Sixty-Six Bulls

I dream…
of sixty-six bulls
thundering down
verdant hills of green…
The echoes
of their hooves
split the earth,
a chasm to the molten center
where Hephaestus
cleaves stone and metal
with a fire so hot
they melt into seven rings,
a solid band
that circles the moon…
I see them still
in shadows of the sun,
and in the memory of rolling hills
that never end…

*****
Copper bull of Taurus
in the heart-space
of the seven rings of my Santa Rosa Labyrinth

*****

May 5, 2013
Cinco de Mayo
Happy Birth Day Milton
We miss you so...

Earth Day 2013

The Santa Rosa Labyrinth
at Knox Presbyterian Church in Santa Rosa, CA
was re-dedicated yesterday during
the congregations' Sunday Earth Day Celebration.

The steward of this labyrinth,
Michael Mugridge of Burbank Realty
sang during the service,
accompanied by his godmother Mary Klein...

and I gave a talk based on the title of the song,
Place In This World
(Words: Michael W. Smith and Wayne Kirkpatrick
Music: Michael W. Smith)

After the service
we all went outside to the labyrinth,
placing flowers in the heart space...

and gathered around the outside
as the Reverend Sue Fleenor led us
in blessing this labyrinth...

the surrounding space,
and all who are touched by this beautiful garden
that graces a corner of our town.

My poem for this Earth Day...

What is this path…
this place of quiet spiral
taking us home to ourselves,
to the whispers of soul,
to the breath of body,
to the place where word and song meet
in the space between longing
for our place in this world...

*****

The Knox Presbyterian Labyrinth
is open 24/7
and on the South-East corner
of Third Street & Stony Point Road
in Santa Rosa, CA

Springing Green

Spirals in the sun,
snaking through the dragon pond...
This path springing green!

*****

This is the simple three-circuit Classical labyrinth
that changes throughout the seasons
in my parent's dragon pond
in Healdsburg, CA.

Old Spaces Made New...

Until today...
the unfinished inner room of my basement
had a dirt floor...

While prepping the area,
Cisco and crew of FBLandscaping
found beneath the old stone slab
that supported the furnace,
the stump of an ancient tree...

 
It felt strange to be removing something
that had not seen the light of day
in over a hundred years...

I created a time capsule
to go into the dirt beneath the new concrete floor...
-A crystal-given to Milt
in the Loltun Caves of the Yucatan, Mexico...
-A piece of white sage...
-A piece of copal...
-A mold taken from an old key,
unlocking secrets of the heart...
-The prayer bundle, first placed when we wished
with all our hearts,
to live in this beautiful home...
-Notes and dates, wishes, and blessings,
signatures, and coins of America and Mexico...
were tucked inside the decorated chocolate tin...

I also made a glass icon,
to be embedded into the concrete...

marking the inner heart
of this home...

This old space,
made new...

Lucky Mojo Curio Co.'s Red Brick Labyrinth

A week ago today...

I had the honor and pleasure of providing what I thought was going to be just a labyrinth consultation to the owners and staff of the Lucky Mojo Curio Company in Forestville, CA.

The Lucky Mojo Curio Co., owned by Catherine & Nagasiva Yronwode, is an amazing jewel tucked away in the coastal hills and redwoods of Northern California. This wild and beautiful piece of property is the home of a store and company that homes a vast staff and interns from all over, who come to learn from Catherine the ancient craft of magic.

We searched the property for the right spot and settled upon what was once a deer enclosure. Ancient redwoods long gone, their roots and bowls encircle the open area that is now wooded by other large trees that have grown in their stead...

I brought my Labyrinth To Go kit, so that we could lay out a tentative seven-circuit Classical labyrinth in rope to give an idea of what might be possible in the space. We were going to talk about possible materials, including using local Sonoma fields stone...

While looking at the rope labyrinth, as we adjusted it to fit the space and deciding where the entrance would be, Catherine told me a story. Many years ago she was at a faire and purchased a hand and machine stamped copper labyrinth. She placed it upon the headboard of her bed and every night before going to sleep, she traced the path and whispered her heart's desire... to find her true love...

That was when Nagasiva,
her husband, handed me a photo of this very labyrinth...

That was also about the time that Catherine turned to me and said, "I have all the old bricks from the foundation of my daughter's house that was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Could we use those bricks for the lines of the labyrinth?"

Staff and interns began to bring the bricks to the site...

And the Red Brick Labyrinth began to appear...

Just two and a half hours after the end of our initial conversation, the lines of the labyrinth were complete. Over the next few weeks, Catherine will be able to walk the labyrinth and adjust the bricks here and there, making the curves just to her liking. Eventually the paths will be filled in with leaves and wood chippings from the property.

What a joy to be a part of the making
of this beautiful labyrinth
come to life!

The dedication and opening of this labyrinth will be during the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.'s May 4th & 5th Hoodoo Workshop weekend which just happens to coincide with the World Wide Labyrinth day on May 4th!