and hollow pointed tubes.

Groups of people sat or stood to wait out Kirkos' latest creation ---- what he calls "mathematical poetry in the sand."

Two hours later, the 150-foot diameter labyrinth with sections of added iridescent colored sand, flowers and rocks, all surrounding a concave mirror encircled with dried vines, was complete. Then, at Kirkos' direction, people began walking the geometric design.

Its purpose is to serve as a "meditative walking tool."

"As you walk, you say, 'I don't know where I am in the twists and turns, but sooner or later I will get there,'" said Kirkos. "Sort of a metaphor of life."

The Grandview location was "supposed to be a secret" according to Kirkos, who said that the more than 1,000 people that gathered for the event in 2009 at Stone Steps in Encinitas caused "traffic problems."

Word spread through the seaside community and many more people happened upon the labyrinth, unsure of what was taking place, but intrigued.

"We just got lucky and stumbled on this," said Jose Garcia of Encinitas as he and his wife, Barbara, walked along the beach with friends visiting from Tuscon for the Holiday Bowl.

"I thought he was measuring for some sort of movie production," he added with a laugh.

Sculptor Lia Strell of San Elijo Hills came down to the beach specifically to support her fellow artist. She and her husband, Richie, and daughter Cori Anna have decided to make walking the labyrinth a New Year's Day tradition. As a former resident of Leucadia, Lia said she had seen Kirkos' labyrinths "pop up mysteriously" along the coastal stretch for years and had considered it a good luck omen and like "finding a treasure."

"I think it is very cool because a labyrinth has only one way in and one way out," said Cori Anna, a 12-year-old seventh-grade student at San Elijo Middle School. "Plus it's very pretty and colorful, and we get to do it on the beach and it all biodegrades."

Veriditas Labyrinth Dinner, Lecture, and Walk with Lauren Artress

Sunday, January 31, 2010
5:30 PM to approximately 8:30 PM
Sunday, January 31, 2010

Reservations are required. $60 per events.  For group discounts, call the office at 707-283-0373.

Visit the Veriditas site for information and registration

The evenings include:

• Labyrinth walk on the IONS Veriditas Labyrinth or indoor labyrinth depending on weather)
• Lecture on The Mystery and Meaning of the Labyrinth, using the labyrinth as a transformative practice
• Dinner of California fresh cuisine

The IONS Retreat Center is a beautiful collection of indoor and outdoor meeting spaces located on the IONS campus in Petaluma, California. Just 30 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Retreat Center is on 200 acres of beautiful rolling hills. It offers such gifts as pristine live oak woodlands, meandering hiking trails, and endless panoramic vistas of the California landscape.

Since we started selling Chakra Candles, we have been learning about Chakras, and their associated colors, scents, and power centers.

Chakra Candles

Found an interesting chart to share. It doesn't quite fit on our blog layout, but you can see the entire chart at chakraenergy.com