Snow Water Ice Labyrinth

Well, the real January thaw arrived today with a vengeance. Early this morning it started to rain and rained and rained and poured for the better part of 8 hours. The winds knocked down power lines and we lost power. The rosette and most of the 3rd quadrant are flooded. In an attempt to save the Labyrinth I used 2 shovels as a guide to re-form the Labrices where possible, stomp down the Labyrs and stomp down the Lunation "Berm". It finally stopped raining at 4:30. I had some help for 15 minutes from Anne, our neighbor to pack the entrance Labrices. All in all, most of the Labyrs are intact, although 1/3 their original size. Some of the Labrices are barely visible and some gone to the flood. After two changes of parkas and gloves which were soaked, I went to take some photos of the flooded Labryinth...The camera is soaked and won't turn on. I may have ruined the camera...We'll see. The Labyrinth is a metaphor for life. The last few days were magnificent with the Labryinth in peak condition and today the rains came and flooded the path. I did what I could to shore up the Labryinth for what probably will be a freeze and then I'll have a skating Labyrinth and more snow. Only time will tell.

Awesome Labyrinth in the Sun

Today was a clear crisp day. No clouds in the sky. A photo from the ladder against the shed facing East to the left and a photo facing West from the ladder against the telephone pole...Tomorrow night, Sunday and Monday morning we are expecting temperatures to rise to the 40's with rain and possible frozen rain. With temperatures that high, the snow will melt and provide yet another opportunity to pack the snow. I have asked a neighbor and her daughter to be on call Monday, to help stomp down the Labrices. The Labyrs, Rosette, Petals and Lunation "Berm" are solid as they have been packed, stomped and walked. The Labrices have been piled from shoveling. So they are the next project during thaw #2. We'll see what happens in the next few days.

Sunny Labyrinth Day

No snow for a few days. Cloudless sky and lots of sun. Not much to do but walk the Labyrinth and take a picture from on top of the shed using an extension ladder...Still pondering how to get up higher to get a better view of the Labyrinth...

The Labyrinth Rosette Petals

Sunday, January 17th was perfect weather for Petal creation. The empty Rosette left had a large amount of accumulated, shoveled, packed snow around the perimeter. With temperatures in the 30's the snow became soft and packable. I shoveled the snow from the permiter and packed it in Rubbermaid containers and formed the petals. I packed the snow in the container then turned it upside down and set two snow blocks vertically and then packed and placed a third horizontally. I then formed the crosses at the tip of the petals. You can see the slideshow of the progress of creating the petals to the right.

The January Labyrinth Thaw

The past few days have brought warm temperatures and little snow. The temperatures have been in the 30's, which may not seem warm, but for the Northeast Kingdom it is the equivalent of a thaw. The snow melted on the roads. The outer layer of snow on the labyrinth changed to the consistency of sno-cone ice and then settled on to the snow below. The snow was wet and I was able to shovel some snow in Rubbermaid buckets to create the petals of the Rosette (center)
I will post the construction of the petals in the next few days. The challenge with the photos is the day was gray and the air was almost "dirty" it was difficult to see and even more difficult to take good pictures.

Labyrinth in the Sun

I climbed a 20 foot extension ladder to get this shot from above on this sunny day. I still wonder what the Labyrinth looks like from the sky and for that matter...heaven. Very little snow today. No shoveling or stomping.

Labyrinth Blog is Current!!!

I have caught up on my Snow Labyrinth Blog project. Last week as I was working on the Snow Labyrinth I was inspired to create this Snow Labyrinth Blog. It has taken many hours over the past week to compile the images and videos I wanted, upload the videos to youtube, create posts and learn how to use Blogger. The learning curve is shrinking as I continue the journey of the Snow Labyrinth. Yesterday I walked the Lunations again. Walking the Lunations on the Snow Labyrinth is different than on a flat Labyrinth. My Lunation is a "berm" of snow. Approaching 4 feet in height and 3-4 feet in width. I keep packing down the Lunations and shoveling more snow on top. It is my intention to create a containment ring around the Labyrinth which will last well after the rest of the snow melts...We'll see...

Labyrinth Lunation Video

The Lunation "berm" is now approaching 3 feet in height and as I walk it, stomp and tamp it, I fill it in and solidify it. This video was taken two days ago as I stood atop the West end of the Labyrinth.

Labyrinth View

This video was taken atop an aluminum ladder I will use to get some better pictures and videos from above.

Labyrinth Dedication Walk

Maggie walks the Labyrinth as Grace helps tamp down the Labrice. Maggie, a certified Labyrinth facilitator recently dedicated the Labyrinth using drums, bells and chants to bring positive energy and God's Grace to the sacred path. As she walked this day, she "smudged" the path with burning fresh sage.

Labyrinth Rosette Challenge

I have postponed forming the 6 petals of the Rosette. Now, I am faced with the challenge of how to shape and build the petals. Of course, I need some new snow to build them as it would be very difficult, not impossible, to carry hundreds of pounds of snow to center. The six petals represent: Minerals, Plants, Animals, Humans, Angels and the Great Unknown. When reaching center, we can contemplate, pray, meditate or rest in each petal.

New Year Labyrinth Snow

The New Year brings sunshine and some fresh powder. The path looks incredible and is a joy to walk. I become inspired with ideas and thoughts as I shovel, tamp, stomp and walk this sacred path.

