Painting the Labyrinth
Saturday, January 17, 2004

There was more than just a little excitement in the group as Susan, Joyce, John and Mike met to spray paint the labyrinth on the lawn. Designed by Anne last November, the initial creation of the labyrinth was heady stuff.

Preparation

Mike had prepared two ropes in advance. One rope was to create the major circuits of the labyrinth, and marked their positions with tape starting at 10.5 feet for the center circle, and every 42 inches after that. The second rope was for creating the four sets of u-turns in the labyrinth. That rope was marked every 42 inches.

It was these sets of u-turns that caused concern. The two outer ones formed the entrance path into the labyrinth, the two inner ones formed the path into the center. If the u-turns were too close together, these
paths would be too narrow, and the labyrinth would not meet its wheelchair accessibility goal.

Sacred Work

Before the team began, we met in the center and Joyce blessed our work for the day. Then, we set about locating the position of sunrise on the summer solstice, and set a stake to mark the position of the labyrinth entrance. Mike, Joyce and Susan set up two guide lines running from one side of the labyrinth’s outer circle to the other. The two lines were at 90 degrees to each other and intersected at the center of the labyrinth. While they did this, John calculated the position of the center of each of the four u-turns in the labyrinth.

During this, a large black dog wandered into the proceedings to check things out. Looking at his collar, Joyce and Susan discovered that his name was Zeus!

Having received approval from the Greek gods, the team then took John’s calculations and, using the guide lines, determined the location of the center of the u-turns and placed stakes to mark them as well.

Now it was time for the real fun. One end of the longer rope was placed on the spike that had been set in the center of the labyrinth last November. The rope was then tied to the paint gun at the location marked for each circuit, and large semicircle was drawn for each circuit of the labyrinth. We found that it was best to work in teams of two. One person would operate the paint gun to draw the circle and the second person would be on the outside of the circle holding the rope taut against the center, making sure that the circle was “straight”.

Working from the inside out, we found that we did not need to draw complete circles around the center. Starting at the stake for a u-turn on the left hand side of the labyrinth, the team painted their circles in a
clockwise direction until we reached the stake for the u-turn on the right hand side. After all of the circuits were complete, we then used the smaller rope, placed at the center of each of the u-turns, to complete drawing each of the u-turns. For this, we did not bother with the paint gun. We just held the paint can at each of the marks on the rope and created the half circles which connected the outer circuit to the corresponding inner circuit and create the u-turns.

As a final touch, Susan painted in the “untouchable” zone: that area between the inner circuits and the outer circuits where there were no paths.

Flushed with success, the team then walked their creation for the first time. It was quite pleasing to arrive in the center and to prove there were no mistakes in the labyrinth.

Lessons Learned

We decided later that all of the guide lines were unnecessary. In fact, they just got in the way of the painting of the circuits, as the paint gun usually tried to roll under the line. The only line that was really necessary was the one between the entrance and the center, and that was only necessary to position the center of the u-turns.

After the labyrinth was completed, the entrance path was measured. It was 36 inches wide, which seemed like the right width, until one considered the 4-inch limestone blocks which would be placed on the outside of the circles to form the path. When the labyrinth was drawn again, the team would need to allow for this.

Susan’s Observations for the Day

Well, despite yesterday’s downpour and the morning clouds we had a splendid day to mark out and paint the labyrinth!! It was neither wet nor muddy and it should be perfect for tomorrow’s service and walk. Anne, the design is beautiful and wonderful to walk! Thank you SO much!!!!

After a brief consecration of the space, the mathematician magicians (John and Mike) figured out the sacred geometry part of laying out the labyrinth while Joyce and I held guide ropes and tape measures. After an hour and a half of calculations and precise markings we began painting and within an hour the labyrinth was completed and we were walking it! It is fabulous; has a great feel and flow to it and takes just 10 minutes to walk at a normal pace. John figured the total number of steps to be 1174.

Here’s to a beautiful day tomorrow! If you can’t make it tomorrow, walk it at your convenience, that’s what it’s there for! Spread the word and let’s share this gift.

The next day, the congregation was treated to a service explaining labyrinths, and their religious significance.