Everything has a birthing, a beginning. Rocks harden from molten lava. Seeds break apart as roots and shoots emerge. There is drama in the creation of new life, new matter, new ideas. The labyrinth is often looked upon as a womb – a place of safety and rejuvenation. It is seen as a place for the birthing of inspiration, understanding and creativity.

The Labyrinth Society was born on Thursday, November 6, 1998 by unanimous agreement of the 43 Founding Circle members present at the Caroline Conference and Retreat Center in St. Louis. This momentous occasion was duly celebrated with a birthday cake and appropriate festivities.

Since that time, we have held annual gatherings, created a communications network through this website, developed a traveling labyrinth exhibit and sponsored a symposium in Europe. This is just the beginning.

We are creating The Labyrinth Society’s history every day. It is an adventure, a challenge and a joy. For however many years, we are linking our history with that of the labyrinth as it becomes more and more accepted throughout the world as a tool for peace and introspection.

A Brief Sketch of How We Came to Be
by David P. Gallagher

The impetus that culminated in the formation of our Society ultimately traces to the immense contribution of Jean Lutz. Many consider her to be the true Founding Mother of our organization.

The impetus that culminated in the formation of our Society ultimately traces to the immense contribution of Jean Lutz. Many consider her to be the true Founding Mother of our organization.

Jean published the Labyrinth Letter, a quarterly review of labyrinth information and news. She also sponsored the initial labyrinth conferences: the first at Gavilan Ranch in Lindrith, New Mexico (September 21-25, 1995) followed by a second at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York the following year. Many of the individuals who participated in the Society’s Founding Circle met and became acquainted at those meetings. Following the 1996 conference, Jean stepped back from her initiator role and new leadership emerged. It was clear to Helen Curry that it would take an entire organization to do what Jean had attempted to do single-handedly. She placed a call to Robert Ferré suggesting that the group needed to continue to meet and asking for his assistance.

The next gathering was held the first weekend in November 1997, at the Caroline Conference and Retreat Center in St. Louis. Hosted by Robert Ferré and the St. Louis Labyrinth Project, it was from this meeting that The Labyrinth Society eventually evolved. The purpose of the occasion was to discuss the future of the network and ways to continue the work that Jean had started.

As reflected in the “minutes” of The Labyrinth Network Conference ‘97 (as it was called), the 24 individuals who attended agreed: “To look into creating a national nonprofit organization that could be called The Labyrinth Society with the intent to provide spiritual and other support to its members....” An ad hoc committee was appointed and empowered to investigate options and make recommendations at a follow-up meeting in November 1998. The committee was referred to as the Tribal Council (TC), and consisted of Helen Curry (chair), John Wayne Blassingame, Dr. Jan Bradley, Marty Cain, Sue Anne Foster, Gundala Thormaehlen Friedman, David Gallagher, Neal Harris, Judith Joyce, Taffy Lanser, and Annette Reynolds. Lawrence Reverby of Trumansburg, New York generously provided legal counsel on a pro bono basis.

The 1998 meeting was held at the same site as the previous year and was again hosted by Robert Ferré and the St. Louis Labyrinth Project. For that occasion the circle expanded to 43, straining the conference facility to such an extent that several people who wanted to attend had to be turned away. Word was getting around that something wonder-full was about to happen.

Conference ‘98 was, indeed, momentous! It was an exhausting three days of intense working sessions punctuated by periodic labyrinth-focused fellowship and fun. The bonding that occurred within that group was both noteworthy and profound, especially given that 21 of the 43 were totally new to the circle and attending their first labyrinth conference. Five individuals who had participated in 1997 were unable to return.

With the hope of allowing everyone reading this to get a sense of what transpired the first evening the following description of the occasion is shown as it appears in the Minutes (prepared by Annette Reynolds):

Friday Evening
Opening Ceremony - Led by Joe Miguez, Annette Reynolds. The group met in the second floor conference room.... Two large rooms on the third floor had cloth labyrinths available for participants during the conference. The “Ivy Labyrinth” was brought by Marilyn Larson and the other one by Meryl Ann Butler. Mary K. Barge’s cloth labyrinth was also available.

