Artist explores labyrinths of cycle of life, death, rebirth 

  Sedona, AZ, August 5, 2020 

Artist, poet, teacher and  founder of Living Labyrinths for Peace, Sandra Wasko-Flood will offer  poetry readings and sign her book,

 “The Labyrinth Path to Light and  Peace: Art and Poetry by Sandra Wasko-Flood,” together with free  30-minute presentations of Introduction to Labyrinths this weekend. 

After the lecture, attendees are invited to take a walk on the  colorful, indoor Rainbow Labyrinth of Peace canvas at the Sedona Artist  Market. Wasko-Flood will be present at the gallery throughout the day  and will offer her presentation Saturday, Nov. 18, at 1 and 2:30 p.m.  She will also be sharing her book Sunday, Nov. 19, during the Sedona  Psychic Fair at the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock in the Village of  Oak Creek. Wasko-Flood creates photo-etchings and labyrinth light art. Her  mystical vision combines the darkness and the light, and those cycles of  life, death and rebirth on the spiral path that American Indians say  connects earth to universe.

“You can lose yourself in a maze, but find yourself in a labyrinth,”  Wasko-Flood said. “Mazes have many false paths and dead ends, but  labyrinths have a single, meandering path to the center and back, which  many find slows the breathing, focuses the mind and induces a peaceful  state of being. Over 4,000 years old and found worldwide, today  labyrinths are having a renaissance. They are found in churches and  schools, hospitals and prisons, parks and recreation centers, and  backyards around the globe.” Wasko-Flood was inspired by a vision she had in Chaco Canyon’s Great  Kiva, where she saw dancing figures emerge from a ceremonial spiral  “under Earth,” to a labyrinth “on Earth,” and a glass dome opening to  the galaxies “above Earth.” 

“It became my priority to construct the Labyrinth Light Media Peace  Museum in New Mexico and New York City that will unite all disciplines,  institutions and cultures for world peace,” she said.

Wasko-Flood said she loves to share understanding about labyrinths. 

“In the past, people walked them for major life celebrations —  birthdays, marriages, funerals, as we still do today. The labyrinth is a  form of meditation that represents life’s journey, the cycles physical,  psychological and spiritual of life, death and rebirth,” Wasko-Flood  said. “You enter it with some life concern or intention for walking. You  rest at center — death — dying to an old way of being, as you listen  with your mind and heart to that higher force in which you believe. You  walk back out reborn with a new way of seeing to give to the world. You  can walk to express a feeling, make a decision, resolve a conflict or  make a peace wish for yourself, family, friends, community or the  world.”

A resident of Angel Fire, N.M., and part-time resident of Baltimore,  Md., Wasko-Flood studied printmaking at the University of California,  Los Angeles in 1966; the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  from 1970 to 1973; the University of Wisconsin, Madison from 1977 to  1978; and at Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. in 1986. 

One of the first to use the monotype printmaking technique, she gave  classes in her Alexandria, Va., studio from 1981 to 1985. As director of  the Printmaking Studio, Lee Arts Center in Arlington, Va., in 1996, she  invited Keith Howard to introduce his safe etching techniques to the  East Coast. She has continued to study at the Universtiy of New  Mexico-Taos with Gary Cook since 2009. Collections include National  Museum of Women in the Arts, the Library of Congress in Washington,  D.C.; Modern Art Museum in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Pushkin Museum  in Moscow.

Accomplishments include founding member of Washington Women’s Arts  Center in 1981; Washington Printmakers Gallery in 1985; International  Labyrinth Society in 1998; TLS Project Director, Labyrinths for Peace:  2000, a labyrinth walking on the East Lawn of the U.S. Capitol; and  founder of Living Labyrinths for Peace, a national organization whose  mission is to inspire healing and transformation through labyrinth  creation and education in 2005.

She co-hosted Labyrinth Society’s annual gathering in Taos, Return  from the Center: Open the Heart of Peace featuring Mayan messenger  Ac-Tah, and shamanistic medicine woman Virginia LoneSky in 2011.

Through grants from the Washington D.C. Performing Arts Society and  New Mexico schools from 2002 through the present, Wasko-Flood conducts  Labyrinth Workshops for Creativity and Peace where students create and  walk labyrinths to make decisions, resolve conflicts and make peace  wishes — for themselves, family, friends, community and the world. 

Her current projects are the Labyrinth Instructors Handbook relating  labyrinths to every intelligence and subject, and Taos Academy’s  teaching and updating art/technology, “Dance of the Labyrinth.”

Experience a walk on the Rainbow Labyrinth of Peace on Saturday, meet  the artist, enjoy the free 30-minute lecture and poetry readings, learn  about the health benefits of walking a labyrinth and see her art.

