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TLS Members e-Newsletter
Members eNewsletter
At least four times a year, TLS members are rewarded at their inboxes with a copy of the Labyrinth Society e-newsletter. It serves as a means of direct communication with the membership and provides an historical record of the Society.
2014-03-19 News from The Labyrinth Society: Auction Action, WLD, Volunteer Opportunities, Mentoring Students
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Those of us who had the pleasure of meeting TLS Research Chair Dr. Diane Rudebock's delightful students, Shelby and Jeni, at last year's Gathering in Parksville BC know what a great teacher she is. Everyone else: prepare to be inspired by this report on student mentoring.
Dr. Rudebock's introduction:
The labyrinth provides many opportunities for those of us who have responded to the call to "journey the path" and a unique opportunity exists to mentor students who have an interest in working with labyrinths. My own experiences with the labyrinth began 14 years ago, and through the years, I have had the pleasure of introducing the labyrinth to community groups and students, faculty and staff at the University of Central Oklahoma where I teach. I was delighted when I was asked to be a faculty mentor for Jane Boyce, a high school student from North Carolina who wanted to create a labyrinth as her senior project. Exploring the myriad of ways that she could use the labyrinth was delightful, beginning with the first: creating time to walk the local labyrinths in her community. She sent me her written reflections of her labyrinth experiences, and she became aware of the symbolism and metaphors in her labyrinth journey. We corresponded regularly through email as her ideas for the labyrinth project evolved, and she mailed me her beautiful binders with pictures and documentation of her finished labyrinth project. I was inspired by her enthusiasm and insights as well as her dedication to give back to her community through the “Giving Labyrinth” she created. I was asked to provide feedback about her progress on documentation logs that she sent. I was her mentor, and she became a mentor to others as she introduced them to the path of the labyrinth. Our connection has continued even though her project was completed and her story is as follows:
As a senior in a North Carolina High School, one of the requirements for graduation is the completion of a senior project. One selects a topic in which they have little knowledge. My interest in labyrinths was elicited by an adult friend after I experienced a sports injury that left me with residual joint pain. I was simply in search of how to help myself deal with my chronic pain outside of the four walls of Western medicine.
After completing my research paper on, “Labyrinths and Their Effects on Health, Wellness and Spirituality,” I began my search for a mentor and contacted Dr. Diane Rudebock, Chair of the Research Committee for the international Labyrinth Society, who agreed to a long distance mentorship. Through email dialogues and sharing of personal logs from visits to labyrinths, Dr. Rudebock, helped me in my decision to create a food labyrinth for my final senior project. This relieved me of my initial concern that creating a permanent labyrinth in my community would also make me responsible for the potential upkeep.
I partnered with my neighborhood, my high school, and a nearby public separate school in a collaborative food drive. For several weeks, each school collected canned foods as I collected within my neighborhood. The Principal at Haynes-Inman Education Center, Kevin Carr, and the Adapted Physical Education Teacher, Vicki Simmons, welcomed the opportunity to work together and offered me a beautiful space to make the food labyrinth come to life.
Haynes-Inman Education Center is a public separate school for students ages 3 to 22 with severe and profound special needs. I worked closely with Dr. Rudebock and P.E. teacher, Vicki Simmons, to implement a labyrinth that would meet the physical and cognitive needs of the student population. This included designing wider pathways for wheelchair accessibility, lighted pathways with white rope lights to aide visually impaired students, and a simple spiral design that would be easy to enter and exit. Additionally, it was important to create multi-leveled surfaces around the labyrinth that students in wheelchairs could access to make a food contribution.
The process was challenging but rewarding. It began by measuring off 420 feet of a spiral design in the school gymnasium. I then turned on and connected all of the rope lights. The warmth from the lights made them more pliable when creating the circular design. Using a scooter board made the process of taping the lights to the floor more efficient. Once completed, a focal point at the center of the labyrinth was created with a lit wreath on a stand and a basket with heart-shaped “thank you” notes that were easily accessible to participants. Two padded therapy tables, wheelchair height, were positioned on the outside of the labyrinth to provide a surface for food donations as an alternative to bending down to place food. Lastly, 840 collected food items were then placed along the lighted pathway that provided enough space for two wheelchairs to pass safely. Seasonal sounds of running water and birds singing were an added dimension to the experience.
