| MILNER
PLAZA LABYRINTH The
Milner Plaza labyrinth, a seven circuit pattern designed by Allan T. Baer of Lloyd
Tryk Architects, was built by
Marty Kermeen» of Plano, Illinois. The M. A. Healy Foundation generously
funded the labyrinth construction and the landscaping of the site. Experience
the unique harmonics of this labyrinth by speaking or whispering while in the
center. A natural amplification to sounds results from the surrounding wall and
graduated elevations. Walking Together The
Museum and
the Labyrinth Resource Group» host community walks at the Milner Plaza
Labyrinth celebrating seasonal change. Community labyrinth walks are free and
everyone is welcome. Please remember the event is outdoors, sun screen and outdoor
clothing is recommended. For more information on Walking Together on Milner
Plaza,
visit the LRG web site» The Walking Together walks are
from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday afternoons on the
following dates: June 20, 2010 Celebrating the Summer Solstice
December 19, 2010 Celebrating the Winter Solstice
A
BRIEF HISTORY OF LABYRINTHS Ancient labyrinths from as early as 18,000
BCE have been found as far afield as Peru, Egypt, India, Scandinavia and the British
Isles and as nearby as Glisten, New Mexico. Today people find that labyrinths
still answer complex human needs. It is possible to lose the sense of space and
time and be fully present in the moment as one walks. Unlike a maze, the labyrinth's
single path carries one to the center and out again. LABYRINTHS
IN COMMUNITY We know that labyrinths are a powerful tool for bringing
people together. People feel supported and inspired by sharing the experience
of a labyrinth walk. Those dealing with loss are nourished by walking with others
who are also in pain. Those yearning for peace in the world feel hope as they
walk with a group focusing on this thought. School children walk the labyrinth
to resolve conflict, calm down and be better able to focus. Labyrinths have been
used to share the joy of weddings and other celebrations. Thousands of people
around world walked in community in the aftermath of September 11- sharing the
anger, pain and grief of that day and allowing the healing to begin. Labyrinth
walks can also be a way to share joy - as was done in the all-day celebration
on August 4, 2002, when participants danced through the labyrinth to the sound
of marimbas. Weddings, too, have been performed on this labyrinth. The Milner
Plaza labyrinth has provided opportunities for community sharing of grief, hope
and joy in addition to its daily use by individuals.
LABYRINTH
RESOURCE GROUP The
Labyrinth Resource Group (LRG)» was founded in December 1998, by a small
group of people committed to the power of the labyrinth in the community and in
individual lives. The Labyrinth Resource Group has been involved in the construction
of 24 labyrinths in the Santa Fe area at a variety of public places and many at
private homes. Educational activities have included labyrinth tours, presentations
and workshops on the history of labyrinths and how to build them. For more information
and full schedule of events,
visit the LRG web site» . Frenchy's Field Park Agua Fria
at Osage. Open all hours (Classic seven circuit design; mud, straw and stones)
Railyard Park Cerrillos Road across from Whole Foods - Open all
hours (Relationship Labyrinth; stones on earth) "Challenge New
Mexico" - 2504 Camino Entrada - Open all hours ( Five circuits with wide
paths where wheelchairs can pass; stones on earth) Unity Church - 1108
LaCuchara Road - Open all hours. (Relationship Labyrinth; stones on earth.)
Carlos Gilbert Elementary School - 300 Griffin Street Outside school
hours (seven circuit concentric design; stones) St. Francis Cathedral
Basilica- Cathedral Street, downtown Santa Fe Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, NM
- Beautiful setting 1 hour northwest of Santa Fe on U.S. 84 - Open all hours -
stop at office. (Chartres design; flat stones, gravel and river stones) "The
labyrinth is a mandala that meets our longing - for a change of heart: for a change
of ways in how we live together on this fragile island home; and for the energy,
the vision, and the courage to become agents of transformation in an age when
no less will suffice to meet the challenges of survival." - Lauren Artress
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