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The
Santa Rosa Labyrinth©
Created
by Lea Goode-Harris, Ph.D.
on March 15, 1997
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The
Santa Rosa Labyrinth Story
by Lea Goode-Harris, Ph.D.
The
Santa Rosa design is but one in the lineage of the many
labyrinths created over the past three to five thousand
years in all parts of the world. It was the first of
a wave of neo-medieval designs, created since the mid-nineties
in the United States by diverse labyrinthers for different
needs and styles. These contemporary designs meld together
the seven circuits of the classical labyrinth and the
quarter and half turns of the ancient medieval labyrinths.
Some of these newer designs are actually not so old,
but rediscoveries and re-makes of older designs that
may be found in ancient and current manuscripts. And,
some of these newer labyrinths hold bits and pieces
found in the older labyrinths, such as the Siweard’s
Labyrinth, from the 11th century, or the Italian, Beccaria
Labyrinth from the 16th century. Each of these newer
designs has a unique story of how they came to be.
The
Santa Rosa Labyrinth
On
a March morning in 1997, I was immersed in labyrinth
research. Along with my friend and mentor, Richard Feather
Anderson, we were each searching for a labyrinth to
replace the existing courtyard labyrinth at the Angela
Center in Santa Rosa, California. Looking through my
reference books, I suddenly realized that these labyrinths
of the past two thousand years were first laid out on
paper by using a compass (The idea of the Labyrinth:
From Classical Antiquity through the Middle Ages,
by Penelope Reed Doob, p. 49). I became aware of a small
dot in the center of the twelve concentric rings that
made a pre-Chartres labyrinth. Because I had recently
been taught by Feather to make "Flower of the Heart
Mandalas" with a compass, I suddenly realized that
whomever had drawn this labyrinth had used a compass
to make the concentric circles. I wondered if I could
make a labyrinth in this way? I immediately felt a creative
up welling that was so strong I could not ignore it.
Bringing out my compass, black-papered note pad, and
white pencil, I began to draw eight concentric rings
for a seven-path labyrinth.
I was amazed to find its shape emerging from the paper.
I experienced getting out of the way, allowing the design
to come through my hands, pencil and paper. It was the
most visceral experience I have ever had of my masculine,
thinking mind, working equally with my creative, non-verbal
feminine. Quickly, all was complete; except for a small
portion of rings in the lower left/central area. Instead
of forcing the design, I let it be for the rest of the
day. Later, as I sat in my living room in front of the
evening fire with family and friends, I again felt the
urge to finish the labyrinth. Picking up the paper and
pencils, I went back to that particular area where I
had originally been stuck. Everyone and everything in
the room faded far into the background. With a few erasures
and repositioning of turns, the labyrinth was complete.
I wrote to Jeff Saward of Labyrinthos, Labyrinth Historian
and editor of Caerdroia, the Journal of Mazes and Labyrinths,
to inquire if he had ever seen this particular design
before. He graciously wrote back and informed me, that
it was indeed a design that he had not encountered before.
He did say that there were elements of the Santa Rosa
design that could be found in older designs, such as
the six-circuit 11th century Siweard's labyrinth, found
in a manuscript. If only that ancient scribe had added
a seventh ring, the Santa Rosa Labyrinth could have
been one thousand years old, rather than its current
birth of 1997!
The
making of the Santa Rosa Labyrinth continues to blossom
into many other experiences. Its name came to me the
day Marilyn Larson and I first met, Memorial Day Weekend
in May of 1997. A mutual friend said we two women should
meet and share our interest in labyrinths. Without knowing
each other, we traveled to the Salmon Creek beach in
Northern California. We drew the design as if we were
giant pencils in the sand, using our entire bodies with
our toes and hearts as the guide. This was the first
time I had taken the design from paper to the ground.
This particular labyrinth in the sand became as offering
to the ocean, consumed in the middle of the night. And
the Santa Rosa Labyrinth at Salmon Creek became an initiation
for our friendship and collaboration on labyrinths to
come.
The original design did not have the small open space,
which is found on the fourth path. Some time in June
of 1997, I wondered what would happen if I lined up
the entrance path with the path into the goal. Laying
the design out on my front lawn, I noticed the space
emerge on the fourth path, the heart path. I was curious
about its significance, if any. Almost a year later,
I joined together with Marilyn Larson, Alyssa Hall,
Kimberly Saward, and Sue Anne Foster on Mother's Day
weekend in May of 1998, to create the first Santa Rosa
Labyrinth on canvas. All five of us once again noticed
the empty space on the fourth path. What if we placed
a bowl of fruit there, or a candle? We recognized that
this space allows for a focus of the heart, experienced
and viewed from all four directions. Sue Anne Foster
was further inspired to paint her Santa Rosa Labyrinth
with ivy lines.