The P.E. teacher used the labyrinth as her adapted activity that week, and with an excused absence from my own classes, I was able to assist many students through the labyrinth. Prior to each class, I provided a simply yet meaningful explanation of a “Giving Labyrinth,” stating that “it is a special quiet time to walk and think about what you are thankful for and how you may share that feeling with others”. The students’ reactions were wonderful. Many students appeared to be calmed by the lights and music as they visually engaged with the lit pathway. Many smiled as they slowly walked or rolled through the spiral design. In addition, some students skipped to the center and stayed by the lit wreath for some time. The teachers and therapists came back several times with their students throughout the week to enjoy the opportunity. Over 200 people walked the “Giving Labyrinth” within the five days that it was available!
Dismantling the labyrinth was not difficult. Fifty students from a nearby middle school came and picked up all of the cans and packed them into boxes that could be distributed easily to a nearby ministry. The rope lights were donated to Haynes-Inman and are now a permanent fixture to the perimeter of the gymnasium to promote a calming and peaceful effect.
On a personal measure, this project was challenging and humbling. I sought to create a food labyrinth for those in need during a season when food banks are often low. However, when the design and efforts took a turn to meet the needs of individuals who may never have had such an opportunity, the title, “A Giving Labyrinth,” took on a new meaning in my heart. I am starting to realize that it is only the giving that makes us who we are.
Jane Boyce, Senior Ragsdale High School
Jamestown, North Carolina
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Celebrate the 6th Annual World Labyrinth Day (WLD) on Saturday, May 3, 2014! The Labyrinth Society invites you to ‘Walk as One at 1" in the afternoon, joining others around the globe to create a wave of peaceful energy washing across the time zones.
Members of the Labyrinth Society are encouraged to facilitate group walks at public labyrinths to engage the community and amplify our collective energy. World Labyrinth Day is also a great opportunity to introduce others to the path by organizing lectures, workshops, tours, book readings, art exhibitions, or building temporary or permanent labyrinths.
If you are unable to "Walk as One at 1," other opportunities to participate include tracing a finger labyrinth on paper or using a mobile app. Labyrinth walks and events can also be held in the morning or evening, as others will be walking in unison with you in other time zones. Just as there are a wide variety of uses of the labyrinth, creativity and multiplicity are encouraged.
Here are 11 Ways to Celebrate World Labyrinth Day:- Walk as One at 1 (or as time permits)
- Trace or draw a finger labyrinth on paper or using a smartphone or tablet app
- Facilitate or join a group walk
- Host or join a lecture, workshop, art exhibition or tour
- Build a temporary or permanent labyrinth
- Discover a new labyrinth or submit an unlisted site to the Labyrinth Locator
- Write a blog post, newsletter submission, letter to the editor, or article for print or the internet
- Share and view WLD stories, photos, videos on Social Media using the hashtag #LabyrinthDay
- Read labyrinth books, watch movies, or sing songs
- Create a labyrinth art project, exhibition, or drawing class
- Help spread the word by posting flyers, sharing on social media, and listing your event on the TLS website
We have just reached 2,000 members in our TLS Facebook Group!This is a great resource to promote and share your WLD events, experiences, and stories. Mindful photography is encouraged to help document the variety of people and places connected by this event. There will be a follow up survey and opportunity to share your stories and photos following the event.
Be featured in an article by TLS founding member Meryl Ann Butler, Managing Editor of OpEdNews! She is now accepting submissions of labyrinth insights, installations, and inspiration for her forthcoming report which will include photos and interviews from our community. Email Meryl Ann Butler now through April 15 to be considered for inclusion. Read one of Meryl Ann's articles here.
Make a commitment to participate in the 6th Annual World Labyrinth Day on May 3, 2014 and join hundreds of people around the globe who will be walking labyrinths. Flyers, resources, a press release, and more WLD info are available here.
Peace on your path,
Lars Howlett, WLD Coordinator
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Are you in need of a gift? Do you shop online? Would you like to help support TLS?
By clicking on any “Shop Amazon.com” link via the TLS website, you will be connected automatically to Amazon’s extensive collection of books, electronics, gifts, and well - anything! …And the best part? When you make your purchase, a portion of the proceeds will be sent to the Labyrinth Society!
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The Labyrinth Society (TLS) is a non-profit organization that relies on voluntary participation in its various committees, either as members or as chairpersons, in order to maintain and foster the mission of TLS. As an organization, TLS is at an exciting crossroads, with a rich foundational history in place and a bright future that needs the vision and energy of its membership to reach out and connect labyrinth lovers around the world. We need your imagination and creativity to invent new ways to make this connection and to encourage the sharing of ideas, experiences, and areas of expertise via TLS.
