As an extension to our Silent Auction at the 2009 TLS Annual Gathering, the Finance Committee is planning a TLS 2010 Spring Online Auction fundraiser. We invite your participation! We are in need of a chairperson, committee members, and donated items of all kinds, such as: labyrinth items and non-labyrinth items, services, vacation rentals, etc.

Please contact Sherry Biltz, TLS Finance Committee Chair, for more information.
 

We are looking for 9 – 16 quilters among the TLS membership to volunteer to piece one block each of a collaborative quilt, which will be available during the Silent Auction at the 2010 Annual Gathering. The final quilt will be a 54” square, 7-circuit labyrinth, designed by Ben Nicholson. Patterns, fabric, and instructions, will be provided by Laura Foster Nicholson, of LFN Textiles. Laura will arrange for the blocks to be sewn together, backed, and quilted, and will provide backing and batting materials to finish the quilt. Laura is also looking for a quilter’s guild to volunteer to sew these blocks together and to quilt the labyrinth. If you believe your guild would be interested in doing this, please contact Laura as soon as possible.
 
Please contact Laura to indicate your interest in participating, by January 15, 2010.  At that time kits, including pattern and materials, will be sent to each quilter. Finished blocks should be returned to LFN Textiles by April 1, 2010, for final assembly & quilting. Laura may also be reached by phone at: (812) 682-3733, or by mail, at: LFN Textiles, P.O. Box 122, New Harmony, IN  47631. 
 
The finished quilt will be sold in the Silent Auction at the TLS Annual Gathering in New Harmony in November 2010. The Silent Auction supports the scholarship fund of TLS. This will be the 12th Annual Gathering of The Labyrinth Society, and it is due to the generosity of our members that we are able to provide scholarships to support attendance each year.

In August, the TLS Board of Directors conducted a survey of members and friends of TLS. We had a response rate of active members of over 40%. Many inactive members also responded. We considered the return rate to be excellent for an online survey. I would like to thank all who participated. The feedback provided valuable information for the board.

Overall, the results were positive. Of those who responded, 82.3% agreed or strongly agreed that they would recommend membership to others. Respondents also indicated general satisfaction with the resources offered on our website. For example, 76.2% agreed or strongly agreed that the TLS website provides information they need to support their labyrinth work. However, several indicated that accessing the Forum is problematic.

Seventy-one per cent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that the newsletter delivers information that supports their labyrinth interests. That, combined with 62% satisfaction with the frequency of the publication, indicated to the board a need to review the purpose and frequency of the publications that we offer.

We also received useful opinions about our Annual Gatherings. Although 75% had attended only one or none of the annual gatherings, the individual comments offered by some respondents demonstrated concerns about location and cost. International members indicated difficulty attending Gatherings in the US.

Over 100 respondents provided individual comments in the final section. This information was very helpful in identifying specific issues that could not be determined from the general items in the survey. Thank you again for taking the time to provide this valuable information!

Survey results were reviewed by the board at their October meeting. Strategies to address your concerns were discussed and forwarded to the relevant committees. You will be hearing from us periodically, related to the survey and the board actions taken to respond to major concerns.

Ellen Schultz, Membership Chair

Each year the Silent Auction presents an array of items, from books and finger labyrinths, to original art work, short massages, and weekend stays in nice resorts. 

Revenues from the Silent Auction go towards funding TLS scholarships, offered to those in need to help offset the cost of attending the Annual Gathering. Thanks to the generosity of this year’s winning bids, a total of $1,321.00 was collected for the scholarship fund. Many thanks to all of you who donated items for this year's auction, and for those of you who supported the auction with your bids!

Items for the auction are often labyrinth related, but we will accept anything that will raise scholarship funds. Do you have items that need a new home? Bring them along next year for the silent auction at the 2010 Annual Gathering!
 

Following each TLS Gathering, member Lea Goode-Harris, posts a compelling retrospective of her Gathering experience on her blog, "Tales from the Labyrinth." Visit her blog to read the 2009 Gathering retrospective post and to see how labyrinth enthusiasts from around the world "created space for spirit" in Portland, Oregon!

The Energy Keepers of The Labyrinth Society is a strong, active, and dedicated group of 165 members and also some non-members. Energy Keepers provide healing supportive energy for all TLS members, families and friends. This is a member benefit that is often overlooked, but is a great blessing that is available to all our members and their loved ones. Many have spoken of the shift that was experienced after an "energy request" was sent out.

Energy Keepers treat requests for physical, emotional, and family support, but when the Energy Keepers were first organized into a group to serve TLS members, a great emphasis was on receiving support to get labyrinths accepted and built in our local communities. This kind of community and global support continues as our members are creating labyrinths all over the world.

The Energy Keepers are a part of what makes TLS so remarkable, because of the intention to serve and to support our TLS vision statement: "To inspire possibilities and create connections through the labyrinth."

Energy Keepers are free to treat each request as feels right for them using prayer, Reiki, visualization, or just sending energy of love and light and healing to the request. Many of us take the request into the labyrinth as we walk, finger-walk, or meditate the labyrinth. The effect of 165 people focusing positive intent on the request is powerful and a blessing.

Everyone is invited to join the Energy Keepers and to request energy. It has been a great honor to have served as Chair of the Energy Keepers for the last five years. I feel the Energy Keepers are like the heartbeat of TLS.

Would you like to join Energy Keepers or learn more about Energy Keepers? Do you have an energy request? If so, contact Carol House, the Labyrinth Society Energy Keepers Chair, for more information. You may also read more about the Energy Keepers, on the TLS website.
 

Carol House,
Energy Keepers chair
 

Help support TLS and find your perfect holiday gifts by shopping at Amazon.com! By clicking on any “Shop Amazon.com” link via the TLS website, you will automatically be connected to Amazon’s extensive collection of books, electronics, gifts, and well - anything! …And the best part? When you make your purchase, a portion of your purchase will be sent to the Labyrinth Society! 

Would you like TLS-specific merchandise? At the TLS Cafe Press online store you can purchase clothing, bags, caps, buttons, stickers, mugs, and many more items - all with the TLS logo. Check out Cafe Press!

Don’t forget… You can also give a gift of membership to TLS to the labyrinth enthusiasts in your life. Gift recipients are entitled to membership benefits and become part of a community that supports those who have brought the labyrinth into their lives.

Is your special person already a TLS member? Consider a donation to The Labyrinth Society in his or her honor. Your gift will support labyrinth work world wide. In turn, the Labyrinth Society will send a card acknowledging your gift or donation.

To give a gift membership or to make a tax-deductible (USA only) donation to The Labyrinth Society, please visit us online. For specific donation and gift-related information, email the TLS Executive Director, or contact the Executive Director by phone at 607-387-5863.

The Labyrinth Society
P.O. Box 736
Trumansburg, New York 14886