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» or call Marge McCarthy at 505.989.8231.
The Walking Together walks are from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday afternoons on the following dates:

September 21, 2008 Celebrating the Autumnal Equinox
December 21, 2008 Celebrating Winter Solstice

March 22, 2009 Celebrating the Spring Equinox
June 21, 2009 Celebrating the Summer Solstice
September 20, 2009 Celebrating the Autumnal Equinox
December 20, 2009 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» or call Bob and Marge McCarthy at 505.989.8231.

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