By now a daily walk may be a regular part of your pandemic routine.
If not then early morning before the heat kicks in is a good time to start.
Walking gets you outside, provides a bit of cardiovascular exercise and hopefully some good views – gardens in bloom, ducks on a lake, streaks of pink color on the under sides of clouds.
Walking is also a great stress reliever.
St. Augustine supposedly said:
Solvitur ambulando
Which means;
It is solved through walking.
Who can resist that?
Let’s kick your walking experience up a notch or two and go looking for labyrinths.
Have you ever walked a labyrinth?
A labyrinth is not a maze. There are no dead ends. The path you step on when you start is the same path that takes you to the center and back again.
Unlike your morning walk where you have to think about crossing streets or if the neighbor’s dog is loose, taking a deep breathe and stepping on a labyrinth path means your brain can finally take a break.
Let your feet do the walking one step at a time, one turn at a time while your heart, mind and soul recharges, refreshes and renews.
Leave your metaphorical baggage at the beginning of the labyrinth. Your steps get lighter and easier. Pause at the center. Deep brethe.
I like to turn in all four directions of the compass and vocalize my gratitude to the North, South, East and West.
But where you find labyrinths?
Glad you asked.
When looking for labyrinths in an Internet search bar type the words “World Wide Labyrinth Locator” and then when the site comes up, put in your location or a place you plan to visit. Two caveats: all information is self reported it may or may not be up to date so checking to see if a particular labyrinth does exist before going is a wise move.
Another way to find labyrinths (drum roll please) when in Florida is to check out my book Circle the Center Labyrinths in Florida.
I walked 138 labyrinths in Florida and 98 are included in the book. My criteria is simple: the labyrinth had to be easy to find and comfortable to walk.
The focus for this Saturday Morning Magazine blog will be labyrinths in Sarasota County including the city of Sarasota, Siesta Key and Venice.
All labyrinths are open to the public. No fee. And chances are excellent you won’t need social distance guidelines as you will be the only person there.
Here you go.
Embedded in the sidewalk behind Kanaya Condos and Women’s Exchange is a sweet five-circuit labyrinth. In this photograph Barbara Trow walks the circuits.
The address is: 505 S. Orange Avenue, Sarasota, FL.
First Presbyterian Church at 2050 Oak Street, Sarasota, FL has been here over one hundred years. Their labyrinth, an 11-circuit design based on the one at Chartres Cathedral in France – hasn’t been there that long.
When part of the old brick street was torn out by the city in 2006 church members gathered up the bricks and they became the outline of the 11-circuit labyrinth path.
As you face the church on Oak Street, turn right into the upper parking lot. The labyrinth is just beyond this lot. Usually there are brochures in a mailbox type structure with some thoughts on walking a labyrinth.
In 2019 First Congregational United Church of Christ built an 11-circuit labyrinth behind the church. The address is 1031 S. Euclid Avenue, Sarasota, FL. Next to the labyrinth is a thriving butterfly garden. You may end up walking with butterflies.
In a lovely shaded area behind Unity of Sarasota, 3023 Proctor Road, Sarasota, FL is an easy to walk labyrinth. There are four peace poles placed at the four compass points and a covered bench nearby.
In the photograph Obi waits to walk the labyrinth and there already is a dog working its way towards the center! Their owner was sitting on the nearby bench. A peaceful place for both dogs and people.
St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key, has a labyrinth in an interior courtyard. A nearby low wall makes a good sitting place. For a getaway few hours, bring a book, a journal, a sketchpad, heck pack a brown bag lunch. Hang out.
Walk the labyrinth, stay for the soothing quiet.
Looking for labyrinths in Venice, St. Marks Episcopal Church, 508 Riviera Street, Venice, FL has a labyrinth located to the right of the church. Only a few blocks from Venice’s downtown area this is a quiet oasis for refection and renewal.
At Unity Church of Venice, 125 N. Jackson Road there is a garden labyrinth created and maintained by Mary Badeau, a gardener who is called to be the keeper of this sacred space.
Flowerpots outline the path and a metal butterfly rises up at the center. Butterflies are beautiful symbols of change and perfect for the effects of a labyrinth walk.
Looking for labyrinths makes for mindful meditations in these unsettling times.
Enjoy the journey.
