Christmas Eve 2020 at The Vancouver Public Labyrinth,
Stones remain in place,
Path remains well trodden . . .
Christmas Eve 2020 at The Vancouver Public Labyrinth,
Stones remain in place,
Path remains well trodden . . .
“Sunday,
We came across this cool little Labyrinth stone circle by False Creek.
Intrigued by one of my friend’s friend explanation of how it is meant as a reflective meditative journey/walk to contemplate and to feel,
We of course had to try this fun little exercise out.
The 3 of us tried it.
I was surprise – it worked.
The 3 of us came to the exit with very different thoughts and emotions invoked:
- a sense of peace with decisions made,
- an openness to what the world is offering followed by noticing three simple words ‘Love is Everywhere’ etched on a log ahead,
- and oddly the rush of anxiousness wondering when am I going to get the heck out of this circle.
Perhaps it is the slowing down to realize how far we’ve come along.
Perhaps it highlighted the present moment.
Perhaps it is the unknown of how many more turns before I get there;
I should embrace the unknown a little bit, lol.
Fast forward.
Today I did the grouse grind after work.
My mind was only focused on the goal at top.
There was no musing, only pushing myself harder, faster, stronger – feeling my legs and my lungs.
The circle, the grind, and the musing!
Try it, if not for the musing, for the curiosity.
It’s good to slow down once in a while 🙂 “
Happy to see my Vancouver Public Labyrinth remains well trodden, still walkable, and mostly intact.
Grateful.
“I love the stone Labyrinth on the False Creek Seawall …
& I always stop to smell the roses …
or whatever else smells interesting 😉.I do enjoy a little meditation,
although I’ve never felt the need to stay within the lines.”
Vice Regal MacDuff Austin-Chester belongs to the Honourable Janet Austin, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.
“Evan, Tylor, Evelyn and I were at a new Labyrinth when we were approached by a mysterious man who turned out to be the Labyrinth’s designer.
He told us a couple fun facts including the fact that Toronto has the most labyrinths of any city in the world!
So I guess we’ll be doing them all summer.
Labyrinths are great for mindfulness and meditation. 😊”
“Walk with me on the Meditation Maze in Toronto
Yesterday a friend and I went on a photo shoot through the Humber Bay Park and across the Humber Arched Bridge.
As we crossed over to the other side,
Where the Shared Path begins,
We saw this meditation maze and had to walk it ourselves.
It forces you to be mindful as you try to follow it without stepping on any lines.
Thanks for visiting and enjoy your day:)”
Why did the Muslim go to Church on Sunday?
To walk a canvas labyrinth of course! 😉
Earlier today, I finally made my many-years-long overdue trek out to Timothy Eaton Memorial Church on St. Clair Avenue West in Forest Hill.
For many years, they have had an open invitation to walk their canvas labyrinth on the first Sunday morning of the month.
Climate change being what it is nowadays, it remained mild enough for me to enjoy a pleasant walk from home rather than the need to bike or transit to reach TEMC.
I’d never entered the Church before, and I was in time for Services having arrived before they started. A pleasant older gentleman named George guided me to the labyrinth table in a nearby space where a mini-Christmas market was set up.
The space was filled with people and surrounded with tables topped with wonderful colourful crafts and handmade presents. Prices ranged from a few toonies to many dozens of dollars. Towards one wall, a table doubled as the cash register and the labyrinth table.
A hand-carved wooden finger labyrinth caught my attention. I introduced myself, saying that I had come to walk their canvas labyrinth. A friendly lady who was just about to head upstairs to the Reception Room where it was placed, lead the way.
Strange as this may sound, this was the first time I had ever seen a canvas labyrinth up close. I hadn’t realized that fact until I was standing in the doorway to the Reception Room.
Flickering candles cornered each of the eight points of the white canvas. This was a purple seven circuit inner chartes design. Three pillow cushions alternated in the centre alcoves. The centre itself had a small clay sculpture of people circled arm to shoulder to arm to shoulder to arm.
Light labyrinth walking music was playing. As I entered the room, children were walking, not running, but walking the labyrinth very quickly.
As I awaited the traffic to clear until it was my turn to walk the canvas, I signed the guestbook. A few books, news clippings, and newsletters about labyrinths were spread on a table. The table with the CD player had labyrinth related materials aimed at kids. Natural light, as well as intermittent vehicle traffic sounds from St. Clair Avenue, found their way into the room via the slightly open windows.
It all added up to an unexpected ambiance. I have never, never experienced walking any labyrinth like I did this morning. I am still processing it all…
The Canvas Labyrinth upon the carpet is similar in meditative feeling to the Muslim prayer mat laid upon a carpet. The candles and natural light felt outdoorsy yet we were indoors. Car sounds competing with the soft instrumental music combined for a unique sound environment. Weird, strange, yet re-charging all at once.
Susan Howard is chair of the TEMC Labyrinth Committee.
We had a wonderful kindred conversation.
I learned that today was the first and only time TEMC had ever rented this smaller labyrinth. Turns out this particular canvas belongs to JoAnn Stevenson from the Labyrinth Community Network.
For just this one Sunday, the Flora McCrea Auditorium was unavailable. The Church’s larger 36 foot canvas labyrinth was too big for this smaller Reception Room. Hence, the rented labyrinth. Had I not visited TEMC today, I would have missed walking this smaller canvas seven lane labyrinth.
Susan invited me to attend their special year-end labyrinth walk. They will have their regular larger labyrinth laid out. After a year of phenomenal change in the World, what better way to reflect on it all than to walk a large Canvas Labyrinth?
The Eve of New Year’s Eve Labyrinth Walk: Friday, December 30, 2011 (1 pm to 3 pm)
Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, 230 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto
All right. On to the next #Labyrinth. Sunnyside and bottom of the Humber river. Let's see how 'Baraka' is in this paint can… Running low.
— HïMY SYeD (@HiMYSYeD) June 19, 2011
— HïMY SYeD 🍥 City of Labyrinths Project (@LabyrinthsDOTca) September 19, 2020
— HïMY SYeD 🍥 City of Labyrinths Project (@LabyrinthsDOTca) September 19, 2020
— HïMY SYeD 🍥 City of Labyrinths Project (@LabyrinthsDOTca) September 19, 2020
— HïMY SYeD 🍥 City of Labyrinths Project (@LabyrinthsDOTca) September 19, 2020
“Walking the spiral path of twists and turns is an ancient spiritual exercise.
“Often the words labyrinth and maze are used interchangeably, but they are not the same. A maze is a network of paths and dead-ends, and one has to puzzle her way out. In contrast, a labyrinth has only one way in and only one way out. The walker simply follows the path.
“Twenty years ago in San Francisco at Grace Cathedral, I walked a labyrinth on its marble floor, a replica of the famous design found at Chartres Cathedral in France. It was an exercise that gave me profound calm and unexpected answers, all from just putting one foot in front of the other.
“I discovered there is a scientific reason for why this happens. The left side of the brain, which governs rational, logical and linear actions, is often overworked. Walking a labyrinth allows that side to rest, while the right side of the brain, which is associated with non-verbal, non-rational and the intuitive, is exercised, according to “The Healing Labyrinth,” an article in Barron’s by Helen Rafael Sands in 2001. After walking a labyrinth, the two hemispheres of the brain become balanced.”