April 23 -27

I have been out for a few days on business other than the labyrinth.

The Pompton Plains Chartres Cathedral Labyrint event was quite good.  Visitors stated to arrive at 5:45 already.

My take on the music: ”French Sacred  Music of the 14th Century” was this:

Some soundtracks were quite invocative.  Other were more early renaissnance style musical ”fidlings”.   With that said I realize that I should have done some consolidating of the soundtracks to maintain the ”best.”

When I got to the Maolis Labyrinth on Thursday, due to weather, baseball teams and ploughings of the areas, only a very fainth imprint of the labyrinth symbol was left.

I redrew the labyrinth.  I also realized that due to the sun and warm weather the sand was kind of “baked” and it was not easy to even put a sizable stratch in the surface.   I did the best I could and also attempted to draw a deriviative to the basic 5 curcuit labyrinth design.

It attempts to combine the elements of the traditional  ”one path only”design with the “open heart design” and the ” ceremonial ( 2nd center design) into one design that facilitates all of those.

Well then the rain came - again - and washed all that away.   When I went out today, ( 4/27) due to the heavy rain the labyrinth gone. 

  

 

Yet the sand was nice and soft.  I redrew a slightly smaller version of it. 

 Picture below is of the - due to the rain - recurring “Watsessing Lake” - by the way there used to be an actual Watsessing Lake way back. 

Also is is becoming obvious that spring is coming to Watsessing.

 

 

Creative Labyrinth Photos - April 22, 2007

Upon setup of the Labyrinth in Pompton Plains we did some creative Photography.   

 

 Shown in the Photos above are Rose Ann, Assistant with the New Jersey Labyrinth Project and Mellissa Graff, Intern from the Dover College of Business, School of Massage

                                 

 

Sunday April 22, 2007 Pompton Plains Labyrinth

Thank you everyone who came to the Labyrinth in Pompton Plains.

 

Share your reflections, commentaries, opinions on the music, reflections on some of the discussions, or anything else you'd like to express.

A permanent link to this page is in the Blogroll section on the menu bar to the right.

View the Slide Show of the Pompton Plains Labyrinth

April 20, 2007

Today my friend Rose Anne stepped by.  I gave her a tour of the labyrinths.   We walked with I-Pods to sample the music that I am planning for this Sundays Labyrinth in Pompton Plains:  French Sacred Music of the 14th Century.

 

  

    View all images of the “Spring Season of the Labyrinth“

 On the way back to the house I passed at the Cateret Street Labyrinth.  New footprints in the sand indicated that others must have walked in the meantime.

 

                                                

April 19, 2007 - The Labyrinth at Virginia Tech

I was doing some labyrinth browsing, and I thought it was interesting the at this time of the Virginia Tech ongoings this site came up on google:

Virginia Tech: Medieval & Renaissance Studies: The Labyrinth  

Perhaps this is a good time to make the Labyrinth at Virginia Tech available for a few weeks or month as a therapeutic tool. 

April 18, 2007

Today started at the dentist - then a massage appointment for my friend Terry.   Upon getting home I got Charley ready, since usually after walking the labyrinth we go on to the Watsessing Dog Park.

I went to the space at Cateret street first.  I thought that as result of the rain the labyrinth was completely gone, yet I found there were still traces of it.   It redrew it in actually 4 minutes.

  

I think it is save to say that a new yet old form of meditation has made a comeback through the labyrinth.  Reading the editorial reviews of the publications in the labyrinth shoppe will give more information.

Further documentation is available through those links:

• Short Video Presentation on the Labyirinth through Grace Cathedreal, San Francisco.
• The Labyrinth Society
• The New Jersey Labyrinth Project
• Watsessing Labyrinth Slide Presentation Part 1
• Watsessing Labyrinth Slide Presentation Part 2

These photos are the labyrinth flag in from or out house:

   

April 17, 2007

As I approached the Labyrinth today, I sat on a bench on the way.  There was a big puddle in front of me - leftover from the rain - yet it looked like a small pond. 

 

2 kids were there skipping flat rock on the “pond”.   When I continued walking towards the labyrinth, the kids started walking as well.   They arrived at the labyrinth first.   They looked at it, then one of them starting to walk it.    He walked a bit fast as far a I was concerned.  

 Then some more kids arrived on bikes.   I was still a bit away. I noticed them riding with the bikes in the labyrinth.   It looked like they were driving all the way over it.  Perhaps they were attempting to destroy the design.   Eventually they moved on.