The circle opened with the lighting of arched, rainbow-colored, votive candles that were placed in the center of the room on a blue silk cloth brought by Meryl Ann Butler. Introductions were made by participants through: 1.) Making eye contact with one another 2.) Being invited to write their individual intention and share these in dyads 3.) Placing a meaningful object on the cloth with a comment about its meaning as a “seed” to assist in birthing the new organization. Mentors, guides, and those participants present in Spirit, but unable to attend, were remembered and included in the circle. We sang “The Garden Song” . . . “Inch by inch, row by row, please bless these seeds I sow . . .”

Saturday morning was our initial business session. The principal issue at hand was the Tribal Council’s report and recommendations. What ensued is described in the “Minutes”:

Saturday Morning
Business Session - Creating A Labyrinth Organization - Led by Helen Curry.

Helen gave background information from The Labyrinth Conference 1997. On behalf of the Tribal Council created at that Conference, Helen reported she had the mission of coming up with a proposal for forming a national labyrinth organization. After contact with a series of lawyers, a friend of David Gallagher, Larry Reverby was contacted who researched options. Helen presented three plans: Plan A: Creating a national organization as a division of the Labyrinth Project of Connecticut, Inc. Plan B: Incorporate in any state as an educational organization, which might take a year, including application for 501(c)(3) IRS non-profit status. Plan C: Do both plans simultaneously.

After discussion, Plan B was approved - to form a global labyrinth organization, independent of any other organization, with non-profit status under the tax code of the USA.

The official name of the labyrinth organization, “The Labyrinth Society,” was chosen.

Thus, on November 6, 1998, by unanimous agreement of the 43 members of the Founding Circle present, The Labyrinth Society was born. We celebrated with a birthday cake the following night: 11-7was an auspicious date for labyrinth festivities.

The term “Conference” seems misapplied in the instance of the 1998 gathering. It was actually an organizational meeting, a start-from-scratch effort to create what became the Labyrinth Society, Inc. The details requiring deliberation and decisions were numerous and broad ranging. Yet everyone pulled together, seated always in a circle, and the work got started.

Getting started at that time meant making it happen. As each of us turned homeward from St. Louis, the Society was still a nascent dream awaiting realization. We had, among numerous other decisions, elected executive officers, created a board of directors, and set up a committee structure. But The Labyrinth Society was yet to become a legal entity. For example, Robert Ferré had to sign the facilities contract for our 1999 Conference because, when the contractual commitment had to be made, TLS did not legally exist. Nor did we have sufficient funds to cover the down payment due at signing. Robert provided a bridge loan. Even opening a checking account presented some minor problems. There was also the matter of by-laws to be drafted, discussed, and approved by the board -- and on and on . . . details, details, details.

During the organizational phase, the executive committee consisted of: Helen Curry, president; Judith Joyce, vice-president; Annette Reynolds, recording secretary; David Gallagher, corresponding secretary, and Pamela Ramadei, treasurer. Those individuals met weekly in cyberspace (via an Internet chat room) for the initial six months and twice monthly thereafter. Many others also made huge contributions to the actual birthing of the Society.

In St. Louis it was agreed the Society would sponsor a major Labyrinth Conference in November 1999. The dates were selected, but we had absolutely no idea where it would be held. Nor was there any more than a vague sense of what the program might look like. Enter Robert Ferré and Annette Reynolds. Robert undertook to chair the conference. Annette provided leadership for the program committee. With finances a background concern, Robert investigated possibilities and came up with Teikyo Loretto Heights University; the least expensive of the suitable options. Voilà, we had a site!! Annette’s committee quickly came together and a “Call for Speaker/ Presenter Proposals” went out early in March 1999. The path to our inaugural gathering as the Labyrinth Society was beginning to emerge.

The first meeting of the board of directors was hosted by Neal and Mary Harris at the Relax-4-Life Center in Barrington, Illinois on April 9-11, 1999. By-laws having been finalized by the by-laws committee in consultation with the executive committee were further discussed, revisions agreed upon, and adopted. Many other policy issues were reviewed and finalized. The board also had its first look at our developing web site (Sig Lonegren and Barry Hoon chief architects), still some months from its public debut. Considerable time was also devoted to selecting an official TLS logo. Unfortunately that effort was put off until later.

With by-laws adopted, and through the continuing good offices of our attorney, Lawrence Reverby, President Curry proceeded with the incorporation process. In due course, we became the Labyrinth Society, Inc., incorporated under statutory provisions of the State of Connecticut. The “official” date on the certificate of incorporation is September 3, 1999. So one might say that’s the date on our “birth certificate.”