Over
the years there have been many others who have brought
their creativity to the Santa Rosa Labyrinth. I am forever
grateful to Richard Feather Anderson (who taught me
how to make Flower of the Heart mandalas with the compass
at the 1996 Labyrinth Conference at the Omega Center
in New York), Marilyn Larson, and the three other women
who came together with me that 1998 Memorial weekend,
Sue Anne Foster, Kimberly Lowelle Saward, and Alyssa
Hall. To Laura Lopez for all our labyrinth journeys
together with Kimberly, and to Robert Ferré for
helping to bring the Santa Rosa Labyrinth out into the
world in a larger way through his beautiful work. To
Marty and Debi Kermeen with their art of stone installations,
Ispiritual with their finger labyrinths, and many other
individuals and organizations, both private and public,
have brought beauty into the world through their inspired
work with the Santa Rosa design. The Santa Rosa Labyrinth
has now been made throughout the United States, Canada,
Mexico, South America, Australia, and travels through
Wales on canvas. I am filled with gratitude as this
labyrinth continues to grace my life with creativity,
connections, and with beauty. It is my hope that this
Creative Life Force will be an inspiration for others
as they search for their own centers in the twists and
turns of the Santa Rosa Labyrinth.
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Currently,
with the exceptions noted in paragraph 2, below, there
is no use fee for persons wanting to make a single copy
of the Santa Rosa Labyrinth for personal use. All I
ask is that the integrity of the design not be changed,
that the name, “Santa Rosa Labyrinth©”
and my name as the original designer, be displayed (eg.,
any signage, brochures, or publications), and a website
link be provided to the Santa Rosa Labyrinth Foundation
if possible.
There is a use fee required to use the design if: 1)
you are paid a fee to make or oversee the installation
of a Santa Rosa Labyrinth in a private or commercial
venture, or 2) you permanently install the Santa Rosa
Labyrinth in a private or public place (including non-profit
organizations) with a gross installation budget of $1,500.00
and over, or 3) you want to use the Santa Rosa Labyrinth
for commercial use, i.e.: to install permanent installations,
jewelry, wall hangings, art work, etc.
The
Santa Rosa Labyrinth Use Fee is as follows (fees are
determined by the cost of the installation, including
materials, professional fees, & labor).
Under $1,499.00: No Use Fee
$1500.00 to $4,999.00: $500.00
$5,000 to $ 9,999.00: $1,000.00
$10,000.00 to $24,999.00: $1,500.00
$25,000 to $ 99,999: $5,000.00
Above $100,000.00: $10,000.00
For
commercial use, I ask that the artist send me a prototype
and work out a license and royalty use fee with me prior
to installation or sales. Please note that portable
canvas labyrinths and finger labyrinths with the Santa
Rosa design are currently being created by
Labyrinth
Enterprises and Ispiritual,
who hold exclusive contracts.
For any questions, I can be contacted via
e-mail
or by phone (707-575-7570).
This
elegant rendition of the Santa Rosa Labyrinth
was done by Robert Ferré of Labyrinth Enterprises
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Instructions
for Making the Santa Rosa Labyrinth
I
have an instruction packet available that provides basic
guidelines for creating your own Santa Rosa Labyrinth,
using precise formulae or your own intuition. I also gives
ideas for construction material and points to consider
when installing a labyrinth, such as orientation, design
selection, and stewardship. These instructions include
Robert Ferré's addition of the octagon around the
Santa Rosa Labyrinth. The basic design of the Santa Rosa
Labyrinth is easy to lay out in hardly any time at all.
$29.00- (includes
shipping- additional shipping cost for overseas)
$2.00 additional tax for
California sales.
If
you are interested in obtaining an instruction packet
you can contact me by e-mail to initiate payment through paypal,
or contact me by e-mail or at the phone number below to get my mailing address to send a check or money order.
Lea Goode-Harris, Ph.D.
(707) 575-7570
e-mail
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| Santa
Rosa Labyrinth Makers
There
are several labyrinth makers who are contracted with me
to create and install permanent installations of the Santa
Rosa Labyrinth: Robert
Ferré of St. Louis, MO, Marty
& Debi Kermeen of Yorkville, IL, Marilyn Larson
(877-826-2462) who is usually based between Minnesota
and California, Annette
Reynolds of Birmingham, AL, and of course, Lea
Goode-Harris .
For
those of you interested in other seven-path labyrinths,
there are numerous contemporary and ancient designs to
be found that are designed and created by labyrinth makers
worldwide. The Circle of Peace™ by Lisa
Moriarty and the Petite Chartres by Robert
Ferré of Labyrinth Enterprises are excellent
examples of smaller contemporary neo-medieval designs.
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