Workshop Descriptions for 2010

The 2010 Gathering will offer a variety of fabulous workshops on Saturday, November 13th.  Below is the list of descriptions and presenters and a printable list can be found HERE:
2010 Annual Gathering List of Concurrent Workshops (.pdf)

The Labyrinth as an Organizing Principle
When we work with the labyrinth in any form it is often a labor of love and dedication. Whether we refer to ourselves as an enthusiast, a devotee, labyrinth keeper, docent or facilitator, the labyrinth has an uncanny ability to take over our lives! Working with and around labyrinth shapes the nature of our spiritual path and herein lays the conversation. In this workshop, I will offer some thoughts and share some of my own personal experiences and then together we will weave a conversation about encouraging/resisting/allowing the labyrinth to be an organizing principle in your life.
Lauren Artress
The Reverend Dr.Lauren Artress is a leading force in the Labyrinth Movement. She is author of Walking a Sacred Path; Rediscovering the Labyrinth as A Spiritual Practice, The Sand Labyrinth Kit and The Sacred Path Companion: A Guide to Using the Labyrinth to Heal and Transform. She is Honorary Canon of Grace Cathedral, a licensed psychotherapist in the State of California and a Spiritual Mentor to those whose spiritual life has opened as a result of walking the labyrinth.

Labyrinths Behind Bars: Bringing the Labyrinth to the Incarcerated
Offering a labyrinth program in a prison can be among the most rewarding of opportunities. Find out what’s involved in getting a prison labyrinth program started and what you can expect once you do.
Stephanie Blackton
Dr. Stephanie Blackton, licensed chiropractor and Veriditas Certified Labyrinth Facilitator joined TLS in 2002 and attended her first TLS Gathering in Sacramento. She has served TLS in a variety of ways including the 2003 Gathering Committee, Regional Rep for the Mid-Atlantic, TLS PR Chair and most recently as the World Labyrinth Day Coordinator. She offers Creative Journal/Labyrinth Retreats for groups and has been offering Labyrinth Retreats in a maximum security women's prison since 2003. During that time she facilitated a group project in which the inmates created a 7 circuit canvas labyrinth.

New Classical Harmonies in the Labyrinth
Canadian composer John Burke will discuss and demonstrate the innovative repertoire of contemporary music he has developed to enhance the labyrinth experience. While contemplative in nature, it models the Hero’s Journey in ways that invite the listener to engage in deep inner work.
John Burke
John Burke is one of Canada’s foremost contemporary classical composers. He holds a doctorate in composition from the University of Michigan and has taught at various universities in Canada. In 1995 he experienced the need to reassess the core values of his artistic practice and traveled widely to research the effects of sound and music on consciousness. He then embarked on a series of works that carry the intention of facilitating a process of inner work for the listener. Since 2000 he has been creating music for the labyrinth, which he considers an ideal locus for facilitating what he calls “deep listening imbued with the ethos  of the mythic journey.”

Chateau, Prayer Village and Playground: The Healing Environment of the Labyrinth World-Wide
In France a man reports, “The labyrinth is a chateau—a safe place!” In Burma, a woman speaks of it as her “prayer village”. In Congo children joyfully run, march, cart-wheel, and walked the labyrinth on their hands. Come learn why people all over the world experience healing when using labyrinths. Power-point presentation with slides of labyrinths on four continents.
Jill Geoffrion
The Rev. Jill K H Geoffrion, PhD, is the author of seven labyrinth-related books. Through Faith, Hope and Love Global Ministries Dr. Geoffrion travels to places of extreme suffering where she is privileged to build labyrinths and facilitate labyrinth prayer experiences. Jill is the co-regional representative for the Labyrinth Society in the Midwest region, and care-taker of ten labyrinths at DeepHaven Labyrinths and Retreats in Minnesota. Jill can often be found in Chartres, France studying the cathedral, leading pilgrimages, and walking the cathedral labyrinth.

