People ask me: How do I walk a labyrinth? Why? There is no one right way, no one reason, to walk a labyrinth. The answers lie within one’s own journey to the center, and back out.
You need only step inside the sacred space – and begin to walk. You set your own rhythm, your own pace. Some find peace, to some are revealed answers; while others find nothing at all. Although a labyrinth walk is intended to be a solitary undertaking, some may choose to walk hand in hand – with a friend, a sibling, a partner, a child.
For more information, read A Primer on Labyrinths.
Now I thrive on envisioning, creating and birthing labyrinths on our good earth – such as the ones listed below.
INSTALLATIONS
Bali Silent Retreat, Tabanan. Bali, Indonesia.
Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial, private garden. Kfar Vradim, Israel.
Evanescent Corn Nibs. Muxia, Galicia, Spain.
Private garden. Kedewatan, Bali, Indonesia.
KIND WORDS
At Bali Silent Retreat, we try to pour love and divine energy into our environment, our creations and activities; food, gardening, yoga, silence and meditation. From the outset, we intended to incorporate a garden labyrinth into our site design. Thanks to the vision and persistence of one of our earliest supporters, Amit Janco – a writer and photographer who dreamed of creating her first labyrinth (and the first one on the island of Bali) – and with the invaluable assistance of staff and volunteers, our labyrinth was in place long before our facilities were completed. We feel blessed to have the labyrinth on-site; and we’re grateful to Amit for bringing it to fruition with such dedication and attention to detail. We think our labyrinth’s ‘magic’ has grown from the love and commitment that accompanied its installation.
~Patricia M., Bali, Indonesia
When I saw your labyrinth I was surprised a happy surprise.
I loved it.
I loved the fact that you included the names of the soldiers under rocks.
I thought that maybe, maybe I’ll use it
But I did not know really how to
Which is mainly an excuse.
And I am happy at the sight of my garden labyrinth.~ Nurit S., Israel
RESOURCES
THE SOURCE
My first discovery of a labyrinth goes back to 2005.
At the time I lived in Toronto, stuck in a cubicled cliché, watching the days melt away as I toiled at a thankless 9-5 government job. One day, a landscape architect I knew asked me if I’d walked the labyrinth near my office.
What’s a labyrinth? I asked, and where is it? I was baffled to learn that, tucked away behind skyscrapers in the heart of the city’s downtown core, on a spacious swath of lawn and trees adjacent to a small church in which the homeless sought refuge, a monumental labyrinth had been erected. My friend and I met there for lunch, after which I spent countless lunch hours finding refuge on stone benches skirting the path. Sometimes I sat and watched, other times I walked. But oh, what a treasure: a pocket of nature and peace hidden away in the heart of a bustling metropolis.
*If you’d like to discuss the design and installation of a labyrinth in your garden, resort / villa or other open space, please contact me!*
amit janco 