Stakeless Labyrinth

The Labyrinth void of all stakes on the left. Walked, tamped, packed ready for new snow which arrives and builds up the Labyrinth (above).

Post Rain Freeze and Snow

The day after the rain...Comes the freeze. Snow comes down and covers the lawn, builds up the Labrices, Labyrs, path and provides more shoveling, tamping down and stomping opportunities.

The Rain Comes to the Snow Labyrinth

December 29th. The temperatures climb to the low to mid 40's and it begins to rain. The snow turns to slush...The perfect time to shovel wet soggy packing snow. 4 1/2 hours of shoveling and packing. Filling large tupperware storage containers with wet snow. Lifting, hauling and dragging the containers with a sled to the Labyrs. Packing the Labyrs with this beautiful snow. As it pours down rain, I shovel, pack and fill the wet snow, knowing this evening it will freeze and the Labyrs will freeze. Yeah!!! I also filled 30 of the containers and built up the Labrices as you enter the Labyrinth. This is awesome...

Labyrinth Taking Shape

As more snow falls, I continue daily shoveling. Hours of shoveling, tamping, stomping, walking and picture taking. I begin to remove some larger "path" marking stakes, leaving the Labrice stakes in place.

The Containment Path

As the Labyrinth began to take shape. I decided to shovel a containment path around the Lunations and the Labyrinth. Shoveling 8-12 feet around the circumference of the Labyrinth, I began to pile up the snow on what would become a berm-like containment Lunation. (The puppy in the foreground is my 7 month old German Shepherd "Grace".

Gaining Snow Height

With more snow, the shoveling continued in earnest. I would shovel the snow on to the Labrices and Labyrs then walk the path, tamping down the newly piled snow. This began to build up the height of the Labrices, Labyrs and Lunation.

More Snow!!!

The next night, December 9th, we were blessed with another 4-6 inches of snow. The Snow Labyrinth was now taking shape. It also became apparent to me, I was going to shovel the Labyrinth this season and begin to build up the Labrices, Labyrs, Rosette and Lunations. More shoveling...Less stomping.

First Snow!!!

On December 8th, 2009 the first snow of the Snow Labyrinth season arrived. I put on my snow boots and stomped the path for the first time. It was exciting to see the path take shape. As I looked at the Labyrinth, I began to realize the Labrices and Labyrs might end up being larger than originally planned. My thoughts began to gravitate toward shoveling the path as opposed to stomping them.

Testing the Path

I used a printed 11 Circuit Chartres
Labyrinth design to guide me through the layout. I then used aa string as a guide through the path to ensure the stakes were aligned properly and I didn't miss any turns.

Staking the Paths

I continued to stake the path which is made up of the 11 circuits. As you can see there are 11 circuits from the center out to the edge. The paths were measured at 2 feet wide and the Labrices (separators) measured 8 inches wide. This was the initial plan. A 2 foot walking path, 8 inch Labrices and Labyrs. Since the Labyrinth is a metaphor for life...Things would probably change.

The Rosette and Lunations

Now it was time to locate the center of the Labyrinth, known as the Rosette. It would have a 20-foot diameter. I used the stake we placed in center when finding Eaast. I then tied a string to the stake and measured 40 feet radius to the outer edge (the lunations) Walking a circle, I staked the outer edge. I then measured 10 feet from the center stake and makred off the 20 foot diameter Rosette.

Finding East

The next step was to find East, since the entrance to all Labyrinths face East. Then, with the help of neighbor Kevin, who had a compass, we determined which direction was East and staked it off so I could have the entrance face East.

The Snow Labyrinth Canvas

This is my yard, the canvas on which I get to create this 11-circuit Snow Labyrinth. I was now ready to obtain enough stakes to mark out the lawn, so that when the snow arrived, it would be easier to follow and shovel the paths.

Desiging the Snow Labyrinth

The first step in building my snow Labyrinth was to figure out its dimensions, keeping them in proportion to the original Chartres 11-Circuit design, which has a diameter of approximately 40 feet. My large expanse of flat yard permitted me to plan a diameter of 80 feet, twice the Chartres size. Using the printed image (above) I calculated a scale of one inch to equal 10.66 feet. I then measured the Paths, Labyrs, Labrices and Rosette. This worked out to my Paths being 2 feet wide, my Labrices 8 inches, and the Rosette 20 feet in diameter. The entire diamater is 80 feet.

My Previous Snow Labyrinth

When I built my first Snow Labyrinth, I used the image of the Labyrinth to stake out the Circuits in early November before the snows came. Then, when it snowed in late November, I walked the Circuit, using only my boots to form the paths, the Labyrs (Path Separators) and the Labrices (axe shaped turn-arounds). Thereafter, each time it snowed, I’d walk the Circuit, stomping down the Path and building up the Labrices (Separators) only with my boots. I photographed each step, but lost all my images due to a computer crash. Having learned a frustrating lesson, I ‘m doing things differently this winter; I’m blogging the record of this Snow Labyrinth’s progress and backing up all the videos and images.

Building a Snow Labyrinth

A few years ago, I built an 11-Circuit Labyrinth in the snow in my yard in Craftsbury Common, Vermont. I modeled it after the stone Labyrinth on the floor of the 1200-year-old Chartres Cathedral in France (image on the left). The vast expanse of ground and the frequency of snowfalls in northern Vermont gave me the impetus to use Nature’s natural elements to create this “handprint of God”, even though it would have a short-term life.