Join Us for a Winter Solstice Labyrinth Blessing
Tuesday, December 22, 6:30 PM
At the Labyrinth and in Hoskins Hall.
What is a Labyrinth?
A labyrinth is constructed as a single path, a series of concentric circles with many turns all leading to a center. For thousands of years, labyrinths have independently existed in multiple cultures as a means to recognize spiritual energy. One walks from its entrance to its center, pausing to meditate, and then back again following the same path to exit. For many, walking a labyrinth provides a calming meditative state that allows for a shift in consciousness and can re-energize, reduce stress, and help re-focus and nurture the soul.
The SCC Labyrinth
Saugatuck’s Labyrinth spans approximately 50 feet, and the path is lined with over 1,500 individually laid bricks. The center of our labyrinth is circular in shape and about 6 feet in diameter. Our labyrinth has 7 rings designed to traverse the material world through to the realm of higher consciousness. A world-renowned dowser, Marty Cain, assisted in determining the optimal location of the rings, the spine and its entrance.
How the SCC Labyrinth Came to Be
For many years, members of Saugatuck Congregational Church have wanted to build a labyrinth on church property that would be open to anyone interested in taking its spiritual route, and a confluence of events made it a reality.
When SCC member and high school student Liam Borner was considering various Eagle Scout projects, members Betsy Gillespie, Linda Bruce and Sara Walsh became involved to support Liam and to put excess bricks from a recent church renovation to good use, resulting in the Saugatuck Labyrinth project. Church member Meredith Lederer assisted in overseeing the project from the perspective of the church, working closely with Pastor Alison Patton. Boy Scout Troop 36 committee chair Barbara King and Scoutmaster Craig Patton oversaw the Eagle Scout phase of the project. Liam’s role in building the labyrinth was to organize people and equipment for the installation.
Over the course of several weekends in October, members and friends of Saugatuck Congregational Church, along with representatives and scouts of Boy Scout Troop 36, completed the installation of the permanent labyrinth in a special tree-lined section off the front lawn of the church. Close to 200 people hours of labor went into digging trenches and laying individual bricks.
We hope this labyrinth will become an often-visited spiritual retreat for all members of the community.
