Words by Melanie Monge
Images by Kevin Kubota | www.kevinkubota.com
The Creative Process…
It started as a dream. I have always wanted a labyrinth on my property. It has been calling to me for a very long time. My home in Oregon City was challenging at best because there wasn't any flat land except where the horses were. HeartSpace Horse Sanctuary proved to be the perfect place. Lots of flat land, extra space, plus an endless supply of rocks— of all shapes and sizes.
My friend Matthew Miller (we met through mutual and exceptionally cool friends) and I talked about building a labyrinth on the property last fall while he was here visiting. We even walked the land to find an appropriate location. He was all for helping out with it. But because he had recently shifted his life into living out of a van on the road, we had no idea when that might come to pass. Plans were made for him to come and house sit for me in May when I was scheduled to be out of town.
Then Covid-19 hit in March, and everything changed. My trip was canceled, and Matthew needed a safe haven for a while. After checking in with me, he made his way here on April 25th, 2020.
After arriving and getting settled in for a while (we were social distancing), he wanted to do some garden work and help out where he could. He did that for a while, and after "quarantining" for two weeks, we got together to see what was next. The Labyrinth was always in the back of our minds, calling and beckoning us. We began to heed that call.
He started with the wheelbarrow, gathering all of the smaller, loose rocks in the horse's paddocks. This was something that had been on my list for quite some time for the horse's sake and the humans as well. We have tripped on many a rock out here for years.
Eventually, I showed him how to use the tractor to get the big rocks, and then he was off and running, gathering rocks of all shapes and sizes. So many to choose from; stop, listen, and the knowing comes. The rocks come to life, they tell you, "please take me; I want to be part of this." Rock gathering, feeling, tuning in, touching rocks of all shapes and sizes is an amazing experience in and of itself. Some are extremely heavy, others manageable, many easier, though there is much bending, twisting, physical work. Long days in service to the land, the universe, the building of this incredible energy for all. Amazingly, at times, it was incredibly easier than expected; was it help from the land, the Labyrinth? It seemed plausible.
Once we got the border almost completed, we waited for the call to build the inner pathways; that took a few weeks. The process was very interesting to witness and to be a part of. We would work for a few days and then wait for the "call." One day we were checking it out, and the "call" came in loud and clear: let's start on the pathways.
We had numerous rock piles within the boundary already. Many of the very large rocks would guide Matthew as to where to place them.
Beginning with an idea as to where he would drop them and then, incredibly, the tractor would show him that they belonged in a different place, just going there. Most of the large rocks stayed where they landed directly out of the tractor bucket; again, there was a knowing.
We began to build the pathways from the beginning without a plan since we wanted to keep it very organic and Spirit-led. That's not to say that I didn't try to have a plan. Having a mathematical mind, I drew the Labyrinth on paper many times. I really wanted it to have the same effect as a traditional labyrinth, a balancing of your body, mind, and Spirit. At one point, I even started to measure it and quickly realized that that wasn't in the Spirit-guided plan. Matthew was great at helping me get back into my heart and out of my head. We worked together, balancing each other when needed, and keeping us both on the same page with the Labyrinth.
So, we started at the beginning without a plan, got out of the way, and let the Labyrinth build itself. As we moved through the first part, we got to a point where we decided to jump to the center since that's a very important part—the heart of the Labyrinth. We worked there until we were at a place where that felt right. After that, we needed to build it so we could eventually pull it all back together, as there is one way in that is also the same way out.
This was one of the few places where we needed to hit "pause" and come back into alignment with each other. When one of us allowed our mind to leave the moment and start planning ahead or asking untimely questions, the other person would get confused. Quickly, we would recognize this, laugh, and get back into our hearts. This collaboration went much smoother than we expected. We both realized early on in the process that we needed both of our perspectives to bring forth this sacred creation.
In retrospect, this part went super fast; so fast, in fact, it seemed unreal. We weren't tired or hot or hungry; we just went with it. All in all, the building of the pathways took only about 10 hours over two days.
When we laid down the last rock, it seemed so anticlimactic, no fireworks or excitement, it just was. In fact, we didn't even realize that it was the last rock. We knew there would be tending and additional work to be done; however, in my mind, I thought there would be a visceral feeling of an ending, of accomplishment. That did not happen (I was in my head and not in my heart), and it left me (or my ego) a bit confused. As I checked in and really felt into it, there was a feeling of balance, neutrality (not complacency), and equanimity.
Truly a feeling that I had originally wanted from the beginning to come from the walking of the Labyrinth. Every time I now walk it, I come out of the Labyrinth with that feeling. During the walking, I may feel a lot of different ways, but in the end, I feel a strong sense of equanimity. We opened the Labyrinth with a simple ceremony on the Summer Solstice with a small group of friends. It was a beautiful coming together of like-minded individuals that truly blessed its existence. We walked it, shared our experiences, and set an intention that it is open to anyone, and diversity is celebrated. We are all spiritual beings living a human experience right here, right now.
Our hope is that the Labyrinth radiates outward and inward, rippling through people's hearts and felt all over the world. The HeartSpace Labyrinth extends love, pure love, to all of humanity. We are sending out love to all who will receive it. We are all one; we are all connected; we are all equals.
So it is.
Extending empathy, kindness, and love to all across continents, across universes, and heart to heart.
Let us all exemplify Unity.