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This Saturday, May 4, at 1 p.m. (local time), thousands of people all over the world will gather to walk Labyrinths for Peace and Planetary Healing, thus creating a rolling wave of energy across the globe. This is the 16th annual World Labyrinth Day celebration.
The Rockbridge Labyrinth Guild and Boxerwood are collaborating on Saturday to bring the first World Labyrinth Day event to Rockbridge County. Area residents are invited to “Walk as One at 1 p.m.” on the Boxerwood Meadow.
A labyrinth is an ancient archetypal symbol, a metaphor for one’s journey through life. This symbol has been found in many cultures throughout the world and throughout history. Over time, the labyrinth symbol transformed into a pattern laid out on the ground or a floor to be used for walking meditation and prayer.
It is important to distinguish the difference between a labyrinth and a maze. A maze is a pattern of multi-branching paths that sometimes lead to dead ends, designed to disorient the mind, as a puzzle to be solved. A labyrinth is a single path that leads from the perimeter to a center. Walking a labyrinth is easy. Simply follow the meandering path that takes right and left turns toward a center and then follow it back out again.
Rather than disorienting the mind, it quiets the mind and opens the heart, and the benefits increase with practice, said a spokeswoman. Labyrinths are currently being used to support health and wellness in hospitals, schools, religious and spiritual centers, prisons and mental health facilities.
On the day prior to the event, students from Earth-Song elementary program will assist in building a temporary labyrinth of cuttings from the spring pruning at Boxerwood. The Boxerwood staff has already collected the cuttings from the spring pruning of the gardens. Volunteers from Devils Backbone have cut the clippings into small pieces and loaded them on a trailer. On Friday, students from the EarthSong elementary program will learn about labyrinths in the classroom and then they will assist by the placing of the clipping on a pre-marked labyrinth pattern on the Boxerwood Meadow.
Those planning to attend the walk on Saturday are encouraged to RSVP to Boxerwood. org/events, but an RSVP is not required.
