|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Contra Costa Labyrinth Project was founded in November of 1998 and is a community outreach resource of the Walnut Avenue United Methodist Church. The Labyrinth Project includes the permanent on-site labyrinth and a portable canvas labyrinth, the Art Whipp Community Gardens, and a proposed Healing and Meditation Garden.
The Contra Costa Labyrinth Project exists to promote a sense of spiritual wholeness and emotional well-being within the community. The Labyrinth Project provides a fully inclusive, nonsectarian, contmeplative environment where community members are welcome for mediation, prayer, and healing workshops. The Labyrinth Project hosts organizations and events that affirm the dignity, wholeness, and innate healing capacity of people and communities.
The Labyrinth Project is composed of three integrated physical components. The Labyrinth, which lies at the center of the property, is a replica of the ancient labyrinth found in the cathedral at Chartres, France to which many make pilgrimage each year. A labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint, found in all religious traditions and in various froms throughout the world. It is a powerful meditative tool through which many people find deep healing and peace. In addition to the permanent labyrinth, there is a portable canvas labyrinth available for use by community groups off-site. The Community Gardens adjacent to the Labyrinth consist of 36 garden plots used by community members for cultivating flowers, vegetables, peace of mind, and important relationships. Finally, the Healing and Meditation Garden, the portion of the Project currently under construction, is a beautifully planned serene environment surrounding the Labyrinth.
In July of 2002 the Contra Costa Labyrinth Project received a grant from the California Endowment's September 11th Special Opportunities Fund, a one time endowment response to the events of September, to address the problem of racial and religious intolerance in California communities. This grant, combined with other funding, has allowed the Contra Costa Labyrinth Project to offer workshops on healing and wholeness, begin work on the Meditaiton Garden, establish this website and publish the quarterly newsletter informing people of upcoming events and resources covering topics related to grief, healing, tolerance, and hope.
