This week brings us to the new pattern which this book is about. Yes, we are finally getting to the reveal part of the book. The part where we actually see the pattern that I have been making such a fuss about. I will start out by explaining some things about labyrinths in general and explaining some of the terms used for describing the various elements of the Aquarian Labyrinth.
Enjoy the journey!
Blessings to you all!
Llynnette VanHooser
Chapter 3.1 - A New Pattern
June of 2011 met me with a big life upheaval. Sometimes, stuff just happens. I ended up moving to Clearlake Ca from San Jose Ca. Geographically only about 150 miles, Culture wise - Millions of miles. I always knew I wanted to move to northern California, I just n
ever took the time to decide on where. I just figured I’d do it later. I was too busy living in the city, which had grown up around me and trying to figure out how to live in such a place. Once we moved, the slower pace took a little adjustment but was much needed and appreciated.
What is it they say, where one door closes God opens a window?! Well, that's the only way I can describe how June of 2011 was for my husband and I. From the time we made the decision to go to Clearlake, everything just fell into place. Our call to Clearlake was two-fold. One, family issues that had been brewing for years finally came to a head and I knew it was time to separate myself before it escalated any further. Two, a very good friend of my husband and I were living in Clearlake and needed our help. He was ill and had no one to help him. So at his word, off to Clearlake, we went.
Clearlake is a majickal place! Allow me to describe the scenery of the area to you. First, the lake elevation is at 1325 feet. We have mountains all the way around us, which to me makes it seem like a giant cauldron. Then there is a mountain, beautiful majestic Konocti. She is actually a volcano and there is a symbiotic relationship between the mountain and the lake. The lake is mostly spring fed all year long and is not very deep, only 38 feet at the deepest. I have been around the country and lived in such beautiful places as Oregon, Montana, upstate New York and Tennessee. I have been to other beautiful places in northern California, such at Shasta, and many other places on the coast, but when I arrived at Clearlake I truly felt, not only was I called here, I was finally home. The more I study the area and the more I look at and spend time with Konocti, the more I see that I am where I need to be, and it's wonderful!
The city of Clearlake has some cultural issues and the lake itself has some ecological issues. It's very hot in the summer, sometimes weeks of over 100-degree weather. Then months of hovering around 32 in the winter and it rarely snows, but even with all that, I still would rather live here than where I grew up. I have always considered myself a wildflower so wherever I am planted I do my best to bloom. Sometimes you have to look at where you are and just say be grateful!
So here I was in Clearlake, knew no-one but our friend. I was on unemployment and now living in a financially depressed area. On the outside things looked pretty bleak. But on the inside things were bubbling and churning. My dream was becoming vivid and the whole time I had the feeling of being carried on angels' wings, is the only way I can describe it.
San Jose was left behind in kind of a hurry. Usually, I was living hand to mouth and the thought of moving was a task that would normally seem insurmountable. However, somehow we had the money, the time and the people to help us all in perfect timing. Obviously Spirit had planned it because I could not have planned it any better. The feeling of being carried started when we made the decision to move and continued until several months after we landed in Clearlake.
If you have ever experienced this you will know what I mean. I know I am not the only one this has ever happened to. This also was not the first time this had happened to me. It was fantastic, scary, reassuring and confusing all at the same time, but mostly it was wonderful! On one hand, I felt empowered yet, on the other hand, I felt moved, like a piece on a chessboard.
At times of stress, I tend to draw, or more like a doodle. Through the years drawing labyrinths has become a sort of meditation for me. When I get stressed or am thinking a lot, I tend to draw labyrinths over and over again. Then I sit and run it with my finger. I find this exercise to be not only meditative but mentally therapeutic in that the mind seems to go into problem-solving mode when running the labyrinth either with the finger or for those who are lucky enough to have access to one that can be walked regularly.
After the move, I started drawing labyrinths and doodling again. I was also taking long walks and meditating a lot more than I had been in a while. I have found meditation very beneficial in the past. I find it to be very effective with self-healing and to overcome hurt emotions. Sometimes drawing can cause me to go into a type of trance or meditative state, to where I do a lot of problem-solving that I would not usually be able to do. Personally, I believe it to be my higher self showing me the easier way to do things. Once I get out of the way and let the process happen it's a beautiful thing.