Walking Around the Ups and Downs of Expression: From Stagnation to Flow
The process of working toward excellent personal expression is mapped on the classical labyrinth using chakra theory and the feminine and masculine energies of the labyrinth. This shows how we can overcome possible stagnation and find new harmonies in our expression.
Willem Kuipers
Willem Kuipers has built and walked many labyrinths since 1999. He has introduced the cadence of a labyrinth pattern, two new variations of the Classic design, (You and Me, and Four Winds labyrinth), and the relevance of masculine energy in the labyrinth.  Also, he has experimented with large size labyrinths for horse and rider. He finished Delft University of Technology as a mathematical engineer, and is now a career counsellor and coach for highly gifted adults. He lives and works with wife Annelien and daughter Geertien in Voorburg, Holland.

The Egyptian Labyrinth
The Egyptian labyrinth forms the bridge between Paleolithic hunter-gatherer cultures and later civilizations of the Mediterranean. Herodotus first used the word ‘labyrinth’ to describe the mausoleum of Amenemhet III of Egypt. Built as Egypt emerged from the desperate chaos of the Old Kingdom, it was a monumental symbol of Egypt’s rebirth. This labyrinth’s success lay in its underpinnings in an ancient shamanic religion and cult of the dead. Coincidentally, Crete, home of the legendary Minotaur, was at its peak and a trading partner with Egypt. The story of the labyrinth as circuitous journey to the land of spirits passed into legend and literature.
Jodi Lorimer
Jodi Lorimer grew up in the Gold Rush country of California in the old mining town of Columbia. Fascinated from a young age with the history all around her she pursued her personal interests of ancient history, mythology, and archaeology through college. Struck by the paradox of the labyrinth as a mindful meditation as well as the mythic home of the ravenous Minotaur, she began a 12-year pursuit of the symbol’s origins to determine the common root for these oppositional ideas. The result is her recently released book, “Dancing at the Edge of Death: The Origins of the Labyrinth in the Paleolithic.” Jodi lives in Portland, OR, is married and has two grown children. Her day job is as a voice talent, recording TV and radio commercials, narrations, and those annoying on-hold messages. Sorry about that…

Labyrinths Belong in Churches, Too!!
The labyrinth has a long and varied history in the life of the Christian church. After centuries of separation they are beginning to come together again as churches create labyrinths on their grounds. We will explore how the labyrinth can be a faithful expression of the Christian church offering a new and exciting way for people to experience God’s presence.
Mark Milligan
Rev. Mark Milligan is an ordained minister at Zion United Church of Christ, where a 48’ brick paver Chartres labyrinth and meditation garden serve as integral components in the church’s ministry to the community. He was first introduced to the labyrinth in 1996 and has been using them in his life and ministry ever since. He is currently completing work on his Doctor of Ministry program on ways to faithfully use the labyrinth in Christian ministry.

Many Voices, One Path: Reflections of Labyrinth Walkers
Diane Rudebock, Ed. D., R.N. and Carol Naifeh, R.N. will share their findings of a labyrinth research project involving 465 participants who walked an 11 circuit canvas Chartres labyrinth in a faith-based setting. Workshop participants will hear the common themes reported from labyrinth walkers and the benefits of collaborating with a local university on labyrinth research projects.
C. Diane Rudebock, Ed.D., R.N.
Dr. Diane Rudebock, a Registered Nurse, is an Associate Professor at the University of Central Oklahoma. As a Certified Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator, she uses the labyrinth in the courses that she teaches and for numerous campus events. She has given labyrinth presentations and workshops on national, state and local levels for the past seven years. She is a founding member of the Central Oklahoma Labyrinth Facilitators and is also a part of the Edmond Labyrinth Guild which offers open community labyrinth walks on a monthly basis. Dr. Rudebock’s most recent research involved a qualitative study analyzing labyrinth walkers’ reported experiences when walking the labyrinth.