The Sedona Artist Market is at 2081 W. State Route 89A in West  Sedona. This art destination showcases more than 100 artists offering  jewelry, wearables, handmade baskets, photography, glass art, digital  art and more. Call 282-2153. More information about the labyrinth event  is available by calling (480) 599-4830.

The Sunday book signing takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the  Sedona Psychic Fair at the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock and is  free with fair admission. The Hilton is at 90 Ridge Trail Drive in the  Village of Oak Creek.

Taos, New Mexico: A New Center for the Renaissance of the Ancient Labyrinth

Taos, NM (Vocus) October 13, 2016

This Summer Taos Invites Visitors to Return to Sacred Places; A Tool for the Contemplative Practice of Walking Your Spiritual Journey

In this region of the American Southwest  where spiritual traditions have been practiced uninterrupted by the Taos  Pueblo Indians for at least 1,000 years, another ancient tradition is  gaining acceptance; the contemplative use of the labyrinth.

Found in cultures spanning the globe, the  earliest known labyrinth design was discovered on a clay tablet in  Pylos, Greece, dating from 1,200 BCE. The Greek isle of Crete is also  known for its labyrinth, the maze used to entrap the mythical Minotaur.  During the Middle Ages labyrinth designs were incorporated into the  floor patterns of Europe’s grand cathedrals, most notably in Chartes,  and in the Renaissance, “branching” garden mazes became popular in the  palaces of royalty. labyrinthsociety.org/

Today, labyrinths are being constructed around  the world as a tool for personal growth and spiritual transformation.  Practitioners use these sacred, earth-based paths to conduct walking  meditations, focusing on an issue or concern that is addressed through  contemplation or prayer.

This Summer in Taos, eight labyrinths will be  available to walk, without charge, in connection with the town’s “Return  to Sacred Places” travel destination theme. Beginning July 1st, and  continuing through October, visitors are invited to be part of the  reawaking of this spiritual tradition.

“New Mexico is one of the centers for this  transformative spiritual energy,” says Sandra Wasko-Flood, visionary  artist and founder of The Living Labyrinth Center for Peace (http://www.livinglabyrinthsforpeace.org ). “And Taos, with its 1,000 year old Pueblo, is at the heart of this blossoming Renaissance.”

Wasko-Flood is curating many of the  labyrinth-related activities including a photo exhibit of labyrinths  from around the world that was first exhibited in the rotunda of the US  House of Representatives in Washington, DC.

Rev. Wayne Mell, pastor of the First  Presbyterian Church in Taos, is also an advocate for this form of  walking prayer and has supported the construction of a labyrinth in the  church’s front yard that will be dedicated on July 18. “Walking the  labyrinth can be symbolic of a journey to the sacred center,” he says.  “It’s a practice that can appeal to all ages and faiths, as more and  more people explore their spiritual pathways.”

Katherine Costabel, who with her husband own  the Adobe and Pines B&B, have constructed a beautiful 66-foot  diameter labyrinth made of 4,670 pieces of slate and rimmed by 225  native plants. Having experienced her first labyrinth in Sedona,  Arizona, Ms. Costabel believes that walking the path reminds one of her  earthly journey. “Take something into the circle,” she says. “Walk,  think and pray and see if you can come to a conclusion.” http://www.adobepines.com

Taos Labyrinth Events

June 14 - July 31, 2010
Classic Seven-Circuit Labyrinth at El Monte Sagrado Resort and Spa
Open to the public day and night
317 Kit Carson Road, Taos, NM
http://www.elmontesagrado.com

July 1 - October 31, 2010
66-foot Diameter Slate Rock Labyrinth at Adobe and Pines Inn. Open  daily dawn to dusk. Yoga every Saturday with Paul Kelly at 10 am. 4107  N.M. 68, Ranchos de Taos, NM
http://www.adobepines.com

July 1 - October 31, 2010
Stone Labyrinth at San Geronimo's Lodge, 1101 Witt Lane, Taos, NM
Full moonwalks during summer months (June - Sept)
http://www.SanGeronimolodge.com

July 1 - October 31, 2010
Labyrinth Sacred Space at the First Presbyterian Church
Dedication of Medieval-style labyrinth by Rev. Wayne Mell on Sunday, July 18 at 11 am.
215 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, next to Kit Carson Park, Taos, NM

July 4, 2010, 3 pm
Drumming Labyrinth Walk in the Cretan Labyrinth at Touchstone Inn facing Taos Mountain
110 Mabel Dodge Lane, Taos, NM
http://www.touchstoneinn.com

July 4 - August 31, 2010
Santa Rosa contemporary labyrinth at the Blumenschein Museum
222 Ledous Street,  Taos, NM
http://www.taoshistoricmuseums.org

July 19 - August 1st
Labyrinth Sacred Space at Kit Carson Park. Hopi Labyrinth design
http://www.taosgov.com/recreation/kit-carson.php

July 29, 2010, 10 am - 1 pm
"Labyrinths for Creativity and Peace Childrens' Workshop."