When I got to it I realized that the labyrinth was fine.   The kids with the bikes had actually tried to ride the path of it.  The picture below shows the marks of the bike tires in the labyrinth.

  

 When waling I realized that at times I felt “full”, and other times “empty” - “filled” and  “depleted” -  “home” and “out of sorts”

I thought about the design of the 5 circuit sand labyrinth and what a proper name for it should be.  Traditionally there is one path only that leads to the center.  There are no choices of path. 

My 5 circuit version with the shortcut from the entrance straight to the center it actually is non-traditional.  It can be walked as a righthand or a lefthand labyrinth.  It can be walked serveral times without actually exiting it.  It also allows for a quick exit straight from the center and vice versa.  It also allows for a quick visit back to the center just prior to exiting.  It is a labyrinth with options.  Because if the shortcut it looks like a figure of of person.   The shortcut to the center is where the heart of the person would be located.   That is why I thought naming it:

• The Open Heart Labyrinth.

The design is variable though, it could be a closed heart designed, an open but small heart,  or an open  large heart design.

I was also wondering if drawing a labyrinth in the park could by some be considered creating graffiti.  Any one else have some thoughts on this ? 

April 16, 2007 - After the Storm

After the rain stopped I went to the Cateret Street Labyrinth first.  It was completley flooded out.   With still a lot of puddles.   Yesterday the I entire area must have been underwater.

 

  The Maolis Ave Labyrinth also must have been completely under water - yet there were slight traces left. 

 

I did what I always do.  I took just a few minutes.  With a stick a began to retrace the lines. 

  

 I realized that the act of drawing the labyrinth can be a meditational experience just as the act of walking it.

The 5 circuit labyrinth design that I have been using is kind of an ideal design.

• It is large enough to provide a substantial walk
• It is small enough as to not become too labor intensive

It seems that every time I draw one they become more and more geometrically correct and easier to draw.

Perhaps this is an advancend step of the process of the use of Labyrinths today.  It can be created in minutes and be  ready to use.

Rather than travelling a distance to a permanent site, or go to an organized event at a scheduled time,  one can - almost magically ( within 5 minutes )  create and walk one - all in one  “labyrinth session”.  

I am setting up a wordpress category entitled “labyrinth journals“.  Anyone who decides to document there labyrinth journeys is invited to add their information into the same category.

April 15, 2007 Rain and Storm Day

Today is the day of the great storm of the East Cost.  I am scheduled to do the drumming circle in Chatham, NJ.    I’m sure the 2 labyrinths in Watsessing Park will be washed out.  If I can - and the rain stops - I will go out tonight and restore them. 

Labyrinth in Pompton Plains, NJ; April 22

To post to this page - arrow to the bottom of it

 At the Labyrinth: - Sunday, April, 22nd

F R E N C H - S A C R E D - M U S I C
O F - T H E - 1 4 T h - C E N T U R Y
B Y - S C H O L A - D I S C A N T U S
in Bose Sound

View a Video Introduction to the Labyrinth

JOIN US TO WALK THE LABYRINTH

                            ENTER A DIFFERENT TIME AND PLACE

“WALK THE PATH THAT THE ANCIENTS WALKED”

There are many ways to pray. Each world religion has a somewhat different variation.
Yet, there is one common core that unites all those traditions:
The mind has to quiet, the heart hopefully opens and we can listen to and respond from the deepest,
innermost part of ourself that knows wisdom.
For many of us the ability to quiet the mind and pray deeply form within has eluded us.
Our lives are too busy, too fragmented to sit down quietly and pray.

Walking the Labyrinth, in whatever form you choose, has begun to catch people’s attention.
The Labyrinth has been found in many cultures and spiritual traditions throughout the world.
It has been used as a walking meditation to assist us in finding peace, managing stress,
healing physically, emotionally and spiritually and to connect to “that which is within”.

Join us to walk the candle lit Chartres Cathedral Replica Labyrinth.

Sunday, April 22nd
6 - 8:30 pm
The First Reformed Church in Pompton Plains
529 Newark Pompton Turnpike
Pompton Plains , NJ

View Slideshow  

Enter through Friendship Hall

 Lots of parking across the street
Church office: 973-835-1144
Driving Directions

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Labyrinth Set-Up Services provided by:
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