March 2014: sand labyrinth at the University of Bedfordshire – seen from the top of the tower.
Made by Cass, Garry, Dan and Kay on a lovely spring Saturday afternoon.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Addenbrooke’s Mental Health Resilience Labyrinth
Kay and a team of helpers made this temporary labyrinth out of poured sand and LED tea lights for Addenbrooke’s Mental Health Resilience Week. People of all ages and backgrounds came to walk it. This magical photo was taken at nightfall from the top of the staff car park by Jan Sellers. Find out more by reading the Addenbrooke’s Mental Health Resilience Week page on this blog.
The Chartres-style labyrinth at Saffron Walden Maze Festival 2013
Maze Festival visitors walking the cloth Chartres-style labyrinth in the Saffron Walden Friends’ Meeting House, 17th August 2013. The labyrinth was kindly loaned by the University of Kent and the photo was taken by Saffron Walden Camera Club. For more about the Festival do read the Maze Festival page on this blog – and visit http://www.saffronwaldenmazefestival.co.uk
Chartres in Saffron Walden, Radwinter School Maze Day and more!
Chartres Labyrinth Walk: on Saturday 17th August I will be facilitating an open labyrinth walk of a full sized canvas Chartres labyrinth, on temporary loan from the University of Kent. You will find me in the Friends Meeting House in Saffron Walden between 10 and 4. The labyrinth walk is part of a larger event, the Saffron Walden Maze Festival, which will be celebrating the town’s unique heritage of the wonderful – and very large – turf labyrinth on the Common, and the recently restored Victorian hedge maze (the sort you can get lost in!) in Bridge End Gardens.
There are all kinds of labyrinth and maze related activities planned between Friday 16th and Monday 19th August. For more details, keep an eye on the maze festival website, www.saffronwaldenmazefestival.com.uk and do come and join in. It is sure to be an excellent weekend.
Looking a bit further ahead, there will be some labyrinth-related happenings during Addenbrooke’s Hospital’s ‘Mental Health Resilience Week’, between 7th and 12th October. These will include the cloth ‘pebble’ labyrinth in the Chapel (please email to check precise times) some beautiful, locally-made finger labyrinths; and a walkable labyrinth on a grander scale outdoors.
Finally, here are some pictures from the recent Maze Day at Radwinter Primary School, near Saffron Walden. We all had a very busy day with some lovely quiet, reflective moments too. Thanks to Emma Horton for having the idea, and to Mrs Hockley and all the staff for making it happen. Photos and examples of the pupils’ fantastic, creative work will be on display in the Court House, Saffron Walden, during the Maze Festival weekend – where you will also find interactive games for all ages and the ‘giant tilting maze’.
If you would like to have a similar labyrinth-themed day at your local school or other community or group, do contact me for availability, information and ideas.
Invitation: Lode Chapel Quiet Day with ‘Pebble’ Labyrinth
You are warmly invited to a Quiet Day at Lode Chapel, Cambridgeshire, on Saturday 18th May. The theme of the day will be ‘Waiting for the Comforter’. Meeting on the day before the church festival of Pentecost, we will reflect on being open to all that the moment brings, opening our hearts in trust and anticipation, much as the disciples must have done, gathered together, on the eve of the first Pentecost.
You will be gently guided into periods of silence… there will be the opportunity to wander the churchyard with its wildflowers, the pretty village of Lode and the footpath to the lode and water mill at the back of Anglesey Abbey. Kay will bring the cloth ‘pebble’ labyrinth for walking, and a selection of inspirational books, finger labyrinths, writing and art and craft materials.
The day will run from 10.45 to 4.00. The cost is £15 (please make cheques payable to ‘Lode Chapel’) and please bring lunch to share. If you are planning to come, please email Kay at singing.kay@gmail.com
If you can’t come this time but would like to be on the mailing list for future occasions, do let Kay know.
Midwinter Dreaming
Dear blog visitor, Christmas blessings of joy and peace to you!
May 2013 herald a new era of compassion, justice and truth,
starting right here, right now.
Some words from the 16th Century mystic, Theresa of Avila:
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
Teresa of Avila
1515 – 1582
This snowy holly photo was taken a couple of years ago on a very cold, wintry visit to the Chelmsford Diosecan retreat house, which stands in the ancient moated village of Pleshey.
I remember in the chapel there was a kneeler decorated with a labyrinth…
an early signpost on my labyrinth trail.
Another memory: one night, I headed out of my room to go to the bathroom and was surprised to see a large bat flying around in the stairwell. At Pleshey bats are often sighted in summer, but they normally hibernate in winter. Further investigation revealed that in the Native American tradition the bat is symbolic of intuition, dreaming and vision.
