Columbine Peace Labyrinth and Meditation Garden

A vision of an interfaith peace garden developed into the Columbine Peace Labyrinth and Meditation Garden after the tragedy at Columbine High School. Up until that time, the word columbine conjured images of delicate blossoms, mountain trails, and feelings of peace and beauty. Since then, the word columbine conjures the opposite images and feelings for people the world over. Now is the time to restore the balance that allows a single word to contain both peace and violence. Now is the time to demonstrate that we as a society have hearts compassionate enough to hold both. Our vision, embraced by people of many faiths and The Labyrinth Society, offers support, love, and prayer for the healing of the Columbine community, and indeed the whole nation.

Our vision includes four beautifully landscaped gardens that will represent the four seasons and contain mostly indigenous Colorado plants, including many varied species of the columbine flower. At the entrance to the gardens, there will be a Peace Pole with "May Peace Prevail on Earth" inscribed in twelve languages. At the center there will be a labyrinth, a place of peace and reflection. The plan is to model the labyrinth on the 800-year old labyrinth in the Chartres Cathedral of Notre Dame near Paris, France.

The Columbine Unitarian Universalist Church of Littleton, is dedicating a portion of their future expansion site for the labyrinth. It is on West Bowles and Wright Street facing west toward the Rocky Mountains, just south of Red Rocks Amphitheater, and three miles from Columbine High School.

Our goal is to build the labyrinth by mid-summer, 2000. We are grateful to you who have already contributed to the project. Presently we have raised approximately $20,000, which includes donations from the Fetzer Institute and The Lifebridge Foundation. The Columbine Peace Labyrinth Committee met in December and decided to continue the fund raising efforts until April 25, 2000. At that time we will proceed with building the labyrinth and planting the gardens. The building materials used for the labyrinth will depend on the available funds.

If we have reached our initial goal of $100,000, we may proceed with the original plans to retain nationally known stonemason and artist, Marty Kermeen, to design and construct the labyrinth. If we are able to retain Mr. Kermeen, he plans to use hand cut paving stones, colored to match the surrounding red rocks and burnished soil of the foothills. In the center rosette, there would be a columbine flower, the Colorado state flower, designed and donated by Marty and his wife Debi Kermeen, especially for this project.

If we have raised less than $100,000, we will construct the labyrinth using native materials, primarily blocks of the red sandstone that is so prevalent along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and that forms the nearby Red Rocks Amphitheater. This alternative labyrinth will be larger in diameter and accentuate the natural surroundings. Although it would cost less, the final goal of a place of peace and reflection would not be compromised. This type of labyrinth would be more in keeping with the environment of the site, but it would lose the wheelchair accessibility that we had hoped to achieve.

We are now calling on your compassion in requesting that you support the project in any of the following ways:

· Connecting your website to the project website: www.cuuc.net/labyrinth
· Distribute this e-mail letter to your interested friends, family and labyrinth associates
· Print this notice and post it on bulletin boards
· Contact the Committee Chair, Loraine Martray (303) 972-1716 about other ways you would like to support this project.
· Make a tax-deductible donation to : The CUUC Labyrinth Fund and mail to:
Columbine Unitarian Universalist Church, 6724 South Webster Street, Littleton, CO 80128

We welcome your interest and participation and are eager to see this undertaking embraced by the entire interfaith community as a method of facilitating peace through understanding for all. Thank you for considering expressing your compassion by assisting the Columbine Peace Labyrinth Project.

What is a Labyrinth?

A labyrinth is an intricate pattern consisting of a single continuous path from entrance to center. Labyrinths are used in a wide variety of religious and community traditions as a place for meditative walking, prayer, relaxation, ceremony and spiritual reflection.

The history and mythology of the labyrinth date back at least 4000 years. Ancient and new labyrinths can be found all over the world. Contemporary labyrinths have been built in such diverse places across the United States as Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, the Riverfront Walkway in Naperville, Illinois, and California Pacific Medical Center. Stones have been laid in individual gardens all over the world, and the design has been woven into the baskets of the Hopi Indians. Portable cloth labyrinths are in use in many churches including several in the Denver metro area. People of many different faiths and cultures have found clarity, peace and awakening walking the paths of the labyrinth.

For more information about the Columbine Peace Labyrinth and a picture of the proposed labyrinth, visit: