The next walk will be at 9am Sunday 1st November, led by Elizabeth MacGregor.

Facilitated group walks have now resumed at the Centennial Park Labyrinth at 9am on the first Sunday of every month. If you don’t feel ready for group walks, the labyrinth is still there for you. A place of refuge and sanctuary in complicated times. Use it as a contemplative tool to walk your way into the bigger picture, releasing anxieties on the way in, aligning with what truly matters as you pause in the centre, like a tuning fork between earth and sky, then following the path back out into the world, weaving into your awareness any insights or metaphors you may have noticed. Walking meditation helps us accept whatever is going on in our lives and that what’s in the way, usually is the way.

(With thanks to Gretchen Chapelle for this glorious image)

VERIDITAS FACILITATOR TRAINING

For the first time an Australian Facilitator, Christina Rowntree of Victoria will be presenting the Qualifying Workshop with Rev. Dr Lauren Artress; the next exciting step in the provision of Australian based Labyrinth Facilitator and Community Education. The Qualifying Workshop is a pre-requisite for Basic Facilitator training.

Christina recently attended a Basic Facilitator training on Zoom, with participants meeting for training from many continents. Her impressions of the training are encouraging: “I appreciated the skilful use of Zoom technology with plenty of group interaction in whole, and small groups, and opportunities for individuals to ask questions and share experiences. Lauren Artress leads participants through the art and ritual of labyrinth facilitation with humour and ease. Video and still, images inspire; music supports the learning. Design and construction of labyrinths and their history give greater insight and depth.”

The Veriditas partnership with ALN, a decade in the making, provides a 15% discount off the training fees for Australians and New Zealanders. The ALN Council is offering both Members and Non-Members this generous discount and in doing so encourages support of this significant work through its membership fees. We encourage those registering to subscribe to the ALN newsletter.

Membership https://aln.org.au/how-to-join
Mailing List https://aln.org.au/subscribe
https://www.veriditas.org/event-3910064

In addition to our regular monthly walks, Sydney Labyrinth are now offering walks to mark the Solstice at the earlier times of 7am in Summer and 8am in Winter, when the park is even more peaceful. These misty morning meanders are the perfect opportunity for you to quiet your mind, listen to your heart and clarify intentions for your path. 

Come and experience the profound metaphor of the labyrinth in a group setting. It’s an opportunity to learn more about the labyrinth and to remind yourself what it is to simply be in community in a gentle, peaceful way. Sydney Labyrinth events are free and open to all. The labyrinth is on Dickens Drive. Go to the location page for directions and sign up to our newsletter to receive updates about all labyrinth events.

FACILITATORS FOR MONTHLY WALKS IN CENTENNIAL PARK

• Sun 5th July: Erica Webber
• Sun 2nd Aug: Elizabeth Macgregor
• Sun 6th Sept: Annalise Thomas
• Sun 4th Oct: Elizabeth Lee
• Sun 1st Nov: Elizabeth Macgregor
• Sun 6th Dec: Heather Middleton
• Sun 20th Dec: Summer Solstice @ 7am with Desiree DeKlerk

ABC TV’s Compass program ,”Walk the Talk” on the creation of the Centennial Park Labyrinth was broadcast on Sunday 26th April, 2015

ABC Radio National program about the construction of the labyrinth in Centennial Park, featuring Emily Simpson, William Zuccon (Architect) and Darren Finlayson (Stonemason). It was broadcast on 1st November and is now available online: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/offtrack/it-is-solved-by-walking/5840076  or you can read a comprehensive article by Ann Jones:  http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/offtrack/walking-sydneys-parkland-labyrinth/5847518

Let the heartsick, let the empty,
let the searching come. Let the hopeless,
let the blissful, let the forsaken come.

When the days unspool on dark reel after
another, come. When sorrow haunts
the corners of the house, when the hours stack
like dirty plates, when solitude
becomes loneliness, come to the labyrinth. Continue reading →

Dr John James, architect, historian and psychotherapist talks about labyrinths. He is a world expert on the Chartres Cathedral and its labyrinth and helped us get the geometry right for the Centennial Park Labyrinth.  In this interview he offers some fascinating insights on astrology and the labyrinth. You can read an in depth article written by John in 1972 on the labyrinth in the Chartres Cathedral here: 36 labyrinth.  To find out more about this remarkable man go to http://www.johnjames.com.au/

You can see the full 30 minute interview here.

Emily Simpson explains the background for the labyrinth in Centennial Park