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.Clarifying your intention2.Choosing the type of labyrinth and materials3.Siting the labyrinth4.Consecrating the space and the construction process5.Constructing the labyrinth6.Dedicating the labyrinthRead through each section rst.Notice that step 5, Constructing the Labyrinth, is not includedin this chapter, but is the entirety of Chapter 6.Read that chapter as well, referring to itsdiagrams.Before you start, allow me to let you in on a little secret: If I can make a labyrinth, so can you.Spatial orientation is not my forte, to put it mildly.I get lost driving to the drugstore.After Imoved into my new home, it took me several months to choose which of the two tra c arteries,each within three blocks of my house, I should take and have some con dence that I d actuallyend up on the right street in the right direction.No kidding.So, if I can make a labyrinth, so can you.If you ve taken the time to  gnow the labyrinththrough drawing it, can follow a recipe, and can give yourself and anyone who helps youpermission to relax and enjoy the process, you will soon have yourself a new labyrinth forexploration, learning, and healing.A seven-circuit labyrinth made of gravel and grass in St.Louis, Missouri.CLARIFY YOUR REASONS FOR MAKING A LABYRINTHean Lutz claims that your reasons for building a labyrinth are the most important ingredientswhen constructing a labyrinth. Nothing else layout, materials, preparation is as importantas your purpose for building the labyrinth, says Lutz. With a clear intention you can buildJa tiny three-circuit labyrinth in a courtyard, and it would be a powerful labyrinth.It doesn tmake any difference, all the rest of it: the foundation of the labyrinth is your intent.Ask yourself and have all others involved in the process of building the labyrinth ask themselvesas well:Why do I want to build a labyrinth?What do I hope to get from actually making a labyrinth?Why is it important to me that I have my own labyrinth?What do I hope to get from walking and working with this labyrinth once it has beencreated?An aerial view of the Prairie Labyrinth in Sibley, Missouri.The Prairie Labyrinth is a seven-circuit labyrinth with four-foot widepaths mown into native prairie grasses.Labyrinths are being built all over the country for many reasons: They are being createdspeci cally for healing from cancer and other diseases, for working with learning disabilities, forbringing in the millennium, for individual meditation.Your reasons can range from one or morespecific purposes to a more general intention.Some possibilities include:The need to eliminate stress in your lifeA way of meditation that involves your body as well as your soulBecoming more attuned to the land and the cycles of seasonsFostering communityHealing from a specific illness or diseaseCelebrating the deeper meaning of holidays such as New Year s or a solstice or equinoxCelebrating or ritualizing an important event, such as a birthday, an adolescent coming ofage, or the blessing of a new homeBuilding a turf labyrinth in Michigan.PERMANENT OR TEMPORARY: SELECTING THE MATERIALSPERMANENT LABYRINTHSoucan construct a permanent labyrinth in your backyard, family room, or basement.Youalso can make one on the grounds of a church, school, hospital, or community center, or ina meeting room or auditorium.A permanent labyrinth will always be there for the walking,Ywith no time spent setting it up after the original construction.The two primary challenges of a permanent labyrinth are the amount of space required (a 25-foot-square minimum for comfortable walking) and the upkeep.Labyrinth maintenance is asoothing meditative practice in itself, but it does require a certain investment of time dependingon the materials used, from labor-intensive garden labyrinths to painted concrete labyrinths thatjust require broom sweeping.A Chartres labyrinth made from stone and mulch in St.Louis, Missouri.While stones are most commonly used to mark outdoor pathways, other outdoor options tomark the walls of the circuits include:Rope, plants, shells, bricks, or paversMown grass as the path, unmown grass for the wallsMown grass as the path, with slim walls dug out and filled to grass level with bricks orsandTurf labyrinths: a dug-out path below ground level that is filled with sand or bark chips (ifyou decide to use bark chips or mulch, look for the sliver-free kind that is used inplaygrounds); walls of circuits can be reinforced with brick or stone and tops of wallsplanted with flowers or low shrubberyMound labyrinths: similar to turf labyrinths, except that instead of the paths being dug outto below ground level, the walls are berms, raised mounds of earth [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]