The art of reinstalling a labyrinth: Galveston, Part III

Unloading labyrinth sections at the new location

When our friend Kay Sandor called to request our assistance with uninstalling, moving, and reinstalling one of our hand-crafted labyrinths in Galveston, we were up to the challenge. Development plans threatened to destroy their beloved community labyrinth, and we were determined to help them save it.

We had never moved one of our artworks from one place to another, but with the help of our friend Dave Keller, Labyrinths in Stone began the laborious process of preparing the labyrinth for the move from The William Temple Episcopal Center to its new home at Moody Methodist Church. What a learning process! Section by section, the pavers were meticulously measured, marked, cataloged, loaded on a flatbed trailer, and transported across town. Fortunately, we were able to reuse or recycle most of the brick pavers, reducing the amount of waste that ended up in the landfill and minimizing the use of additional resources to recreate our work of art. As the labyrinth slowly disappeared at one end of Galveston, it slowly reappeared at the other side of the city.

Handwritten messages in the base material

Before the reinstallation took place, Moody Methodist Church members did a great job of clearing the land for the labyrinth and consecrating it as sacred space. Some members wrote messages on rocks that were to be mixed into the base material of the containment ring. Others wrote handwritten notes on paper to be tucked under the pavers of the center's rosette. By the time Labyrinths in Stone delivered the pavers, every aspect of the labyrinth had been thoroughly blessed so that we could get to work reinstalling the labyrinth.

Handwritten messages tucked under the center pavers

One of the ways we like to demonstrate our gratitude for the host organization is by consecrating the pavers of the rosette with special inscriptions from the people who will walk the labyrinth. While Marty and Dave prepared the containment ring, members of the congregation inscribed the bricks with the names of loved ones, Bible verses, quotations, drawings, and special messages to future generations who will walk the labyrinth in years to come. These bricks were the first to be laid as the labyrinth was built from the center outward.

Kay Sandor helps with the sand blessing.

Once all of the pavers were in place, Marty and Dave swept sand into the joints, completing the process of compaction. To thank her for her efforts to save the labyrinth, Kay Sandor was invited to participate in the sacred sanding process. Sanding the labyrinth involves filling all of the seams with bricklayer's sand, a finer grade of sand with smaller particles for such detailed work. Each and every inch of the labyrinth is blessed as sand is sprinkled into the spaces between the pavers with a prayer asking for peace and healing for all of the pilgrims who will walk the path and expressing love and gratitude for all. 

Once complete, compaction locks the pavers permanently into place, ensuring the durability of the labyrinth for generations to come. The surface is then thoroughly swept and cleaned, revealing the labyrinth’s stunning artistry. 

We were grateful to the spiritual leaders of Moody Methodist Church, who paved the way for a smooth reinstallation process by educating the congregants about the labyrinth and its uses, selecting a suitable site, encouraging members to participate in the process, and creating a quiet setting for the labyrinth on the east side of the church property. The labyrinth was consecrated on April 16, 2014, during Holy Week.

The Moody Methodist Church labyrinth 

When Labyrinths in Stone received the call to help save the Galveston labyrinth, we accepted the challenge because of our commitment to our customers and to our work in the world. Labyrinth reinstallation can be a very tricky and time-consuming process, even if we have done the original installation and removal. However, we believe so strongly in the quality of our craftsmanship and the sacredness of each work of art that we have added this important service to our repertoire of specialized skills. We were so grateful to have the opportunity to shepherd this labyrinth through its many changes, loving it along its own path of twists and turns. Thanks to Dave Keller, Kay Sandor, local labyrinth enthusiasts, and the good people at Moody Methodist Church, the labyrinth has a wonderful new home, where it can continue to serve the needs of the Galveston isle community.

The challenge of uninstalling a labyrinth: Galveston, Part II

The William Temple Episcopal Center labyrinth in Galveston, Texas

In 2013, we received a call from our friend Kay Sandor in Galveston regarding a labyrinth we had installed in 2001 at The William Temple Episcopal Center. The beloved community labyrinth was in jeopardy because it was in the way of a redevelopment plan for the downtown space. Despite vociferous opposition by isle community residents, led by Kay, the labyrinth had to be moved or it would be destroyed. Could we possibly uninstall the labyrinth?

De-installation of the labyrinth involved more than 5,000 hand-sculpted pieces.

Good question. We have installed a lot of labyrinths, but we had never been asked to remove one. De-installing a labyrinth is much more complicated than, say, removing a patio. The main reason is because a labyrinth is a sacred work of art which has been created specially for the installation site. More than 5,000 hand-sculpted pavers went into the making of this labyrinth. Each piece would have to be measured, removed, cleaned, labeled, and meticulously inventoried for storage until a suitable space could be found to re-install the labyrinth. Fortunately, by the time we were ready to take on the challenge, the labyrinth had found a new home at Moody Methodist Church across town, thanks to the fierce advocacy of Kay Sandor and her dedicated group of labyrinth enthusiasts.

Isle community residents, led by Kay Sandor, came together to save their beloved labyrinth.

