The vision of Veriditas is to activate and facilitate the
transformation of the human spirit. The work of Veriditas centers
around the Labyrinth Experience as a personal practice for healing and
growth, a tool for community building, an agent for global peace and a
metaphor for life.
Veriditas offers retreats, trainings, and other events that focus on utlizing the labyrinth for growth and transformation. The labyrinth offers a doorway for psycho-spiritual healing and the integration of mind, body and spirit.
Veriditas addresses an underserved and little recognized need in our
noisy, consumer and spiritually negating culture.
The Eleven-Circuit Medieval Labyrinth that is used in Veriditas events transforms the human spirit. At
this time of increasing fear around our planet, our programs offer
great solace in the face of spreading violence. The work of Veriditas
helps each of us find guidance, a place to quiet our minds and a
positive, peaceful, loving energy into our lives and into the global
consciousness to counter the hate, violence and fear. It provides
solace during painful times, peace during turbulent times and guidance
when we are challenged in our lives.
The labyrinth is an ancient pattern found in many cultures around
the world. Labyrinth designs were found on pottery, tablets and tiles
that date as far back as 5000 years. Many patterns are based on spirals
and circles mirrored in nature. In Native American tradition, the
labyrinth is identical to the Medicine Wheel and Man in the Maze. The
Celts described the labyrinth as the Never Ending Circle. It is also
known as the Ka bala in mystical Judaism. One feature labyrinths have
in common is that they have one path that winds in a circuitous way to
the center.
The labyrinth design used by Lauren Artress is a replica of the
Eleven-circuit Medieval Labyrinth from Chartres Cathedral in France.
This pattern, made of Beauce quarry stone and an unnamed black stone to
delineate the path, was inlaid into the stone floor in 1201. For the
last 250 years, however, it has been forgotten and covered with chairs
until Artress led a small group of people into Chartres cathedral to
remove the chairs to experience the meditative walk first hand.
After her experience in Chartres, she returned home to Grace
Cathedral, San Francisco, painted the design on canvas and opened it to
the public. In 1994 the indoor tapestry labyrinth -- open during
cathedral hours -- was installed and in 1995 the outdoor terrazzo
labyrinth -- open 24 hours a day -- was installed in the Melvin E. Swig
Interfaith Meditation Garden. Literally millions of people have walked
these labyrinths. In the summer of 2007, Grace replaced the tapestry
labyrinth with a beautiful new stone labyrinth in the floor of the
cathedral.
After introducing the labyrinth through the International
Transpersonal Association in Ireland in 1994 and to Switzerland,
Germany in 1995, her work began to focus intensely in both Grace
Cathedral and Chartres Cathedral. She has led workshops around the
United States, Canada, the UK and Europe. In 1997 she began to train
facilitators to present the labyrinth in their communities. Now, over
1900 people have been trained in this transformational work.
Labyrinths are currently being used world-wide as a way to quiet the
mind, recover a balance in life, and encourage meditation, insight,
self-reflection, stress reduction, and to discover innovation and
celebration. They are open to all people as a non-denominational,
cross-cultural blueprint for well-being. The practice of labyrinth
walking integrates the body with the mind and the mind with the spirit.
They can be found in medical centers, parks, churches, schools,
prisons, memorial parks, spas, cathedrals and retreat centers as well
as in people's backyards.
The Labyrinth Experience is a personal practice for healing and
growth, a tool for community building, an agent for global peace and a
metaphor for life.
Welcome to Veriditas!
101 San Antonio Road
Petaluma, CA 94952-9524
phone: 707-283-0373
contact@veriditas.org