Concurrent Sessions and Workshops 2024
SATURDAY AFTERNOON 1:00 – 2:00 pm 60 minute lectures
Labyrinths for Learning in Global Contexts
Presenters: Kristi Archuleta and Tabitha Gibson LOCATION: Walters’ Chapel
This interactive lecture session is aimed on the use of labyrinths in global contexts for learning, community building, and healing. The presentation will include sharing experiences and images for contemplation. Time will be provided for reflection, discussion, and idea generation.
Kristi Archuleta, Ed.D., is a Professor of Organizational Leadership and Director of Faculty Outreach and Support at the University of Central Oklahoma. She has been teaching in Higher Education since 2002, where she connects ideas, people, and resources and works to give a voice to those who are not always heard. She found a love of labyrinths in 2013 and is currently an Advanced Labyrinth Facilitator and Board Member for Veriditas. She recently completed her 500-hour-yoga training and is embarking on further studies to add a counseling practice as she serves others. Kristi has a grown daughter and son and two grandsons.
Tabitha Gibson is a study worker at University of Central Oklahoma in the Disability Support Services helping disabled students to get through college and make a life for themselves. She has been going to UCO since 2021 as a first-generation college student. She found the love
for labyrinths over this summer on a study tour as they visited the last three labyrinths in France. She is going into her senior year working on a degree in History of Museum Studies with a minor in Art. She has two cats, and a basset hound named Alex, Sam, and Loki
Exploring Ordinary Time: What We Do When Awe and Inspiration Elude Us
Presenter: Marion J. Patterson
LOCATION: Lower Lyles East
High Holy Days …Grand slam homeruns…celebrations marking life’s highlights. All wonderful events. But we live most of our lives in Ordinary Time. How do we manage the in-between times and when awe is awful and inspiration insipid? We’ll explore using hand labyrinths, writing into and out of the labyrinth, creating free form verse, and sharing.
In times of distress and in Ordinary Time, Marion Patterson has found quiet comfort in walking the Phoenix Harmony Labyrinth that graces her family’s front yard. Predawn walks especially resonate and deepen a sense of gratitude. Crescent moon, call of owl, emerging Bluebells, towering compass plant, blustery winter days. No stranger to TLS Gathering presentations, Marion weaves a tapestry of commitment blending her professional background of Movement Sciences with healing energy work and HeartMath techniques.
Why Are Some Labyrinth Walks Awe-filled, and Others NOT
Presenter: Stephen Shibley
LOCATION: Lower Lyles West
The first part of this session tries to unearth Awe and Inspiration. How do we access them? A brief survey and discussion will help us along the winding Path, before looking deeper into why not all labyrinth walks are created equal. What can be done to elevate labyrinth experiences into the realm of Awe and Inspiration. Can it be sustained?
Stephen Shibley is a retired landscape architect and registered landscape contractor living and working in Oregon. With more than 30 years of design and construction experience, Shibley has specialized in labyrinth design and construction for the last 17 years. With a learned and intuitive ability to “read” the landscape, Shibley enjoys sharing insights into design principles useful when placing labyrinths within our built landscapes. As an avid outdoor enthusiast, Shibley gardens, recreates, explores, works, and learns in the Awe-inspiring great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest – he is constantly inspired by Nature.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON 2:15 – 3:45 pm 90-minute workshops
Experience A LevityZen Laughter Medicine Labyrinth Walk
Presenter: Traci Mc. Merritt
LOCATION: Walters’ Chapel
Experience making and hearing joyful laughter sounds within the labyrinth as an alternative way for connection, introspection and healing. Learn the benefits offering a walking meditation that includes unconditional laughter and smiles, which physically brings a sense of awe and inspiration through the body.
Traci Mc. Merritt, lives in Oregon and enjoys creating LevityZen laughter medicine labyrinths, with a mission to invite people of all faiths, culture and passions to collectively heal and share Peace. Traci is the author of the Laughing Labyrinth Timepeace -a 69 week vision-keeper journal that uses laughter medicine and labyrinths as a daily practice. She creates intuitive art with her training in Reiki-Seichim and is certified as a Laughter Yoga Leader, Laughter Wellness Facilitator, and a Yogabody Breathing Coach. She has also served over 25 years as a landscape architect with the U.S. Forest Service, creating places that connect people with their public lands.
Developing Models for Inspiring Labyrinth Activities in Higher Education
Presenters: Katja Marquart, Frank Faine, Melissa Powers, Jan Sellers (in absentia)
LOCATION: Lower Lyles East
In this experiential workshop, participants will be introduced to a simple model of curriculum design that can be used to inspire and create their own labyrinth learning experiences in educational contexts. This session will include innovative examples, a guided activity, and time for sharing.
Katja Marquart holds an MFA in Design Studies from UW – Madison, is a professor in the Interior Architecture area within the School of Design and Communication, at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She also serves as Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair for The Labyrinth Society. Her creative work includes custom environmental design services, specializing in labyrinth design and installation. Katja has been engaged in labyrinth-related scholarship and design activities for over 20 years, is a Veriditas-trained Labyrinth Facilitator, and is trained at the Reiki Master level.
Frank Faine is a spiritual director, Veriditas-trained labyrinth facilitator, and retreat leader living in Orlando, FL. Currently he serves TLS as VP of Outreach and as a Regional Representative for Florida. His work with TLS focuses on ways to use and incorporate the labyrinth experience/walks on college university campuses both in Central Florida and nation-wide. With a rich and diverse background in companioning, healing, and teaching, he offers spiritual direction, labyrinth walks, and retreats to all persons on their journeys to embrace a life affirming spiritual path through his organization Steps, Stories and Songs.
