Come Explore Almonte’s Labyrinth

Come Explore Almonte’s Labyrinth - theHumm August 2024

By Peter Winfield

Did you know Almonte has a labyrinth open to the public? Everyone is welcome to come walk the St. Paul’s Labyrinth, which is part of Almonte’s Wellness Trail. It sits on the lawn overlooking the Mississippi River in front of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, which is located at 70 Clyde Street — just a short walk north across the bridge from the Almonte Old Town Hall. While you’re visiting Almonte for one of its many local attractions or festivals, such as this month’s Puppets Up!, come walk the labyrinth.

This ancient pattern has been used by many different cultures for meditation, contemplation or inspiration. When you enter the meandering path you walk slowly along a single track while quieting your mind and focusing on a personal or spiritual question or intention. It is a form of walking meditation which may be more suitable to anyone who has tried seated mediation and found that challenging.

What Is a Labyrinth?

This archetypal pattern symbolizes a journey and is often used as a tool to represent the journey through life, or life’s inner journey.

It is not a maze. It has one single path to the centre and the same path back out again. You can’t get lost on this path and don’t have to worry about choosing the right path. Whereas a maze has blind alleys, dead-ends and multiple paths to choose from, in the labyrinth the path twists and turns back on itself many times before reaching the centre. Once there, you follow the same path back out.

There is no set time for how long a walk takes, since each one is unique and everyone walks at their own pace. Some may take only 5 minutes, while others may take half an hour or even more. Patterns range from simple to complex, and sizes vary from five circuits to 11 or more. Walking a labyrinth requires you to simply follow the pattern, with no puzzle to figure out. The simplicity of the pattern allows your mind to focus on your meditation or prayer.

Labyrinths can be made of stone, wood, plants or other materials. They may even be painted or taped with masking tape on a floor. The one at St. Paul’s is a circular medieval five-circuit pattern lined with brick embedded in the grass lawn overlooking the Mississippi river. The path is the grassy part between the brick edges.

There are many ways to walk it, and no one correct way to do it. At St. Paul’s there is a sign beside the entrance to help you get started with basic instructions. From there you are welcome to make the walk your own in a way that is meaningful to you. The essential advice is to enter slowly, with an intention to calm and clear your mind.

The other piece of advice is to respect others in this space. Be kind and courteous and enjoy the peace of this special space.

Open your senses and focus on the process of taking slow and deliberate steps. Bring to mind an intention, a prayer, or a question to contemplate during your walk to the centre.

When you reach it, pause to reflect, contemplate, and listen. When you’re ready, begin the return journey.

Benefits of Walking

Meditatively walking a labyrinth can be surprisingly calming and clarifying for your thoughts. Even if you don’t have a spiritual side, slow, intentional walking in a quiet place on a set path allows for a level of focus that can be difficult to find in a busy life.

Some traditional designs weave back and forth and lead you seemingly close to the centre, then turn you away on many more zigzags before you once again approach the centre. This can conjure expectations about goals and how unpredictable tangents can arise in life. Using this time to reflect on your expectations and goals, and letting those thoughts arise without judgment, may offer you peace or unique new outlooks on your life.

If others are walking with you, you’ll at times approach them on your path and then be sent farther away. This can bring to mind how people enter and leave your life, allowing you to process those thoughts and feelings.

History

Labyrinth images are found in many cultures. The term is ancient Greek in origin but the design itself is far older and has been found in a wide variety of cultures from Ancient Spain, Egypt, Nepal, India, Ireland, Peru and Arizona.

In Christian usage, it was first created in manuscripts in the seventh and eighth centuries and then constructed in stone on the floors of at least eight cathedrals in France in the 12th and 13th centuries. The best-known cathedral labyrinth is the one at Chartres just south of Paris, which was built around 1201 CE. Chartres remains a popular pilgrimage destination today.

Where to Find Them

Today there are thousands of publicly accessible labyrinths around the world. In fact, there are around twenty-five in the Ottawa area. They can be found on beaches, in fields, forests, hospitals, and in churches. The World-Wide Labyrinth Locator is a comprehensive online resource to find one near you. You can search by country and city to explore over 6000 listings. The listings include descriptions, directions, hours, and photos.

The Labyrinth Society lists upcoming seminars, group walks and lectures. World Labyrinth Day is the first Saturday in May, and there are events around the world you can participate in. Search for them in your area and see if any of them are hosting such events.

Wendo Van Essen — Nothing Felt Better - theHumm August 2024

By Sally Hansen

Art… and Soul

On the back of her Artist Trading Card at the top righthand corner of this page, Wendo Van Essen explains WHY she is a Fibre Artist: “I cannot not be making something.” And of all the somethings she has tried, fibre arts have felt the best. Pun intended. Even during her interview, Wendo was busily at work creating an adorable needle-felted zebra as a gift for an upcoming baby shower. Needle felting involves sculpting creative shapes from (usually) wool fibres with special notch......

Come Explore Almonte’s Labyrinth - theHumm August 2024