My visit to The Labyrinth Society

Over Easter week-end I travelled to Ithaca, New York and found myself within in 10 miles of the office of The Labyrinth Society. I spoke to David Gallagher before my trip and he was generous enough to invite me to call in on my way past. David and his wife Jane live in a historic home on the outskirts of Trumansburg - full of character and history. David showed me the 'office' which is small and cluttered but it is obvious their love of labyrinths goes far beyond office space. David is full of stories about the founding of the Labyrinth Society and its growth. He has obviously researched extensively and speaks of the geometry and philosophy of labyrinths in a manner that was thrilling and expansive  - and also made my head spin. Over a lovely cup of Earl Grey tea ( out of a mug with a labyrinth design, naturally) they showed me many of the hand crafted labyrinth crafts they have been given over the years. They made suggestions for our upcoming celebration of World Labyrinth Day at Wilson College. David was kind enough to take me outside and walk me through the marking of a labyrinth. There are several 'tricks of the trade' involving tent pegs, masking tape and chain links that promise to make our task so much easier! To top it off David loaned me an out-of-print book, "How to Make a 7-Circuit Labyrinth" by Robbert Ferre which contains step by step diagrams. having this book has me feeling much more relaxed about what I consider the most challenging aspect of the event - marking a labyrinth. It seemed like there was an instant 'labyrinth' connection and I look forward to returning to Trumansburg in the fall to share more of our labyrinth (ad)venture @ Wilson College.