Emily Simpson

Imagine a place you could go to quiet your mind and calm your senses in a natural setting - an accessible community facility, available to all…

The purpose of this project is to build Sydney’s first public labyrinth, bringing the benefits of walking meditation and contemplation to one of the busiest cities in the world. The site will be in Centennial Park, near the Willow Pond

The labyrinth is a simple contemplative path used for walking meditation. It is inclusive and non-denominational and is an easy way for people to centre and calm themselves.Labyrinths have a rich history, which spans over 5000 years. A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze has several different pathways and dead ends, which are deliberately designed to confuse you. A labyrinth has only a single pathway with no dead ends so you can’t get lost. If a maze is an intellectual exercise, a labyrinth is a spiritual one.

In the last few decades, there’s been a revival of interest in the labyrinth. In the United States there have been more than 200 labyrinths built in hospitals alone. They’re also being built in universities, parks, schools and thousands of private gardens. This long forgotten mystical tradition is being reborn all over the world.

Labyrinth walking contributes to individual and community well-being.It is used in many different countries and in different cultural contexts, as a path of insight and self-reflection. Most religious traditions include some form of walking pilgrimage and the Aborigines have always walked their Songlines. The labyrinth invites people to share a common experience, reconciling the interests of a diverse community.

Labyrinth walking activates the right brain, enabling us to walk into the bigger picture or larger context of whatever it is we are contemplating. The result is a sense of balance, ease and wholeness.

Public art is a powerful metaphor.The single winding path of the labyrinth reminds us of the complexities of our journey through life, providing both gentle relief and meaningful purpose. Aesthetically, a labyrinth is a thing of great beauty and this sandstone labyrinth will be a significant work of public art.

The Board of Trustees of Centennial Park recently approved my proposal to build a replica of the medieval Chartres Cathedral labyrinth. This park is a hub of constant recreational activities with over 10 million visitors per year. Building a labyrinth at its heart would provide a contemplative counterbalance – a calm centre for the activity of the Grand Drive. The project site is www.sydneylabyrinth.org 

By supporting the labyrinth project you will be contributing to the heritage of this iconic Sydney park and creating a legacy of well-being and inspiration for generations to come.  

Each year at the Labyrinth Society Gathering in the U.S we realize how far and wide the labyrinth movement is spreading, and how many of us make pilgrimages to walk them too. To me the labyrinth is a tremendously powerful universal symbol and when we walk one, we walk them all.  For World Labyrinth Day, on 5th May in Sydney, we held a public fundraising walk and as we all walked 'as one at 1pm', we were aware that we were among the first in the globe to do that.

So, what's in it for you? A chance for you to help us plant a powerful seed in Australia and a chance to link in with the global community of people who love labyrinths.

Besides, what better excuse could you have for coming to Sydney than to walk your new labyrinth?

Some recent articles from the Sydney Morning Herald and the Wentworth Courier

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/how-path-from-chartres-will-wind-down-to-centennial-park-20120309-1uppe.html

http://wentworth-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/labyrinth-set-to-grace-centennial-park/

Contributions to the labyrinth project via pozible.com are not tax-deductible, which makes it the perfect vehicle for international donors.