As the first annual conference approached, the Society still lacked a board of directors formally elected by the membership and executive officers elected by the board. The former condition was satisfied at the inaugural annual meeting of the membership of The Labyrinth Society, Inc. in Denver, Colorado, on Friday, November 5, 1999. This was done in accordance with the by-laws of the corporation and precisely 365 days after November 6, 1998, when the resolution to proceed with organizing was unanimously adopted by the Founding Circle in St. Louis. Several hours later the newly elected board met briefly and accepted the nominating committee’s slate of officers. Wow!! Mission accomplished!!

Virtually all who attended the Denver gathering will attest to it having been a smashing success; a fitting and memorable capstone to two years of dedicated effort by a group of spirits who were energized by a common vision. As we gathered and participated in the closing ceremony late Sunday morning the sun poured down his energy as we sang, all in a circle, taking slips of paper with people's labyrinths named on them to hold in our minds and intention. Everyone was (and is) working together.

A particular song was sung during the closing ceremony in Denver and St. Louis the year before: “Dear friends, dear friends. Let me tell you how I feel. You have given me your treasure. I love you so.” It seemed a lovely bridge to span the beginning and the end of a wondrous, eventful year.

Additional information: The closing ceremony in Denver occurred at the precise time of the new moon. So both sun and moon were together (astrologically conjunct) in the sky.

Much has happened since then and our “history” is still being written. You are welcome to send your historical information or pictures to TLS Executive Director.

Credits for Photos in this Article:

1. Altar at the 1999 Gathering, Denver, Colorado. Photo by Chuck Hunner
2. TLS Founders Walking a Leaf Labyrinth, St. Louis, 1998. Photo by John Ridder

Held at Glastonbury Town Hall in southwest England on May 17-19 2002, this was without a doubt, the largest labyrinth event held in Britain in modern times. One hundred and two people registered for the event, and there were numerous tickets sold at the gate with 125 people present for Lauren Artress' keynote address on Saturday evening. There were registrants from twelve different countries, making it a truly international event.

While this event was never seen to be a money making endeavour, we are pleased to have made a small financial profit in addition to the positive outreach we achieved in the non-financial realms. In addition we invited a number of guests from the local community for some of the evening events, but these folk are not included in the attendance count. In general, we feel we did well in our budgeting and in our use of the budget as a guide for our planning meetings and decisions. There were, of course, some surprises along the way as well as some stress around our small profit margin.

Overall, however, we are satisfied that our decision to sacrifice larger financial gain for community good will and affordable tickets which allowed anyone to come regardless of budget - some evening tickets were available for as little as £5. Throughout the registration process, it was apparent that internet communication was essential to the success of our event. E-mail capability and on-line services saved us vast amounts of time, energy and money by eliminating the need for high phone bills, postage and advertising costs.

In a small town with limited hotel facilities we were obliged to rely on local Bed & Breakfast establishments for accommodating many of the conference speakers and attendees. Finding B&B's and hotel rooms for our registrants was not always an easy task. In the end we feel people were more or less content with the places they stayed in during the Symposium, and we have heard from many B&B owners that they have been very happy with the guests they had in their houses: "these labyrinth people are fun!" One of our key objectives during the organization of the Symposium was to make a link with the Glastonbury community and let them know an international symposium was taking place in their hometown and that a large portion of the local people could benefit from having an event of this magnitude in their town. In the process we have met the most amazing people, have seen wonderful houses and been in enchanting gardens. That all made us feel confident about the level of hospitality the Glastafari people were able to convey.

The Town Hall in Glastonbury was an ideal venue to hold the Symposium, with good facilities and helpful staff. A separate lockable room was chosen for the educational materials, which also doubled up nicely as a secure storage area, somewhere for people to leave bags etc., and the home for the lost and found department. In order that the vendors (whoops, educationalists!), who had all paid to attend the event, could actually attend the presentations and take part in the proceedings, fun and games, we operated a strict policy of closing the room five minutes before events started and only opened the room during the longer breaks. In order that anybody could have a table or some selling/display space, however 'small' their operation, there were no charges for tables, but we collected the usual 10% levy on sales to benefit TLS funds. All vendors seemed happy with this and several commented on the welcoming and all-inclusive atmosphere this generated. While the Symposium was by no means the retail therapy festival that occurs at American events, the monies levied were a useful addition to the financial success of the event and the room provided an ideal space for authors to sign books and get involved in some of the deeper discussions that break out between folk at such events.

