Charlie

Your Life Labyrinth

When you hear the term ‘labyrinth,’ does it conjur mental images of David Bowie as Jareth, the Goblin King from the 1986 movie of the same name?

Well, while it doesn’t include David Bowie, you should know that Charleston has its very own labyrinth open to the public.

And you can let those lost anxiety feelings go. We’re talking about a labyrinth, not a maze. While the two are often used interchangeably, the reality is a labyrinth has only a single, non-branching path, leading to the center. Meaning you leave the same way you enter. It’s typically a circular, flat path on the ground without high hedges or false turns. Not exactly difficult to navigate.

And that’s the point. Labyrinths are meant to be spiritual, to inspire personal reflection, healing and inner peace. Think of walking a labyrinth as a chance to meditate, to clear your mind, find answers to questions and seek solace.

Charleston’s labyrinth can be discovered in the picturesque mediation garden of Bon Secours St. Francis hospital in West Ashley.

Modeled after the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth in France, it features four quadrants (like a cross), culminating in a central rose pattern with fragrant herbs marking turning points and wind chimes tinkling from live oaks to make all those senses of yours peaceful and happy.

Reaching the center is not the goal, for it marks only the halfway point of the journey. Like a metaphor for life, the point, according to the labyrinth’s Charleston landscape architect Sandy Byers (Byers Design Group), is the journey itself.

“Walking the Labyrinth is a type of ‘moving meditation’ that fits well with our sense of holistic healthcare and sacred space,” says Mark Dickson, Roper St. Francis Director of Mission.

The mediation garden is a gorgeous place to gather and explore, relax with a picnic or join in a tai chi class. Aside from the labyrinth, the garden features:

GRAND PORTAL
Marking the garden’s entrance and your passage into a sacred place of beauty, peace and reflection.

PRAYER GARDEN
Interlocking spirals reflect nature’s recurrent pattern (i.e. the nautilus shell). Fountain of pyramidal basalt rocks, juxtaposing permanence of mountains and the fluidity of water, and individual benches, for privacy and reflection.

CAMELLIA GARDEN
Figure-eight design symbolizes eternity. Planted with evergreen sasanqua, japonica, holly and ginger, it’s shady relief from the sunny city.

CHRIST STATUE GARDEN
“Christ of Comfort and Healing” by Tim Doyle from New Haven, Indiana…a flawless statue sculpted from custom-quarried limestone, with holly trees symbolizing the Passion of Christ.

It’s amazing to realize this haven is a hidden gem tucked way in the Bee’s Ferry area adjacent to a parking lot with the orange lights of Home Depot visible through the trees.

An oasis of healing for our community in the midst of the asphalt jungle.

Start Your Journey Here.

Story by: Claire Gibbons