From Paris to Chartres: A Journey of Sole and Soul
In 2009, Kimberly Saward and Lisa Moriarty marked major life milestones with a French pilgrimage, walking from Paris to Chartres. In this workshop, they will use storytelling and image to share their experience and invite participants to explore the meaning of pilgrimage for both soul and sole.
Lisa Gidlow Moriarty
Lisa Gidlw Moriarty, artist, spiritual director and labyrinth facilitator, is an internationally recognized presenter with a passion for leading others in use of labyrinths in the spiritual journey. International journeys to sacred sights continuously inform her work as she designs and installs labyrinths for schools, hospitals, churches and individuals. She is President of TLS and owner of Paths of Peace (www.pathsofpeace.com) in Stillwater, N, where she is the cartaker of ver a dozen outdoor labyrinths.
Kimberly Lowelle Saward, Ph.D.
Kimberly has worked as an educator and clinician in the field of psychology. She has been working with labyrinths since 1995 and is the author of Ariadne’s Thread: Legends of the Labyrinth, a psycho-spiritual study of labyrinth folk practices worldwide. A founding member of TLS, she served as its president from 2003-2008. In addition to her work with labyrinths, Kimberly is an artist who also teaches fiber arts classes and workshops, emphasizing their potential for spiritual practice and community building.

The Modular Method of Labyrinth Design: A Simple Mathematical Discovery
Participants will learn a new method of designing labyrinths of the Classical, Roman, and Medieval Christian types, and of a new type called the Harmony labyrinths. I will teach participants how to design labyrinths with two sets of modules.
Mary Teetor
After being a little scared of math in high school and college, I found myself drawn to patterns when I took up needlework. Seven years ago, after learning a new beading technique, I began investigating the intriguingly mysterious patterns of labyrinths when I realized that they would make the perfect focal pieces for the beaded necklaces I wanted to make and sell. During my increasingly intense study of labyrinths, I have discovered a simple yet revolutionary way of designing labyrinths. Using my modular method of labyrinth design, as of this date I have found 8,000 new labyrinths. Some of these labyrinths are of the Classical and Medieval Christian types, and some are a new type of labyrinth to which I have given the name of Harmony labyrinths.

Laughter on the Labyrinth
Harmonize on the Labyrinth with the beneficial effects of Laughter. Allow it to release tension and tightness, while it increases clarity and focus. Laughter is the language of joyful people and it helps us to remember more of who we truly are and that joy is an essence we are meant to feel regularly. Laughter on the labyrinth helps in rethinking your practice and creates a new way to explore the labyrinth. It is one wonderful way to take the seriousness and judgment that arise in facilitation and articulate an option that removes all and gets to the heart of the matter in a most heart centered way.
Lynda Tourloukis
Lynda Tourloukis is a Certified Life Development Coach and Veriditas Trained Labyrinth Facilitator who partners with the labyrinth to assist individuals in finding purposeful realization utilizing the experience for deeper insights and greater awareness. Lynda is certified in Laughter Yoga as an Instructor who trains leaders from around the world to develop laughter programs, workshops and lead groups in beneficial laughter experiences. She has harmonized the intriguing concepts of the Labyrinth and Laughter together for the benefit of Individuals and organizations, finding a wonderful compliment to counter the stress and anxiety of the world’s current shifting trends to be more joyful and aware of choice.

Dream Quest
In this mini dream quest, we will experience the harmonies of song, meditation and guided meditation to prepare us for a labyrinth walk and small group discussion.
Judith Tripp
Judith Tripp, MA, MFT, is a transpersonal psychotherapist, Veriditas facilitator, musician, and leader of the Women’s Dream Quest at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco and other venues around the country. She also leads Pilgrimages to Avalon, an annual trip to sacred English sites. She has created homage, solo flute in Celtic sacred sites & Return Again, songs from the Women’s Dream Quest. She is currently at work on a book about the Quest