Appropriate themes for midwinter… Time for rest, renewal and dreams of new beginnings.
Listening the Labyrinth
Cambridge University Botanic Garden, August 15th 2012. This film documents the making and walking of a temporary corn labyrinth – part of a day of reflection for members of Cambridge’s homeless community, organised by Kay Barrett, Judy Fox, and Cambridge Link-Up. Thanks to Richard Wright of Moon Safari for making the film.
Making a temporary ‘corn’ labyrinth on grass
Here are some photos of the process of making an outdoor ‘corn’ labyrinth on grass. The pictures were taken at Mill Road Winter Fair and the ‘aerial view’ one is from the Quiet Waters Christian Retreat House in Suffolk. This method is for making a seven circuit classical (or Cretan) labyrinth. The corn is the kind of ‘mixed corn’ you feed to chickens, and one large sack is just sufficient, providing you are not too generous at the start.
The stake and swivel are the corkscrew-type dog owners use to tether their dog when at the beach or on a picnic. The rope we used is a 6 meter long dog-tether. The path widths are 80cm and the diameter of the labyrinth at the widest point is 12 meters.
Note, it is necessary to mark the four corners of the initial ‘seed diagram’ with tent pegs. As the rope is drawn round, it snags on the pegs, thus producing a mushroom shape rather than a circle.
Please check the Labyrinthos site for full instructions – I can confirm they work!
For the candlelit version of the labyrinth we used tea lights in jam jars. For a different effect, it is also possible to buy brown paper ‘candle bags’ and put some sand and a tea light in each one.
For our labyrinth, 12 meters in diameter, we used 180 jam jars and tea lights, with a spacing of 80cm.
Finally, to calculate the length of the ‘walls’ of your labyrinth (more correctly known as the ‘fields’) the rule of thumb is to take the diameter and multiply it by 13.33.
Making a classical labyrinth – animation
Making a classical labyrinth – animation
Please follow this link to see a funky animation of the process of making a seven-circuit classical labyrinth, using a rope attached to a central swivel. The rope is first marked with the path widths, using knots or tape. Note that the first mark on the rope is only half a path width. It only remains for the labyrinth making ‘team’ to follow the marks with corn, sand, masking tape etc. Thank you to Jo Edkins for making and sharing this excellent animation. Also thanks to Jeff Saward and the Labyrinthos site for providing instructions for this method of making a labyrinth. Hours of fun! If you decide to make a corn labyrinth yourself, you will need one sack of mixed corn and seven lemonade bottles cut into scoops… also a willing team of helpers, including a ‘runner’ to keep topping up the corn.
Mill Road Winter Fair Candlelit Labyrinth
Despite a misty and drizzly start, Saturday 1st December turned into a beautiful cold, clear day, perfect for wrapping up warm and joining the wonderfully varied throng in Mill Road for the annual Mill Road Winter Fair.
This year saw the first ever labyrinth at the fair, and, as the day went on, it proved to be very popular with visitors of all ages, sizes and backgrounds.
The idea for the labyrinth began on a summer day when I was passing Petersfield on my way to a meeting at Jimmy’s Night Shelter. I noticed the large green space… the benches round about… the encircling mature trees… I thought, how wonderful to make a labyrinth here, which could be walked by Jimmy’s guests and local residents alike, as a symbol of community. Afterwards I remembered the Winter Fair, which seemed the perfect opportunity to put my idea into practice.
Mill Road Winter Fair committee liked the idea, especially the plan to light the labyrinth pathways with tea lights in jam jars. Jimmy’s and Cambridge Link Up were very pleased for me to raise awareness of their work through making the labyrinth.
On the day the labyrinth looked truly magical as dusk descended. Gradually more and more people came to walk it. Quite a few were intrigued by the ancient pattern of its circuits and wanted to know more. Many clearly experienced the meditative quality of the labyrinth for themselves. Youngsters and small children were particularly drawn to it and had a great time racing round it. Darkness fell at 4.00pm, and soon after the arrival of wonderful local Samba Band Arco Iris announced the rousing grand finale of the Fair.
After all the jars and candles were cleared away, the print of the labyrinth, edged with corn and marked by the tracks of people’s feet, could still be clearly seen… It was, finally, too tempting for me to simply climb into the car and leave behind… I couldn’t resist one last sprint around the paths. It seemed as if the energy all the people who had walked it was focussed there, and I felt my spirit fly…
Many thanks to all those who helped make the labyrinth, also those who saved up their used jam jars and those who helped put them out and light them on the day. Thanks too to Paul Edwards who took these lovely photos. All being well, we’ll be back again next year!
Kay's Pathway: a labyrinth journey 