Chautauqua Institution’s Labyrinth

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.