Episcopal Church Observes World Labyrinth Day

Contributed by Nancy Ayer

The third World Labyrinth Day will be held on Saturday May 7, 2011. World Labyrinth Day is an annual global event celebrated each year on the first Saturday in May, sponsored by The Labyrinth Society, an international organization founded in 1998.

The Labyrinth Society invites the world to ‘Walk As One at 1’ in an attempt to create a wave of peaceful energy moving around the planet. To participate, people are invited to walk a labyrinth at 1 p.m. in their local time zone. Individuals who wish to participate may use a finger labyrinth in the comfort of their home.

In the past, a variety of events were held at over 100 locations worldwide, including the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., churches, and even a maximum-security women’s prison. Countries joining the celebration included the United States, Canada, England, the Bahamas, France, Spain, New Zealand, China, South Africa, and Australia.

While the origin of the labyrinth is unknown, labyrinths have been found all over the world dating from earliest antiquity. Once popular in the Middle Ages, labyrinths have been experiencing a resurgence in popularity. It has become increasingly common to find labyrinths in schools, prisons, parks, hospitals, spas, churches, and retreat centers. The World Wide Labyrinth Locator.

Labyrinths are thought to enhance right brain activity, and uses include problem solving, conflict resolution, walking meditation, modern day pilgrimage, and stress management. The American Cancer Society states that labyrinths “may be helpful as a complementary method to decrease stress and create a state of relaxation.”

Research studies conducted in a variety of settings consistently have shown that walking a labyrinth reduces stress. In fact, over the past few years, this has been the most commonly reported finding related to the so-called ‘labyrinth effect,’ according to John W. Rhodes, Ph.D. Chair of The Labyrinth Society Research Committee.

Along with Veriditas, the organization formed to train facilitators and promote transformative work with the labyrinth, The Labyrinth Society (TLS) is one of the foremost groups responsible for promoting the current international labyrinth movement. The Labyrinth Society is an international organization whose mission is to support all those who create, maintain and use labyrinths, and to serve the global community by providing education, networking, and opportunities to experience transformation.

Since its inception, more than 1500 people have joined TLS. One of The Labyrinth Society’s greatest contributions has been helping to establish The World Wide Labyrinth Locator.

Additional World Labyrinth Day information and resources are available on The Labyrinth Society’s website at https://www.labyrinthsociety.org