It’s Week Nine at the Chautauqua Institution, and the last week of their 2009 summer program.

photo credit: Sue Manus

It seems only fitting that in today’s society and the economy being in turmoil that the topic “History of Liberty” will be the focus of this weeks lectures. With changes in US government and the Internet and the speed of information, there is a change in how people see liberty and democracy.

This weeks lectures will examine the vision of nations founders and the progress in reaching that vision. Speakers will discuss new understandings of liberty and democracy.

As of Saturday August 22 the line up of speakers were:

Monday, Hunter Rawlings
Tuesday, Gordon wood
Wednesday, Jim Lehrer
Thursday, Anthony Kennedy
Friday, Ambassador William H. Luers

I must admit Jim Lehrer (executive editor and anchor of “The News Hour With Jim Lehrer”) has a rich past in programs that I have seen over the years. He has been a moderator for several nationally televised presidential elections. I also remember him from the 1973 live coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings broadcast (aired on PBS) and later in the coverage of Richard Nixon. These broadcasts stayed with me and had an impression on my opinion of news and coverage of stories.

As the season ends at the Chautauqua Institution the information shared through lectures, entertainment and classes will enrich those people that attended.

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The Chautauqua Institution has a labyrinth located near The Turner Community Center, on Rt.394,  just outside the Chautauqua Institution gates.

Tucked below trees, it’s easy to miss at first. But the importance of a labyrinth, both at Chautauqua and in history cannot be overlooked or missed.
photo credit: svanes

What is a labyrinth?

A labyrinth is an ancient symbol dating back over 3000 years. The symbol relates to wholeness and combines the image of a circle and a spiral into what looks like a wandering path. This path represents a journey to our center, who we are, and will return us back into the world in which we live.

It is important to realize that everyone has a path in life. We will take twists and turns along our journey often not knowing what lies around the next bend but once we start there is only one way to go, forward.

Labyrinths are used worldwide. They can be found in medical centers, parks, backyards, retreat centers, prisons, sacred sites and churches. One of the more well labyrinths is the Chartres labyrinth, which is inlaid at the cathedral in Chartres, France. It is made out of paving stones and dates back to around 1200.
photo credit: bunnygoth

The Chautauqua Institution Labyrinth was designed by Lisa Moriarty and is the Circle of Peace design. Located under trees at the north end of Turner Community Center makes it accessible and available to the community and public. The labyrinth can be used year long, unless hidden with snow in the winter. And with the winters that Chautauqua sometimes has, the labyrinth can be deeply buried.

The current labyrinth was constructed in 2005 through the combined efforts of several Chautauqua labyrinth supporters. Special Studies classes, Chautauquans and the general public use it. Labyrinths are used as a way to relax, to renew one’s spirit, as a walking path or a place to pray.

Debra Dinnocenzo, the Labyrinth Coordinator, offers an orientation to the labyrinth at 7 p.m. every Tuesday during the season. She feels that it is important that people realize a labyrinth is not a maze. There are no dead ends or tricks to it. It is one path that leads to a center. You use the same path to return, making it unicursal; the path in is also the path out. It is a “walking meditation” that affects each person differently.

Dinnocenzo presents a history of labyrinths at the orientation. She explains the three stages to the walk: “releasing” on the way in, “receiving” in the center and “returning” or taking back out what you received from the experience. “There is no wrong way to use the labyrinth, Dinnocenzo said.

After the talk, questions can be asked and people will then walk the labyrinth. Depending on the day there may be four people in attendance or 20.

Dinnocenzo said participating in the labyrinth in a group is a very different experience. You know what you are feeling but you also see other people in various stages of the walk. You are all walking towards one point but because of the way the path is laid out you often look like you are headed in opposite directions. This is much like life, we walk the same paths but each person’s experiences are totally unique.

Dinnocenzo helped chose the location for the labyrinth by Turner Community Center when it was moved from Miller Park, which is located on the Chautauqua Institution grounds. They wanted it under the trees for shade but the location of the trees didn’t seem to quite work.

They started working on finding the center of the labyrinth and as they worked out from the center, a tree fell exactly where they felt the alter should be. The alter is a term used for the open area just inside the entrance.

The entrance and alter were emphasized by the tree. It became a unique part of the Chautauqua labyrinth.
photo credit: ~C4Chaos

Dinnocenzo became interested in labyrinths when she took a special studies class 6 years ago from Harriette Royer called Sacred Circles. She has since walked Labyrinths all over the United States.

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There are many wonders hidden in the United States and abroad. These places are often unknown or overlooked by many. One such place is a small town named Chautauqua. 
photo credit: A Girl Next Door

It is located by the Chautauqua Lake in Chautauqua County. This is the home of a cultural community called the Chautauqua Institution. The Chautauqua community has been around for more than 130 years.

The Chautauqua Institution, which sits near the edge of the town, is a gated community with a rich history in religion and learning and astounding architecture. A small community filled with narrow streets and perched on a hillside overlooking the Chautauqua Lake further accents this setting.

And with the emphasis being on learning and developing as a person it seems only appropriate that relaxing gardens fill every nook and cranny. It’s a gardener’s haven and home to the Chautauqua Bird Tree and Garden Club.

On a walk through the streets you will see statues, fountains, sculptures and hand crafted garden art in every imaginable style and form. Unusual and rare plants also grow in many gardens. Most of the gardens are annual flowers and perennials but you will see a few vegetables tucked in garden plots and containers sitting on porches.

One of my favorite gardens from a few years ago was a “secret garden” that was decorated with old vintage hats. These hats were treated to hold up to the climate and had been made into birdhouses. The proper size bird hole diameter was cut into each hat. And then the hats were hung in a fashion that looked like they had been tossed in the wind and had landed precariously on the fence and garden wall.

Their vibrant colors and shapes hanging on the fence and garden wall just gave a feeling of fun and surprise to this hidden garden.

The Bird, Tree and Garden Club offer talks and lectures on birds, bats, gardens and conservation techniques. The club also emphasizes the importance of nature and our duty to do what we can as individuals to maintain a healthy environment.

Roger Tory Peterson, a famous bird historian and wildlife artist grew up in a town nearby called Jamestown, NY. Peterson is most well known for his bird identification books, butterfly and wildflower books.

Peterson grew up in these hills in Chautauqua and by the Chautauqua Lake. He gave several talks at the Institution grounds and was honored on his 80th birthday for his contributions to birding and nature.

If you want to experience a variety of beautiful gardens that use many styles of garden art and garden techniques you should visit the Chautauqua Institution.

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