Reflections on the first World Labyrinth Walk 2013 in Mesa, AZ

"Peace is not the absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice..."

Baruch Spinoza

On Saturday May 4 2013 we had our first World Labyrinth Walk for Healing and Peace in Mesa, Arizona organized by Interfaith CommUNITY of Mesa! We all concluded that 1pm local time for the walk is not the most ideal time  for us Arizonans :-)
But there were plenty of water bottles available and people were well prepared wearing sunhats and sun shades.

We gathered at the beautiful Chartres Labyrinth at the Mariposa Memorial Gardens Park over at Broadway and Power. The Dignity Company had offered to host us again. They provided a beautiful cool room and light refreshments afterwards, which we are very grateful for!
We had a lovely group of 17 people, including Chaplain Lori Elward of the Interfaith CommUNITY of Mesa, who did the opening prayer. We then sung the canon 'Dona nobis pacem' together as a prelude to our walk.
Rev. DonnaChristine Park joined us with her WAMMS organization, which stands for Walk A Mile In My Shoes. She was our Angel of the day, welcoming everybody with 'a hug that's just your size!...'

Everybody entered the labyrinth at their own pace and rythm. Rev. DonnaChristine and I were garding the participants in and blessing them on their individual ways.



In the center of the labyrinth I had placed two jars with quotes on Peace and Healing and everyone could take one out and reflect on it or take it home with them.
You could tell that everyone was very focussed and concentrated and that this was indeed a Blessed Time... The heat didn't bother us and also the traffic noise did'nt bother anyone...

After the walk we all gathered at the Memorial Building to share and reflect, to cool down and to enjoy the refreshments.

It turned out we were quite an international group ourselves, with people from Croatia, Argentina, Costo Rica, France, East coast, West coast and the Netherlands...

We shared our backgrounds and our feeling of connectedness with Arizona's spirituality.



Some people were quite clear about the feelings and insights during the labyrinth walk, others had to reflect on it some more. All loved the quotes and to some they were very in synchronisity with their current lives.

We closed the labyrinth walk with a poem I just came upon some days before our first global walk (thank you Deanna Stulgaitis!), reminding me of a quote I love and live by: "Life is a journey of remembering...'. The poem is reminding us that 'We (already) are...'
I posted it already on my previous blog, you can read it there.

And so we all parted and went our different ways, back into the world. The labyrinth had refreshed us, inspired us, comforted us, empowered us and blessed us so we ourselves could be a blessing for others.

That is my wish... NAMASTE! 



We are...

In preparing for the World Labyrinth Walk of tomorrow, Saturday May 4 I came upon a beautiful poem by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, and American poet. It goes very well with the quote I like so much and am using in every possible way: 'Life is a journey of remembering !'...
Walking the labyrinth is a spiritual and physical experience, some call it a 'pelgrimage'. Sometimes we are looking for comfort, for re-assurance, for meditation, for worshipping, for celebrating and also for grief. Sometimes we want a better understanding of who we are and what we are doing here. This poem is about remembering who we are and what we are capable of...

ƸӜƷ …We do not become healers…
We came as healers…We are…
Some of us are still catching up to what we are…

We do not become storytellers…
We came as carriers of the stories…
We and our ancestors actually lived… We are…
Some of us are still catching up to what we are…

We do not become artists…We came as artists…We are…
Some of us are still catching up to what we are…

We do not become writers..dancers..musicians… helpers.. peacemakers…

We came as such…We are…
Some of us are still catching up to what we are…

We do not learn to love in this sense…
We came as Love…We are Love…
Some of us are still catching up to who we truly are…

 

~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes… ƸӜƷ

I hope you like it!

World labyrinth day 2013 flyer

A global celebration of the labyrinth

Organized by 'Interfaith commUNITY' of Mesa

Facilitated by Rev. Helga van Muijen

The first Saturday in may

May 4, 2013

“walk as one at 1”

Be part of a rolling wave of peaceful energy

as the earth turns at 1pm local time.

Where: at the (Chartres) Labyrinth at the Mariposa Gardens Memorial Park, 6747 E. Broadway Road, Mesa, 85206

Light refreshment will be provided by our host.

Rev. DonnaChristine Park will join us with her WAMMS (walk a mile in my shoes) organization. Please bring your old and gently worn shoes to donate!

World labyrinth day, a project of the labyrinth society, is a day designated to

bring people from all over the planet together in celebration of the labyrinth as a Symbol and a Tool for healing and peace.

For more information please visit: thelabyrinthway.blogspot.com

RSVP : 480 319 2390

World Labyrinth Day general info

World Labyrinth Day, an initiative of The Labyrinth Society, is a day designated to bring people from all over the world together to walk labyrinths. It is celebrated every year on the first Saturday in May. This is a day when people all over the world can join together to walk labyrinths for the good of all.

“Walk as One at 1”
People are encouraged to have the main labyrinth walk of the day at 1 pm in every time zone to create a wave of labyrinth walking around our planet as it turns in space. There can be great power for good manifested in this effort of unity.
In a world where we are constantly bombarded with reports of negative and terrible events, it can be frustrating to know what we can do to help on a global level. People joining together to walk labyrinths at the same time, on the same day and with the same intention of healing the earth can bring about great change.
 
World Labyrinth Day can be a day to inform and educate the public about labyrinths. Many large group walks are planned, but no event is too small. Individuals who wish to participate may use a finger labyrinth, draw a labyrinth or meditate the labyrinth pattern. In the past, a variety of events were held at over 100 locations worldwide, including the Ellipse in Washington DC, public parks, churches, a maximum-security women’s prison, retreat centers and many private labyrinths. Countries joining the celebration include: the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, the Bahamas, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, China, South Africa, Australia, and the list grows every year.
Much excitement was generated last year by the TLS Facebook events page where there are over 1000 members of the group.
The World Wide Labyrinth Locator, an online database, lists over 4000 labyrinths around the world.
Make a commitment to participate on May 4, 2013 for the fifth annual World Labyrinth Day and join hundreds of people around the world who will be walking labyrinths.

We will be joining this wonderful event at the Chartres labyrinth at the Mariposa Gardens Memorial Park, Mesa AZ (see flyer)