One day while drawing a seed pattern I started playing with the dynamics of the seed pattern layout. I moved some corners and dots around so that there was not an even number going around the cross in the middle. (You may understand what I mean later when you read about seed patterns.) I didn't really give it much thought, I just started drawing the connecting lines and suddenly when I got the last circuit, there it was in all its glory. A six circuit labyrinth that on the first inspection looks deceptively like a Cretan labyrinth but was in fact, something quite different.
I just sat there and stared at it for a long time. Almost afraid to move or tell anyone for fear that it might be a dream or that it wasn't real. The idea started soaking in that I had discovered a new pattern without trying. I immediately started to cry as the feelings of gratitude and thanksgiving overwhelmed me. I felt like I had been blessed to discover such a jewel, such a treasure. I felt like I had just unraveled an ancient riddle.
For days I just went around drawing it over and over again, thinking somehow it was going to change, but it didn't. I realized it had chosen me and the thought made me both giddy and terrified! The whole time in the back of my mind I could hear this little voice saying,” Build it”. Build it?! Are you crazy? I just moved here, I don't really know anyone. My life has just gone through upheaval. I don't have any property to put it on. What do you mean, build it? I guess hearing a little voice may sound strange to some people, and then to answer it might just make me crazy. Well my sanity has never been a point of contention with most people who know me. I have heard that same small voice most of my life and I have learned to trust it. Even though sometimes the circumstances may not seem good in the beginning it always works out to be good in the end. I just have to hold on to learning from the present experience. Circumstances change, and if I listen they will usually change for the better. So I listened. More on that later.
As I continued to draw the pattern over and over, I also started to expand the same pattern and found that if I added one extra corner all the way around the seed pattern I would get different size labyrinths and they all worked. Meaning they all made a complete path that had a starting point, a goal and an ending point.
I increased the original pattern by one corner and then connected the dots just like usual. The original pattern has 6 circuits. An increase of the original seed pattern by one makes it 10 circuits. An increase of two makes it 14 circuits. Originally I had only these three patterns. The first Aquarian Labyrinth that I laid out, is 14 circuits, it lives in Clearlake and has a beautiful view of Konocti, the magical, dormant volcanic mountain that overlooks the Clearlake area. But it wasn’t long before I started playing with the size again. I decreased the pattern by one and created a simple 2 circuit labyrinth.
I also increased it one more time from my previous largest, bringing the total up to 18 circuits. What is so interesting about this pattern is that the path from the entrance to the goal is 10 circuits, and from the goal to the exit is 8 circuits.
Upon discovery of the 18 circuit pattern, after adding what I call switchbacks to the outer portion, I noticed a similarity of both the Chartres and the Cretan in one labyrinth. This again was just another happy accident, it just came out that way. All I was doing was moving dots and corners around on a page then playing connect the dots. After the first one appeared on paper, as I realized what I had, I just sat there and stared at it for the longest time, not sure what to think.
I knew I wanted to lay this one out! Every time I ran this new pattern with my finger on paper, I could just imagine the energy that would be created from this magical earthwork. It is truly an amazing piece of work and at this writing, I am collecting rocks to create this mammoth on my property in Clearlake.
I have looked at many labyrinths over the past 20 years. I have ran them on paper with my finger, I have walked them in person, but it wasn't until the discovery of these patterns, that I truly felt excited about physically building one.
Labyrinth Components and Language
If you are not already familiar with labyrinths I have added this section so you can understand what I am talking about as I explain different aspects of the labyrinth. Following is a brief explanation of the various components which make up the Labyrinth.
Seed Pattern = A visual formula for drawing or laying out a labyrinth.
Circuit = A labyrinth path, pertaining to one full round or ring of the labyrinth.
Heart/Goal = The center of the labyrinth. Traditionally the center is called the goal. In the case of the Aquarian Labyrinth Patterns, the center is called the heart. Although the whole labyrinth walk is a meditation, the heart is a place of stilling the self and reflecting, it can also be a place of great illumination.
Path = The portion of the labyrinth that is walked upon.
Wall = The lines that delineate or mark the space between the paths. Traditionally made from stone or earth but can be wood, rope, chalk, paint, etc.
Copied by the Author Llynnette VanHooser from the book - The Aquarian Labyrinth - A New Pattern for a New Age.
The above is chapter 3.1 of my first book The Aquarian Labyrinth - a New Pattern for a New Age. I am Llynnette VanHooser and I look forward to hearing from you on how you are enjoying the free book chapters. Feel free to click on the Amazon link below to order my book on Amazon or Kindle.
Have a Blessed day!
Llynnette VanHooser
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