LABYRINTHS AND
WELLBEING
The Australian Labyrinth Network is inviting you to an exciting event to discover how labyrinths can enhance wellbeing. We’re offering a two hour seminar showcasing labyrinths in three domains where wellbeing is urgently needed: community, personal, and young people’s mental health. This seminar will be of interest to health professionals, carers, teachers, meditators or anyone in a health-related profession.
Learn a tool to apply to yourself, your clients or community.
Labyrinths are easy to use, and there are already hundreds scattered throughout Australia.
Want to find out more? Join us on
Friday November 25th 2022
Ronald McDonald House, Westmead, Sydney
10am – 1 pm
Also LIVE Streamed on zoom.
Our speakers are from community, pastoral and counselling practices. Their talks will showcase powerful stories of wellbeing and creativity.
Labyrinths, wellbeing and young people’s mental health
Susanne Rae Jones is a labyrinth creator, meditation teacher, artist, and priestess of the earth. They started working life as a registered nurse and midwife, with a speciality in adolescent health. Susanne gained a PhD in art education from UNSW and then took a love of art to the high school classroom. They currently live in Broken Hill and works part time for Headspace in community development.
Labyrinths and Wellbeing, a Personal Journey
Dr Margaret Rainbird worked in general practice, women's health and palliative care. Margaret has had a personal and professional relationship with the labyrinth for over 20 years. After coming through significant mental health issues followed by brain surgery she set out on a world-wide pilgrimage to walk a different labyrinth every day for a year. It proved to be one of her most enriching life experiences.
The Strange and the Wonderful: Labyrinths in pastoral and community settings
Revd Penny Jones is an Anglican priest serving in the Uniting Church in Sydney. She is a spiritual director, supervisor and labyrinth facilitator. Penny has a background in dance and is passionate about the interface of spirituality and the body. She has been instrumental in the creation of a number of labyrinths, including one in Toowoomba and two on the Central Coast of NSW.
The seminar will be followed by a labyrinth walk at 12pm on the Labyrinth at Westmead Children's Hospital, and a live online walk will be available for attendees using zoom.
Register now at Humanitix
Standard face to face $60
Early bird – before October 23 $50
Online only $40
Concession/Student face to face $40
ALN members special rate $30 face to face or online
Face to face includes three talks, tea and coffee and a labyrinth walk. Online includes three talks and a live, online labyrinth walk.
https://events.humanitix.com/labyrinths-and-wellbeing
Here's a bit more about labyrinths ...
Walking a labyrinth
A labyrinth is a pattern that is built into the ground or rolled out on a flat surface. You may have read Amanda Lohrey’s Miles Franklin award winning book, The Labyrinth. It tells the story of Erica, who built a labyrinth in her backyard to help with her recovery from an unexpected traumatic life event. After a labyrinth has been built, the next step is to walk it to enhance wellbeing. Many people throughout Australia and the world have been doing that since the 1990s.
Not everyone who walks a labyrinth is recovering from trauma, and not everyone chooses to build a labyrinth. There’s no need for a permanent space. You can unroll one on your living room or community centre floor and walk it, or trace around a hand held one. It can be a way of finding a centring point, a mindfulness practice or a site of community building.
Labyrinths in Australia
You can find labyrinths in hospitals, public parks, hospices, retreat centres, suburban backyards or more. Click here to see a location map. Their popularity is growing. Right now, a labyrinth is being built at Risdon prison, one at Port Stephens and another at Cygnet in Tasmania. In Sydney, there is a public labyrinth in Centennial Park, and another at Westmead Children’s Hospital.
The Australian Labyrinth Network
The Australian Labyrinth Network is a non-profit, non-religious and non-philosophically based organisation. Our aim is to encourage labyrinth use in Australia. Our members are a loose network of labyrinth lovers from across the country. To find out more, click here.
Register at Humanitix