The circle is the TLS leadership model. We know that everyone is a potential leader because those of us on the Board of Directors (BOD) have experienced ourselves becoming leaders through our participation in this organization, even if we are already leaders in our personal or business lives. We foster a culture of communication and cooperation that supports and encourages those who volunteer; there are no limits or constraints on participation, just a willingness to help TLS become the global labyrinth organization we believe it is meant to be.
TLS is here to serve its members as they explore the world of labyrinths. Joining one of our committees is a way of deepening your commitment to labyrinths and connecting to others around the world who share your passion.
There is now a section in the left column on the Members Only Homepage of the TLS website where you can download a .doc Volunteer Information Form to your computer, fill it out, and email it to the address on the form, or print out a .pdf version, fill it out and mail it in. Based upon the interests you express on the form, you will be contacted by the appropriate chairperson.
Or maybe you’re a long-standing TLS member and are ready to take on a bit more responsibility? We have vacancies on the TLS Board Of Directors now and will have more come November. If this level of participation calls to you, there is a TLS BOD Candidate Form link in the same section. Download the .doc version to your computer, fill it out then email it to the address on the form or print out the .pdf version, fill it out and and mail it in. The Nominating Committee Chairperson will then contact you.
There will be hard copy forms available at the TLS Gathering in Florida in November and plenty of opportunities to discuss volunteer options with the various TLS committee chairpersons, so please plan on attending! Those of us serving on the TLS Executive Committee and Board of Directors thank you for your continued support and undying love of all things labyrinthine.
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Labyrinth Lovers! The Labyrinth Society’s annual fundraiser auction is kicking into gear now and we need your donations! As in the past, we will operate the auction through the Bidding For Good website which, in their own words, “is the intersection of charity and shopping—the auction site that allows you to shop for great deals while supporting the causes you care about.”
We, of course, care about labyrinths. The proceeds from the auction keep the wheels running at The Labyrinth Society and make possible the Gatherings, the World Wide Labyrinth Locator, and all the other services and support of TLS that you value, through our amazing network of volunteers. We all have marvelous and unique perspectives to offer the world of labyrinths. It allows us to promote “networking opportunities to experience transformation” in our global community. We need you to make it a success. You have two ways to contribute to this good work: donate an auctionable item, and bid on items once the auction is up and running. The Bidding For Good website is ready and waiting for your donation.
If you’ve donated before, thank you and please do it again. For artists, musicians, and vendors, this is a great way to market your product to hundreds of people worldwide! Think a bit outside the labyrinth, although anything labyrinthine is always welcome. The more items or services we offer, large or small, the more money we can raise. In your local area, is there an event planned for which you can donate tickets? Perhaps you have season tickets to the local playhouse, sports team, or orchestra. Do you have a professional musician friend who will donate tickets to a show? How about a wine-tasting event? Anyone with a B&B or rental they could make available for a weekend? Particularly you Southerners: can you donate a couple of days at your beach house around the time of the Gathering in November so a traveler can extend their stay in Florida and make it a vacation? Will you be doing a presentation or sponsoring an event around that time and donate tickets? Do you provide a spiritual service, do readings, massages, or retreats? Are you an artist with an artwork you’d love to share or have a book you would like to donate? Collectibles, home and garden, gourmet items, hotels, gift cards, jewelry, trips…consider what you might have or have access to that could contribute to the future of TLS. Get creative! (Note: Donors will be responsible for shipping their items to the winning bidders.)
Follow the steps below to donate and help support the fun and creative spark that is the TLS. It’s easy and quick. The kick-off date for the auction is April 6th, so we need your donations now! It will close on May 10th, the day before Mother’s Day, so consider something Mom would like as a gift. The time will go by fast, so help us get and keep the wheels turning now. And thanks for your dedication and devotion to all things labyrinthine.
Please follow these steps to donate:
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Go to the TLS Auction Page
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Click on the DONATE ITEMS box on the left column
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In the next window, scroll down to the Sign In To Donate box that is centered in the window below the text.
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From the next screen, click on the Register box.
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Fill in all the boxes on the next page, including the CAPTCHA words at the bottom. (Remember to record your User Name and Password for future use.) Check the box “I agree to the terms of use” then click SUBMIT.
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Next, follow the steps to donate an item, post a photo, etc. The Auction Coordinators can provide assistance if needed.
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Once you have registered, you can return and make additional donations by signing in using your User Name and Password.
If you’d like to make a donation without registering, send an email to the Auction Coordinators, Jodi or Sarah.
Thank you for supporting TLS with your donations and your bids!
The success of our fundraisers depends on the energy of all, and the event is always open to both TLS members and non-members. Tell your family, friends, fellow labyrinth enthusiasts, your spiritual community, your book club, etc. Donate, bid often and have fun!
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