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.
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.
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.
“Walking the Labyrinth” has emerged today as a metaphor for the spiritual journey and a powerful tool for transformation. This walking meditation is an archetype, a mystical ritual found in all religious traditions. It quiets the mind and opens the soul.
Walking a Sacred Path explores the historical origins of this divine imprint and shares the discoveries of modern day seekers. It shows us the potential of the Labyrinth to inspire change and renewal, and serves as a guide to help us develop the higher level of human awareness we need to survive in the twenty-first century.
We have partnered with Dr. Artress and Veriditas to serve as their e-commerce partner. You can purchase the book and view all the Veriditas products on the iSpiritual website.
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.
The OMG (Open Meditative Gift) is a wonderful assortment of labyrinth products It contains a great book, a finger labyrinth, and set of mini labyrinth cards.
NEW Heart of Peace labyrinth. A heart shaped labyrinth design engraved with a powerful message of love.
Check out our scarves and sarongs and new jewelry. Many meaningful and lovely gifts at affordable prices.
We are offering a 10% off coupon for all orders placed in April and May. Type HOLIDAY in the coupon field when placing your order.
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.
Tulsa Labyrinth Circle, an informal new organization, will sponsor labyrinth walks on Sunday afternoons through March.
Labyrinth walks are an ancient, pre-Christian spiritual exercise that since Medieval times have been used by some Christian traditions, according to the Rev. Cindy Ritter, one of the organizers of the walks.
Ritter is an Episcopal deacon at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Broken Arrow, and volunteer chaplain, nurse and labyrinth facilitator at the Clarehouse, a home for the terminally ill at 7617 S. Mingo Road.
Labyrinths date back to 2,500 B.C., she said. No one knows who designed the first one.
“They’re not owned by one religious tradition; they’re used by all cultures and religions,” she said. Each Sunday afternoon in March, from 2 to 4 p.m., Ritter will facilitate a labyrinth walk.
The session will begin with an opening ceremony, an explanation and handouts about how to walk a labyrinth.
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.
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.
We have set up a page of our site with all our 
Tulsa Labyrinth Circle, an informal new organization, will sponsor labyrinth walks on Sunday afternoons through March.