The 2018 Spring Labyrinth Festival, generously sponsored this year by the Vasudhara Foundation will be held in Centennial Park from 11am-4pm, Sunday 23rd September. Celebrating the labyrinth as a path of peace, there will be several different labyrinths painted onto the field beside the sandstone one and facilitated walks accompanied by acoustic music: frame drum, didgeridoo, djembe drum, crystal bowl and harp. Come and share a picnic with your friends and remind yourself what it feels like to be in community in a peaceful, gentle way. Free event – all welcome! Find out more about it on the Spring Labyrinth Festival Facebook page

The next facilitated walk will be held at 9am on Sunday 2nd September, led by Fine Music FM presenter, Heather Middleton. Come walk the mystery and remember what it feels like to be in community in a peaceful, gentle way. These events are free and open to all.  The labyrinth is on Dickens Drive. Please see Location page for directions.

Regular group labyrinth walks are held at the Centennial Park Labyrinth at 9am on the first Sunday of every month. Come and experience the powerful metaphor of the labyrinth in a group setting. Its 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. These events are free and open to all. The labyrinth is on Dickens Drive. Check the location page for directions. Sign up to our newsletter to receive information about all labyrinth events.

Save the date! The 2018 Spring Labyrinth Festival will be held from 11am – 4pm on Sunday 23rd September. We’re thrilled to announce that this year’s event will be sponsored by the Vasudhara Foundation. Several different labyrinths will be painted onto the field beside the main sandstone labyrinth with facilitated walks accompanied by live acoustic music. Find out more about it on the Spring Labyrinth Festival Facebook page or scroll down for more details

Labyrinth Facilitators

• Sun 7th January: Erica Webber
• Sun 4th February: Desiree De Klerk
• Sun 4th March: Margaret Rainbird
• Sun 1st April: Annalise Thomas
• Sun 6th May: Susanne Rae Jones
• Sun 3rd June: Maja Skrlj-Tufegdzic
• Sun 1st July: Erica Webber
• Sun 5th August: Wendy Rose-Williams
• Sun 2nd September: Heather Middleton
• Sun 23rd September: Spring Labyrinth Festival
• Sun 7th October: Joan Harcourt
• Sun  4th November: Susanne Rae Jones
• Sun 2nd Dec:

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’s Dr Rachael Kohn did an in-depth interview with Rev Dr Lauren Artress and Emily Simpson on her regular program The Spirit of Things which was broadcast on 22nd February 2015. You can download or listen to it here

The woman who kick started the global labyrinth movement 20 years ago, Rev Dr Lauren Artress was in Sydney to train 30 new labyrinth facilitators. On Sunday 1st Feb she was guest of honour at the Dedication of the Labyrinth which included the beautiful music of Corrina Bonshek which is now available online.

To find out more about Lauren’s work with labyrinths around the world go to  www.veriditas.org.  Her much loved book is called “Walking A Sacred Path – Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice” and is available on Amazon

There’s really no right way or wrong way to walk a labyrinth, but generally speaking there are three phases:

1. Releasing on the way in – letting go of what no longer serves.
2. Receiving a sense of peace and calm as you pause in the centre.
3. Resolving to engage with the world in a new way as you follow the same path back out.

To prepare, you may want to sit quietly and reflect before walking the labyrinth. Some people come with questions, others just to slow down and take time out from a busy life. Some come to find the strength to take the next step during times of grief and loss. Its winding path becomes a metaphor for our journey and where we find ourselves on our path. If someone is walking more slowly than you, feel free to overtake (easier at the turns). The labyrinth is all about flow and acceptance. As Ram Dass says, “We are all really just walking each other home.”

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

Want to learn more about the labyrinth? The woman who kick started the global labyrinth movement 20 years ago, Rev Dr Lauren Artress is coming to Sydney to speak and teach in January 2015. Whether you want to bring the labyrinth to your community or simply deepen your understanding of it, then this is a rare opportunity.

The lecture will be held at the Paddington Uniting Church, 395 Oxford St, Paddington and the workshop and Facilitator Training will be held at Moore Park Golf Club. Lauren will also be holding a special dedication of the Centennial Park labyrinth on the evening of Sunday 1st February. All welcome. To find out more about her work with labyrinths around the world go to www.veriditas.org.  Her book is called “Walking A Sacred Path – Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice” and is available on Amazon

If you need accommodation:

http://www.wotif.com/hotels/crown-hotel-surry-hills.html

http://www.wotif.com/hotels/rydges-sydney-central-formerly-sebel-surry-hills.html

http://www.wotif.com/hotels/city-crown-motel.html

and if you have any questions please contact Emily Simpson