labyrinths and my alder tunnel and dome
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
3:31 AM
As I research labyrinths, I'm finding there are many at cathedrals, both inside and out. Even places I've been have them, but I never noticed them!
At one site I came upon, they had willow houses, or living willow wigwams. I think one was in the center of the labyrinth.
I made a tunnel and a dome out of the alders down by the stream a few years ago. I pulled the alders over to make an archway. It's a path through the alder patch.
The dome is also made by pulling the alders over, this time around a naturally open spot. My son Daniel, who was in grade seven at the time and being homescholed, did it for a project I forced him to do. Actually, he didn't want to build a swing bridge across the valley. Instead he went down and made the dome I was going to make.
It's been growing ever since. It's getting taller every year. When he built it, it was too small for me to get inside without bending my head. Now I can stand up straight in there.
It made me think about working with living willow. The labyrinth we’ve made up at the Schoolhouse is made with willow walls and with thyme on the ground between the walls.
We harvest the willow every year so we can weave baskets and make lanterns with it.
I haven’t been diligent at walking that labyrinth at all. I’ll go walk it later today, though. I will use my snowshoes this time. I tried to walk it the other day, but the foot deep snow soon put a stop to that idea!
It’s a seven circuit labyrinth. It’s called A Walk In Thyme.
3:31 AM
As I research labyrinths, I'm finding there are many at cathedrals, both inside and out. Even places I've been have them, but I never noticed them!
At one site I came upon, they had willow houses, or living willow wigwams. I think one was in the center of the labyrinth.
I made a tunnel and a dome out of the alders down by the stream a few years ago. I pulled the alders over to make an archway. It's a path through the alder patch.
The dome is also made by pulling the alders over, this time around a naturally open spot. My son Daniel, who was in grade seven at the time and being homescholed, did it for a project I forced him to do. Actually, he didn't want to build a swing bridge across the valley. Instead he went down and made the dome I was going to make.
It's been growing ever since. It's getting taller every year. When he built it, it was too small for me to get inside without bending my head. Now I can stand up straight in there.
It made me think about working with living willow. The labyrinth we’ve made up at the Schoolhouse is made with willow walls and with thyme on the ground between the walls.
We harvest the willow every year so we can weave baskets and make lanterns with it.
I haven’t been diligent at walking that labyrinth at all. I’ll go walk it later today, though. I will use my snowshoes this time. I tried to walk it the other day, but the foot deep snow soon put a stop to that idea!
It’s a seven circuit labyrinth. It’s called A Walk In Thyme.