Peace Garden & Labyrinth

The story of our peace garden & labyrinth . . .

The Peace Pole and Labyrinth, dedicated on November 8, 2008, are a major focus of the Peace Garden. The creation of the Peace Garden has been a collaborative effort of many community volunteers. As an ongoing project, the Garden will blossom over time with creative ideas to make a peaceful and beautiful space for everyone to enjoy.

A Peace Pole is an internationally recognized symbol of the hopes and dreams of the entire human family, standing vigil in silent prayer for peace on earth. Each Peace Pole bears the message, "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in different languages on each of its sides. The Peace Pole at Radiant Life bears the message in English, Chinese, Arabic, Swahili, Cherokee, Hebrew, Sanskrit and Spanish. Worldwide there are more than 250,000 Peace Poles dedicated as monuments to peace.

A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. It can be a metaphor for life's journey, or a journey to our own center and out again into the world. Long used as meditation and prayer tools, labyrinths have been found in many parts of the world, and they come in many different patterns.

Unlike a maze, with choices of which path to take, a labyrinth has only one path: in to the center and then out again by the same path. There is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth. You only have to enter and follow the path. However, your walk can encompass a variety of attitudes; joyous, somber, thoughtful, or prayerful. It may be used as a walking meditation.

The Labyrinth at Radiant Life uses the Santa Rosa design created by Lea Goode-Harris, Ph.D. There are seven circuits (concentric paths) and a small square on the fourth circuit where no one walks. This "heart-space" is approached from all four directions and can be used in many symbolic ways while walking.