Monthly Group Walk:  The next monthly group walk will be held at 9am, Sunday 1st October at the Centennial Park Labyrinth. It will be led by Joan Harcourt who is a psychotherapist, specialising in Marion Woodman’s Body Soul work. These events are held on the first Sunday of every month. They are free and open to all. The labyrinth is on Dickens Drive. Please see Location page for directions.

LABYRINTH DREAMING FESTIVAL

The first Labyrinth Dreaming Festival will be held in Centennial Park from 10am-2pm on Sunday 10th September. Several different labyrinths and a children’s maze will be painted on the field beside the main sandstone labyrinth with facilitated walks accompanied by live music. At 10.30am, an acknowledgement of country by Biripi Elder, Aunty Ali Golding, at 11am, a frame drum circle led by Jane Elworthy, at 12pm, a djembe drum circle led by Jeremy Prangnell and at 1pm, a didgeridoo circle led by Haitch

There will be a Triple Spiral labyrinth and Sacred Union Labyrinth painted onto the field, as well as a 7-circuit Pilgrim Labyrinth in which you’ll be able to select a river stone near the threshold and walk it into the labyrinth then leave your worries behind by placing it somewhere along the painted path. So the Pilgrim Labyrinth will emerge slowly over the day as one by one, each pilgrim lays their burden down…

There will be a stall offering Michele Macgregor’s Luxmi beeswax labyrinth candles, handmade specially for the Labyrinth Dreaming Festival; Mark Healy’s handmade wooden labyrinths  (you can also talk to him about canvas labyrinths); Corinna Bonshek’s labyrinth music; Desiree DeKlerk‘s transparent, fluoro perspex labyrinths; Tony Christie’s Labyrinth Wisdom cards; Sally Longley’s superb book,  ‘Walking the Labyrinth as the Beloved in John’s Gospel’ and information about Donna Mulhearn’s magnificent Blue Labyrinth Bush Retreat in Woodford.

Save the date and invite your friends for a picnic lunch and celebration of the labyrinth as a path of peace. This is a free event all welcome! For more information and to find the exact location in the park go to http://www.sydneylabyrinth.org/location/

Women’s Dream Quest:  Judith Tripp is bringing her Women’s Dream Quest to Australia. Join us for a weekend of labyrinth walking, meditation and song. We’ll create a sacred women’s circle, connecting to all the circles formed over thirty years of Women’s Dream Quests, listening deeply for our role in the world at this pivotal time in the life of our planet. Judith is a psychotherapist, who leads pilgrimages and Dream Quests in the US, Europe and Australia. This Dream Quest will be held from 22nd to 24th September 2017 at St Josephs, Kincumber, NSW. For more information and to register go to http://www.veriditas.org/wdq

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 from a Veriditas trained facilitator 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. Sign up to our newsletter to receive information about all labyrinth events. The labyrinth is on Dickens Drive. Check the location page for directions. 

Labyrinth Events

• Sun 1st October: Joan Harcourt
• Sun 5th November: Susanne Jones
• Sun 3rd December: Erica Webber

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