This particular labyrinth was beloved by so many people in the community. While we were carefully removing each brick paver, many people stopped by to tell us how much the labyrinth meant to them, sharing stories and expressing their gratitude for the labyrinth and its makers. They told us how they had walked it to pray, solve problems, deal with illness, reduce stress, relieve anxiety, heal a relationship--on and on. Most of them expressed sorrow that the labyrinth would no longer exist in the current location, and a few were quite distressed about its removal. Little did they know when they shared their stories that they were talking with the creators of the labyrinth! Listening to their stories was so humbling, and it felt so sacred--almost like confession--that we never revealed our identity to a single soul. Our hearts swelled with gratitude, hearing that our work in the world had helped so many people in so many ways. 

Marty meticulously measures the placement of pavers to prepare for their removal.

With the invaluable assistance of our friend Dave Keller, we carefully measured, removed, cleaned, cataloged, and palletted each paver, transferring sections to a flatbed trailer to transport to the new location. We could feel the emotions that walkers had left in the pavers, and as we cleaned them for reuse, we blessed everyone who had ever walked this sacred path. We felt sad for the people who would miss it in this location, yet we were glad that the labyrinth would have a new life at another church nearby.

A portion of the rosette is ready to transport to the new location.

The whole process would not have been possible, however, without the fierce advocacy of Kay Sandor and the skilled help of Dave Keller. We are also grateful for the proactive work by all of the community advocates and church leaders, who created a plan of succession for the labyrinth, treating it as a valuable resource with the utmost respect for this sacred work of art and the people who use it as a spiritual tool.

The labyrinth's beautiful new home at Moody Methodist Church

The labyrinth now has a beautiful new home at Moody Methodist Church, where it continues to serve congregants, community members, and visitors to the Galveston area. We are so grateful to the people of Galveston for their dedicated efforts to save the labyrinth for the sake of the community and everyone who will benefit from walking this sacred work of art.

On the move in Galveston, Part I

Labyrinths in Stone begins construction on the William Temple Episcopal Center Labyrinth in 2001.

When development plans threatened the destruction of one of our beautiful artworks in Galveston, Texas, Labyrinths in Stone was called to action. Led by our dear friend Kay Sandor, the isle community’s efforts to save their beloved labyrinth gave us the opportunity to do something we had never done before: move a Chartres-pattern brick-paver labyrinth to a new location.

In March-April 2001, Episcopal Church and UTMC Galveston commissioned Labyrinths in Stone to create the William Temple Episcopal Center Labyrinth. The beautiful 39-foot Chartres-pattern labyrinth was the centerpiece of the Labyrinth Meditation Garden between the church and the hospital.

The William Temple Episcopal Center Labyrinth was dedicated to the well-being of the Galveston isle community.

For more than 12 years, the William Temple Episcopal Center Labyrinth was an integral part of the Galveston isle community. Kay Sandor facilitated monthly Full Moon Walks and Seasonal Sunrise Walks to celebrate the solstices and equinoxes. The labyrinth also attracted many different types of visitors: church members, community groups, faculty and staff, students, and tourists— even researchers and their subjects studying the effects of walking labyrinths. One of the most moving stories about using the labyrinth for healing featured a group of nine severely burned Saudi Arabian children who walked the labyrinth more than 30 times over the course of a two-year study.

The William Temple Episcopal Center Labyrinth hosted many community events during its lifetime. 

Then in 2014, we received word from Kay that the property was going to be sold to pave the way for new development, which meant the labyrinth would be demolished. Those in the labyrinth world were in disbelief because removing a labyrinth is akin to destroying a holy shrine. Members of the local community were in denial that the church would dismantle the popular landmark and sacred site. Yet the development plans moved forward despite vociferous opposition.

Then something magical happened: a bold move by the members of this small isle community.

Embarking on a journey from unknowing to revelation, community members entered liminal space with the labyrinth. The word “liminal” comes from the Latin word “limens,” which means “threshold.” According to psychology, liminal space is a place of transition, waiting, and not knowing before we cross the threshold of divine disclosure.

Many groups used the William Temple Episcopal Center Labyrinth.

The Galveston isle community did not want to lose their labyrinth. When they chose to enter liminal space, however, they embraced the possible loss with strength and courage. Led by Kay, they boldly stepped into a place of waiting and not knowing while at the same time doing everything they could to save it, which included reaching out to other churches in the area and asking for our assistance. Their efforts were rewarded.

On January 27, 2014, the good news was announced in the local paper: the spiritual landmark would not be destroyed to make way for development after all. Instead, the labyrinth would be moved to Moody Methodist Church across town.

Marty meticulously measures the pavers to move the pathway.

We felt apprehensive when Kay called to request our assistance. We had never moved one of our artworks from one place to another, but we were determined to help the community save their beloved labyrinth. With the help of our friend Dave Keller, Labyrinths in Stone began the laborious process of preparing the labyrinth for the move to Moody's brand-new Meditation Garden. What a learning process! Section by section, the pavers were meticulously marked, cataloged, palleted, loaded on a flatbed trailer, and transported across town. As the labyrinth slowly disappeared at one end of town, it slowly reappeared at the other—like magic!

Marty and Dave unload sections to recreate the labyrinth in its new location at Moody Methodist Church.

One community’s experience of embracing liminal space gave us the opportunity to do something we had never done before. We could not have made the move without the help of Kay Sandor and Dave Keller. The labyrinth was saved, and everyone was the better for it. When we were called to action to do the seemingly impossible, we entered liminal space, too, and emerged with a new skill and level of mastery that we could add to the services we offer. Need to move a labyrinth? Yes, we can do that!

The labyrinth is the centerpiece of the Meditation Garden at Moody Methodist Church.