July 29, 2010, 7- 9 pm
Introduction to Labyrinths: Lecture and walking
Harwood Museum
238 Ledoux Street, Taos, NM
http://www.harwoodmuseum.org

July 30, 2010
"Birth of the Labyrinth"  
Light box and labyrinth-inspired fine art and etchings of Sandra Wasko-Flood
Harwood Museum of Art
238 Ledoux Street, Taos, NM.
http://www.harwoodmuseum.org

August 23 - October 1, 2010
"Labyrinths for Peace: 2000" Photo Exhibit. Exhibit of photos of  labyrinths from around the world first exhibited at the Rotunda of the  U. S. House of Representatives.  
Free opening reception; August 28th, 5:30 to 8 pm
Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos, NM.
http://www.millicentrogers.org

Spiritually focused labyrinth coming to U.S. Capitol lawn

Washington, DC, March 3, 2000

 Author: Julia Duin THE WASHINGTON TIMES  
Date: March 3, 2000
Publication: The Washington Times  Page: A2

Round and round and round they go. And where they stop - will be on the East lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Starting March 13, a group of artists will merge politics with peace by constructing several labyrinths on the grassy confines of the Capitol lawn. For the next two weeks, bystanders, residents, politicians and lobbyists alike can purportedly experience inner peace by walking one labyrinth made out of surveyor flags and tape or another on a flat canvas containing a map of the world.

No one knows if  the likes of Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott or House Minority Leader  Richard A. Gephardt will be strolling the labyrinth but the hope is that  the circular paths will inspire onlookers to think tranquil thoughts. The  displays, which have been two years in the planning, are being set up  through the offices of Rep. James P. Moran, Virginia Democrat. Any  constituent can arrange through his or her member of Congress to show  art in the Capitol, House or Senate buildings. Labyrinths, however, fell into that gray area between art show and something else.

"We  wanted one on the Rotunda floor, but activities that would block the  public space aren't allowed there," says Sandra Wasko-Flood of  Alexandria, the special project director. It was moved outdoors and  reclassified as a "demonstration for inner peace" on the East Lawn.

Thus,  an outdoor labyrinth, weather permitting, will be set up, then taken  down on the East Lawn each day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 13-25, a time  when many Christians will be observing Lent and in which the vernal  equinox falls. Organizers are searching for musicians, particularly flutists or others with reed instruments that carry sound well outdoors, to accompany the walkers.

"We just want to show people this tool for meditation and centering," Ms. Wasko-Flood says. "If people become peaceful within themselves, the world will be a better place. "It's not political for a particular cause but in a broader, more philosophical sense so that  individuals find their own center. People have even used labyrinths for decision making. You'll understand what it does when you walk it."

A program to kick off the exhibit is slated for with speeches by officials in the Labyrinth Society, which is based in  New Canaan, Conn., at 7 p.m. March 16 in the Rayburn House Office  Building foyer. A photo exhibit of labyrinths around the country will  open the same day in the Cannon House Office Building rotunda. One of the speakers at the Rayburn reception will be Pamela Ramadei, who is organizing a "peace labyrinth" for students, faculty and families connected with Columbine High School.  The site, to be built at Columbine Unitarian Universalist Church of  Littleton, Colo., will be three miles from the high school.

Labyrinths  may have originated between 2000 and 1400 B.C. on the island of Crete,  where there is a labyrinth at Knossos. According to Greek mythology, the  Minotaur was imprisoned there and the mythical hero Theseus journeyed  through a labyrinth to slay the monster, which had the body of a man and  the head of a bull. The name comes from the double-headed ax "labrys"  that Theseus wielded.

Labyrinths have cropped up since then in  various civilizations, including the Hopi Indians in Arizona and among  such Nordic countries as Estonia and Sweden. The most famous was laid  out in 1220 on the floor of Chartres Cathedral south of Paris as a  spiritualized pilgrimage for people unable to travel to popular sites such as Rome or Jerusalem. Whereas  ancient labyrinths had seven circuits, or turns, the Chartres display  has 11 circuits. Credited with giving participants everything from  serenity and enlightenment to oneness with God, it became a  late-20th-century "whole body prayer" trend among New Agers and mainline  Protestants.