Our schedule was somewhat different to the traditional TLS Gathering format. Like the labyrinth itself offering only one choice, we offered only a single slate of teachers with concomitant long breaks in between - We started the morning program at 10:00am and gave two hours for lunch; following the afternoon session we allowed until 8:00 pm for dinner. Networking was helped by these long breaks and by the Interest Groups. Obviously the Annual Gathering can't be run that way, but we would recommend that Regional Gatherings and other International Symposia consider this model.

Interest Groups - It was interesting which interest areas manifested in groups. We initially suggested:

Art, Corporate, Counseling, Educational, Health Care, Historical Research, Labyrinth Building, Labyrinths and the Internet, Prison Work, Spiritual/Ceremonial Aspects, Matriarchal Times & the Labyrinth

They selected:
Art, Corporate/Counseling (one group), Educational, Health Care, Spiritual/Ceremonial Aspects

Perhaps it might be useful to see how interest groups break up in Sacramento, and then get an idea on what areas TLS might want to focus on at future events.

We believe that Tours and Field Trips after all TLS Events to local labyrinths should be encouraged. In the US, there are new ones that people will want to see, and in Europe, a combination of new and old. In addition to the guided walks of the Glastonbury Tor labyrinth, some participants joined Jeff and Kimberly on a weeklong tour of the finest labyrinths in southern and central England.

TLS Events Handbook -There is no doubt about the importance of planning and long lead times in terms of the success of this Symposium. The Symposium committee met monthly for more than a year to organize this event. We are preparing a handbook that will document the organisational strategy that we employed for this event, with our successes and mistakes, which will be available for TLS members considering running a Gathering, Regional Event, or another Symposium in future. While the goals of these events may be different, the process of getting it to happen is the same. In the future, there certainly should be other TLS sponsored events in Europe. Both the Netherlands and Sweden are good prospects. The four of us might do this again in a few years - maybe!

Sig & Karin Lonegren and Jeff and Kimberly Saward
TLS International Labyrinth Symposium Committee

Mission Statement
To support all those who create, maintain and use labyrinths, and to serve the global community by providing education, networking and opportunities to experience transformation.

Core Values
We choose to conduct the business of The Labyrinth Society in alignment with our Core Values:

• Integrity: we are heart-centered, truthful, keep our word, and operate with candor.
   
• Respect: we create a safe environment where all people and points of view are honored.
   
• Community: we operate the Society in a circle and continuously build connections among us.
   
• Diversity: we embrace our differences in all of their manifestations.
   
• Freedom: we encourage all forms of expression and will not try to limit the labyrinth’s possibilities.
   
• Creativity: we delight in the fruits of our imagination, intuition and inspiration.
   
• Empowerment: we enable each other to be our authentic selves and strive to delegate authority.
   
• Learning: we promote education, networking and research
   
• Spirituality: we honor the labyrinth for its enhancement of our connection to Spirit , the Earth and the Global Community.
   
• Trust: we trust the process of the labyrinth.

We use the circle to:

1. Conduct the business of The Labyrinth Society.
    
2. Remind us of the unity we share with all life.
    
3. Create a safe and nurturing environment that encourages open and full participation.
    
4. Provide a heart-centered place for conflicts to be resolved and ideas to flourish.

Leadership Philosophy
The Board of Directors is the governing body of the organization. It has the authority to delegate the management and direction of the organization to the Executive Committee and to the committees appointed by the President or designated by the Board.

Like the labyrinth that we honor, we have adopted the circle as our leadership model. We think of ourselves as a leader-full group and use the energy of the circle to conduct all of our business. Our meetings are held in the round. This creates a culture of communication and cooperation amongst the leadership. The Executive Committee, the Board of Directors and the working committees each operates as a circle.

It is our goal that the circles of influence within the organization be an inter-connected web, much like the circuits of the labyrinth, that continually bring us into contact with each other so that we can have the benefit of sharing our questions and our ideas. We are committed to using the power of the labyrinth and the energy of the circle for the highest good of all and we model this in all that we do.