LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1542246
LOCALadk 36 finding is that people come and feel the collectiveness of effort that people put into the labyrinth." Obtaining Legacy Labyrinth status is no simple task, though.When it opened, the Powers' was just the sev- enth one in the world. Since then, three others have been built in Colorado Springs, Newfoundland and Toronto. In addition to Saskatchewan, others are found in Argentina, France (near the original Chartres Laby- rinth); and three more in the U.S. – at Ohio Wesleyan University; Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.; and California at the Hoffman Institute an hour north of San Francisco. "There's a pretty hefty application fee, but in return the support they provide is pretty amazing," Chris- tine said. "We had to commit to quality, to making it accessible to the public, and to dedicating it to peace and global healing. We had to be in alignment with all of those things." On September 21, they hosted a special Interna- tional Peace Day picnic with music and guided walks throughout the property. Autumn, with a kaleidoscope of beautiful fall foliage at hand, is an especially re- warding time to visit. "We also do some specialty mind, body and spirit trips," Larry said. "When people come up we do Tai Chi. Then we walk the labyrinth. After that we do rail bikes, then go to Lake Placid and take them up for an airplane ride. It's a whole-day event." "When you go to a corn maze at Halloween you try to scare yourself and get lost," Christine said. "Laby- rinths are a tool for centering and contemplation. It looks very complicated, but it's not. There's only one path in and one path out. You can't get lost." The Powers's son, Gabe, currently studying abroad in Italy, managed the site last year. "It was so cool and unique, having all these people come from different backgrounds, telling their stories," he said. "They were a lot more open at the labyrinth than any other place I've been to or worked at. They shared so much more about themselves." He recalled an especially memorable visit by a middle-aged woman and her mother, who had health problems. "They were telling me about their situa- tion," Gabe said. "It was kind of like a chance for them to connect that they might not have had previously. The labyrinth took more than two years to build and opened in 2023. The labyrinth is an exact replica of one in Chartes, France built in Medieval times.