Labyrinths differ from mazes in that the former has  one direct path leading to the middle. All the walker need do is place  one foot in front of the other while remaining in a meditative state.  Mazes, which are fraught with wrong turns and false paths, obligate the  walker to make choices, to pit one's energies against the creator. They  are also known as "walking meditations" or, at the least, a  counterpoint to the over-technologized 21st century. Their mystical  qualities and concentric circles provide the perfect backdrop for any self-defined spiritual experience or awakening. The  Episcopal Church of the Epiphany at 13th and G Streets NW sets up a  22-foot canvas labyrinth each Wednesday in its sanctuary in the place  normally occupied by the altar. A staff member estimates about three  dozen people slip in on Wednesdays to quietly walk its paths.

"We've noticed a steady increase in the people who use it," he says.

In  the past five years, labyrinths have become the rage in a variety of  public spaces, hospitals and churches. The photo exhibit in Cannon will  showcase all kinds of designs nationwide, such as the 40-foot-diameter  labyrinth in Corpus Christi, Texas, made of maple with inlaid black  walnut wood. Another, designed by artist Marty Kermeen in  Naperville, Ill, is all orange, red and brown-hued cobblestone. It was  built in 1998 along the city's downtown Riverwalk to welcome the new  millennium.

Others include a raised earth mound labyrinth in  Albiquiu, N.M., a highly polished granite labyrinth in New Harmony,  Ind., a phosphorescent paint labyrinth lit by black lights and with  musical accompaniment in New York, and a three-circuit labyrinth in  Connecticut that's used for weddings.

"The vestibular is  the first nerve to develop in the fetus," says Marilyn Larson of  Northfield, Minn., who is also organizing the upcoming show on the east  lawn. "It has to do with orientation, a sense of balance and knowing  where you are. That nerve is stimulated by the turns you make in the  labyrinth." Undoubtedly, something elemental is released upon  walking through the labyrinth's many circuits, as testified by exhibit  photos that show people praying, bowing and kneeling during their walks.  Most advocates say they experience feelings of peace and completeness  after the walk. One theory is that each of its four quadrants connects  the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual parts of the personality.

Ms.  Wasko-Flood, who will be exhibiting some of her own labyrinths on March  19 at the 57 N. Fine Art Gallery downtown, has constructed one made of  glass. The moment a viewer walks on it, the paths light up with the help  of a computer. "Christians have the idea of labyrinths relating  to God, others think of it as entrapping spirits," she says. "In most  cultures, it's a ritual of life, death and rebirth." 

Colorado Sangre de Cristo

SENTINEL (Magazin)

Colorado Summer, 2014

  Sangre de Christo Chronicle:

 “From Inner Peace to World Peace: Labyrinths Lead the Way”  

 Sandra has moved the Living Labyrinths for Peace Center from Washington DC to Taos, NM where she exhibits her light-up art/technology “Dance of the Labyrinth:” computer programmed images that light-up to your steps. She also exhibits her art series starting with “Spirals,” that lead to her labyrinth work. In 2000, she directed the first project of the International Society: a labyrinth demonstration for inner peace on the East Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Our Organization, Living Labyrinths for Peace, unites Art, Science, Technology and Nature with Spirit by providing labyrinth creations that lead from Inner Peace to World Peace. 

Journal of Santa Fe 

Santa Fe, NM, 2010

"Meandering Path to Peace"

 This article is about World Labyrinth Day, a project of the International Labyrinth Society where everyone in the world walks labyrinths at 1 pm in their time on the first Saturday in May, for Peace. Featured are Louis Costabel’s labyrinths built in Santa Fe and Taos, as well as  Bren Price’s labyrinths at the Touchstone Inn in Taos and the Greater World Earthship Community west of Taos.   

Baltimore, February 1, 2009

The symbolism of walking a path and then re-tracing one's  steps can be powerful when reflecting on how the past informs the  present and future. 

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Subbasement studios, one the most progressive art galleries in Baltimore, just finished hosting a unique installation called Living Labyrinths for Peace.

Adorning the studio walls are fabric and photo pieces and images of  peacocks with superimposed images of nude figures, the symbol of peacock  referring to transformation amongst Native American and other  indigenous cultures. But the real star of the show is not on the walls,  but rather the floor; a huge computer-controlled electronic labyrinth  has been constructed there by artist Sandra Wasko-Flood. 

Wasko-Flood, who has been a visual artist for the past 35 years,  began this work in 1986. Her journey into the labyrinths began during  her time spent at an Anasazi (ancient Native American tribe) cultural  center in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. The Anasazis were an advanced Indian  culture that flourished before the European colonial invasion in the  southwest region of the country (900 through 1130 A.D.).

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