After a long pause, our group walks will resume at 9am this Sunday 7th June, led by Elizabeth Lee. Come join us and remember what it feels like to be in community in a safe, peaceful, gentle way.

Facilitated group walks will now resume 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)

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. Guided by psychotherapist, Heather Keens and meditation teacher, Susanne Jones, 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. These 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 7th June: Elizabeth Lee
• 8am Sun 21st June: Winter Solstice (Heather Keens & Susanne Jones)
• Sun 5th July: Erica Webber
• Sun 2nd Aug: Elizabeth Macgregor
• Sun 6th Sept: Heather Middleton
• Sun 4th Oct: Sally Longley
• Sun 1st Nov: Desiree DeKlerk
• Sun 6th Dec:  Annalise Thomas

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

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