I know I have been teasing you over the past few weeks in regard to when Chapter one will be released, well wait no more, here it is!
The first chapter of the book I call "First Contact". Below is the first half of that chapter. I named it that because it talks about the first time I encountered a labyrinth. Much like some of you, I had no idea what a labyrinth was or what it could be used for. Once I made that first encounter, I was never the same and I am thankful!
Thank you for wanting to take this journey with me as we discover the Aquarian Labyrinth together. If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear them! Either leave a comment below or send me a message on Facebook.
Blessed be Dearlings!
Llynnette VanHooser - Author of The Aquarian Labyrinth - A New Pattern for a New Age.
Chapter 1.1 – First Contact
I vividly remember my first encounter with a labyrinth, although it was well over 20 years ago. Other than the movie Labyrinth, which had the potential to be a great movie, and the Greek mythology of the Minotaur's labyrinth, which in both cases were actually mazes, I had never heard of nor had I ever seen a labyrinth, much less walked one.
I was living in the Rochester area of upstate New York. I had the opportunity to become acquainted with and take monthly classes at the historical and magical Lilydale. For those who are not familiar with Lilydale, it is a unique closed community associated with the spiritualist church. How I arrived at this place in my life is a very long and convoluted story that I will not bore you with here.
I was on a spiritual quest, but how I began that journey derailed my entire life. Regardless of the past karmic burden, I had brought upon myself, for which I later consciously worked through. I found myself going to monthly classes which were paid for by the generosity of a woman I had met, by chance, in Montana. She was the reason I was in New York. She had invited me to come to live with and help her sort through her life after the passing of her husband. It was a warm and symbiotic relationship that lasted for a while, and it served a purpose for us both.
If you have never been to Lilydale, all I can tell you is that it's majickal, it's beautiful, and the psychic energy is intense, to say the least. It is so majickal in feeling, that when I saw the movie Harry Potter the first time, I had the same feeling as when I would return to Lilydale. Driving through the front gate made me feel like truly arriving home, kind of like how Harry felt when he would return to Hogwarts.
It was at about the third or fourth monthly retreat when I met Sig Lonegren. The first part of his presentation in the morning was about dowsing. How to use a pendulum and dowsing rods as well as uses of dowsing.
I had never heard of dowsing before. Although I had been dowsing since I was twelve or so and didn't know other people did it, or that it had a name. My mother had given me a crystal necklace which I would take off my neck and hold by the silver chain and ask it questions. I shared this ability with a friend once, and when she got answers that she didn't like or that “scared” her, she didn't come over to my house anymore. I guess that's what happens when you have the reputation of being the creepy girl in school.
When I met Sig it was very serendipitous, at least for me. I had made a few cloth card bags in various colors, and I brought several with me that weekend. One of them was blue and I had painted a silver lightning bolt on it. At the time that I painted it, I didn't know why. It was not a symbol that I usually worked with at the time. When I met him, I had a feeling to give him the blue bag. I like to give small tokens to teachers on the path out of respect. I presented him with a choice of three bags. Red, green & blue – he chose the blue one. He then told me he had misplaced his bag before he came on this trip. He found the lightning bolt to be interesting, as this, he claimed, was one of his power symbols. I about fell over.
In the evening after dinner, Sig gave a presentation about labyrinths and crop circles. He did it as a slide-show presentation and most of his emphasis was on labyrinths. The first slide I saw of a Cretan labyrinth had me hooked. I liked his simple and straightforward way of teaching. When he explained that the Cretan is often called the goddess labyrinth, I got very excited, for it was only months before that I had been touched by the goddess and my heart has never been the same... in a good way. He also talked about a goddess or witch that stirred her cauldron in the pattern of the labyrinth. I believe it was Cerridwen, but it's hard to remember from so long ago. If I meet him again I will ask him.
As the slide-show progressed, we were shown a picture of the Chartres Labyrinth, which was built in a cathedral in Chartres France, in the 13th century.
Upon my first viewing of it, I felt a strong connection and I couldn't understand how easily this style of pattern could be created. I felt very intimidated by it. Almost as though it were taunting me, to come to learn, and discover it's lessons and secrets.
Since I have always been working on my self-esteem and doubting my abilities the whole time, I did not see how I could copy it and make it look anywhere near as perfect and beautiful as I saw the Chartres.
Although I found it beautiful, mysterious and perfect in form of appearance, or appearance of form, however, you want to look at it. I had a feeling as I looked at it, that one thing was missing... a continuous path from the center out.
He also talked about ley-lines and how most labyrinths or ancient stone circles have been placed on various important coordinates according to some sacred geometric formula. Ley-lines were a new concept for me, although somehow instinctively I knew this. I started studying chakras and meridians within the body just before this workshop so it all fit well together.
Two of the most important things I learned during that weekend was:
1 – How to draw a 7 circuit Cretan labyrinth, from what is known as a seed pattern
2- The difference between a maze and a labyrinth. A maze is a puzzle that can have multiple paths and even dead endings, where the path of the labyrinth is a walking meditation of a singular path,
A maze is intended to confuse, and to be a puzzle that is solvable, or possibly unsolvable, depending on who made it and how difficult it is. A maze has dead-ends and sometimes loops that bring you right back to the start.
A labyrinth, on the other hand, is a single path. It spirals and meanders it's way eventually to the center, or goal, where one can wait or meditate further. Traditionally you would then follow the same path out the same way you came in. I later found that the path can also continue, to an exit different than the one you came in on, but more on this later. The type of labyrinth I will be talking about in this text is not common. We will be looking at it in-depth, as the main focus of this book. However, I have gotten ahead of myself.
All of the information from Sig that I have mentioned thus far was given in the time frame of one day. This was a lot for me to assimilate. That night I had trouble going to sleep. However, I still woke energized as I tend to do when I sleep at Lilydale.
Copied by the Author Llynnette VanHooser from the book - The Aquarian Labyrinth - A New Pattern for a New Age.
The above is chapter 1.1 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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