Melissa Powers, Ph.D., is Professor in the Dr. Virginia Peters Department of Kinesiology & Health Studies at the University of Central Oklahoma. She is a Veriditas Certified Labyrinth Facilitator and serves as the Campus Labyrinth Coordinator. Dr. Powers has collaborated with students to conduct research on the labyrinth and uses the labyrinth as a tool for reflective learning in her physical activity and aging courses.
Dr. Jan Sellers serves on the TLS Research Committee (Research Bibliography Group) and Veriditas’ Higher Education Committee, and was keynote speaker for the TLS Higher Education Symposium 2023. Her work at the University of Kent (England) led to the award of a National Teaching Fellowship for her creative initiatives in student learning development. Publications include Learning with the Labyrinth: Creating Reflective Space in Higher Education (Sellers and Moss, 2016), the first academic book to introduce, inspire and support labyrinth work across the sector. Her latest research provides a detailed international Index of permanent and landscaped labyrinths in academic settings https://jansellers.com/publications.
Exploring the Elements
Presenter: Jodi Little
LOCATION: Lower Lyles West
Exploring the 5 Elements (earth, water, fire, air, space) while walking a labyrinth. Additional practices are introduced such as Qigong, meditation, mudras, tuning forks and more. Be inspired to strengthen and enhance your own healing journey with new practices or new ways to bring your practice into the labyrinth.
Jodi Little is a longtime TLS member and a Veriditas-trained facilitator. She is an energy healer and is a Qigong and meditation teacher. After believing for most of her life that she had no artistic talent, she is finally letting go of untrue, limiting thoughts and exploring her creative and artistic abilities with great joy.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON 4:00– 5:30 pm 90-minute workshops
Lessons from the Labyrinth
Presenter: Eve Hogan
LOCATION: Walters’ Chapel
Be inspired by stories of hope, awe, healing, and, well, proof. Proof of divine intervention, and of the power of the labyrinth as a guide for us in life, a blueprint left to us by our ancestors. If you are not already, you will leave a true believer in the power of doing this work.
Eve Eschner Hogan is an inspirational speaker, labyrinth facilitator, and author of several books including: The Way of the Winding Path: A Map for the Labyrinth of Life and The Spirit of the Labyrinth: A True Tail of Love. She owns Heart Path Journeys and The Sacred Garden on Maui and provides healing retreats and labyrinth walks. Eve’s charismatic style captivates listeners and ignites people’s enthusiasm and joy for life. She leaves her audiences empowered with skills to effect positive change in their lives.
Labyrinth Journeys: A Hands-On Workshop Exploring Design, Interaction, and Intention
Presenter: Charlotte Wyncoop
LOCATION: Lower Lyles East
Ever yearned to unravel the labyrinth’s mysteries? Our experiential workshop beckons you into the liminal realm, where the boundaries of labyrinths are pushed and prodded. Delve into the interplay of path size, patterns, textures, colors, and even dimensions—sphere or flat. This workshop is a fascinating adventure through over 100 finger labyrinths and lively group discussion!
Charlotte Wyncoop is a labyrinth artist celebrated for her brightly colored, spherical labyrinth designs and beautifully glazed flat creations. Drawing from historic patterns, she explores how color, texture and layout influence the labyrinth experience. Beyond her artistry, she conducts inspirational workshops, utilizing her labyrinths to guide participants through transformative journeys. Through her dedication to innovation and introspection, she merges artistic expression with personal growth. Charlotte’s Etsy store “WayStones” showcases her ceramic and gypsum labyrinths, offering a gateway to her captivating artistic vision and leaving a lasting impact.
Mindful Meandering in Mixed Media
Presenter: Amy Broady
LOCATION: Lower Lyles West
Simplicity, possibility, and metaphorical meaning are explored in this hands-on creative workshop. Participants will engage in simple stitchery paired with a streamlined labyrinth design that offers inspirational opportunity for mixed media adventures. We will create dimensional finger labyrinths using mindful and satisfying processes.
Amy Broady, M.Ed., is a Certified Zentangle Teacher™ and a Veriditas-trained Labyrinth Facilitator. She has been practicing and teaching the Zentangle® Method of mindful drawing since 2010. She traces her interest in Labyrinths back to 2010 also, as that was when she first admired a pewter labyrinth in a store and yearned to learn more. She nurtured her fascination for over a decade before attending Labyrinth Facilitator training and Labyrinth Summer School in the summer of 2021. She celebrates the mixed media potential of both passions at Pen & Path, her cozy little teaching studio in Knoxville, Tennessee.
SUNDAY MORNING 9:30 – 11:00 am 90-minute workshops
Weaving Stories, Labyrinths and Journaling – A Three-Fold Process
Presenter: Robin B. Dilley
LOCATION: Lower Lyles West
Have you ever wondered how to make stories, like The Wizard of Oz come to life? Or wondered why the flying monkeys scare you or why you love and hate the wizard at the same time? This workshop will take your favorite stories to a new depth while learning skills to work stories in brand new ways.
Dr. Robin B. Dilley is an Arizona Licensed Psychologist, Author, Speaker, and Advanced Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator and Veriditas Faculty Member who has been practicing psychotherapy for over 35 years. Her love for the Labyrinth began with curiosity and transformed into using it as a healing tool during her recovery from breast cancer. Now, she is excited to share the transformational power of the Labyrinth with you through her newest arm of psychotherapy and spiritual consulting practice, Arizona Labyrinth Connections. Email her about her regular zoom Story and Labyrinth Workshops at [email protected].