Sunday 28th April, 2019
World Labyrinth Day 2019
World Labyrinth Day 2019 is on May 04th.
So to all the Star Wars fans: May the Force be with you!
This year is the 11th Annual World Labyrinth Day.
The theme of World Labyrinth Day is “Walk as One at 1”, and it’s about promoting peace around the globe.
This is the first of a couple of blog posts that I want to share around this event.
Please check back in for for my post around World Labyrinth Day in Schools.
I am planning a third post later this week to focus on World Labyrinth Day Australia.
(Gosh, I am committed now!)
It is something that I celebrate every year, usually by attending the open walk facilitated by my friend Ange, offered at McClelland Gallery Labyrinth.
See my blog post about the McClelland Gallery Labyrinth HERE.
Also check out my Introduction to Labyrinths blog post below.
PRESS RELEASE
GLOBAL EVENT — SATURDAY, MAY 4th 2019:
What do you call the journey of a thousand footsteps that winds up exactly where it began?
The answer lies in the labyrinth: an ancient archetype recently rediscovered as a path of prayer and walking meditation.
This spring the Labyrinth Society (TLS) invites the world to cross mental borders in a shared symbolic walk for peace in celebration of the 11th Annual World Labyrinth Day (WLD).
Held on the first Saturday in May, individuals or groups can participate by holding private walks or public events on the labyrinth.
“As mindfulness and meditation have gone mainstream, people around the world have been turning to labyrinths as a spiritual exercise or for stress relief,” says Lars Howlett. “Based on an informal event survey in 2018, over 5,000 people participated in WLD from more than 35 countries.”
TLS encourages participants to be counted by taking a WLD Participation survey.
Existing for more than 4,000 years, labyrinths are mythological designs used for fertility rituals, symbolic pilgrimages, and spiritual practice.
In a hyperactive world of constant connectivity, labyrinths are in resurgence as more people seek out sacred spaces that promote insight and inner wisdom.
“While many use labyrinths for personal reflection, WLD is an opportunity to ‘Walk as One at 1’ in the afternoon (local time) in solidarity with others around the world to promote peace. It’s heart-warming to think of hundreds of people walking in Australia, Poland, Scotland, and Colombia, among other countries where participants organized local events last year,” notes Howlett. “The first person to sign up in 2014 was from Zambia!”
Participants can share their photos and stories on the Labyrinth Society’s Global Group on Facebook.
Labyrinths are also found in diverse environments, from schools, parks and prisons to corporate campuses in Silicon Valley (Google offers two for employees in Mountain View and a golden snail greets visitors at the center of the walking path at Electronic Arts in Redwood City).
Churches are also building labyrinths as an alternative way to engage their community and facilitate spiritual practice.
FIND YOUR LOCAL LABYRINTH AND EVENTS
Celebrations of World Labyrinth Day can be posted and found via the events calendar of the Labyrinth Society.
The World Wide Labyrinth Locator is another resource for finding labyrinths in your local community or while traveling throughout the world.
“We have an ambitious goal this year for participation in 50 countries as well as all 50 United States. As governments and armies seem to further polarize world peoples, the labyrinth has been a bridge between cultures throughout history,” notes Howlett. “World Labyrinth Day is for everyone and, like the labyrinth itself, is an opportunity to develop tolerance and compassion for others from different walks of life.”
For more information and to view photos see: HERE
McClelland Gallery Labyrinth
RESOURCES
Simply the best labyrinth organization in the world, in my opinion. I have done their classes, including their labyrinth facilitator training – although I have not completed my certification.
Find Labyrinths all over the world!
As it says, an Australian specific labyrinth resource.
Another international labyrinth organization.
- Australian Labyrinth Network (FaceBook Group)
LABYRINTHS MELBOURNE
Clifton Hill – The Merri Creek labyrinth was created out of bluestone by the community, for the community. It sits in a beautiful spot in Clifton Hill and is available for a walk any time.
Eltham – St Margaret’s Anglican Church has a public labyrinth you can walk any time. It is housed on space that was once a tennis court.
Gardenvale – The good people from Labyrinth Lane in Gardenvale run regular guided labyrinth walks around the Solstices and Equinoxes.
Glen Iris – St Faith’s Anglican Church has a lovely Chartres based labyrinth out the back – all they ask is that you avoid walking it when there are services on.
Healesville – The Healesville Labyrinth is another that is available all year round.
Kew – Campion Centre of Ignatian Spirituality is a place of hospitality, rest, welcome and prayer. They offer programs and retreats, which are steeped in the spirituality of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556). There is a labyrinth tucked away in the gardens; it’s polite to contact the centre and make sure your private walk is not clashing with any thing they might be offering.
Langwarrin – the labyrinth at McClelland Sculpture Park is available year-round. A walk is scheduled at 1pm on the first Saturday in May to celebrate World Labyrinth Day.
Lower Plenty – The Edmund Rice Centre, or Amberley, is a retreat and conference facility which has a labyrinth that is a full-sized replica of the famous one at Chartres Cathedral in France. It is available to walk by prior appointment.
If you can think of any Melbourne based labyrinths I have missed – please pop them in the comments!
Please also check out my Labyrinth page for more information or to contact me regarding labyrinths, labyrinth walks and / or presentations.
Labyrinth Lane, 181 Gardenvale Rd, Gardenvale