Recent Elizabethtown College Engineering graduate, Lauren Comly ’23, has completed her work this spring of building a permanent labyrinth on campus. The labyrinth is a circular, meandering path made up of small and large stones leading to the center and is typically used in sacred places as a path to walk, meditate, and decompress.
Located on the southern end of campus, along the walking path to the Bowers Writers House, the labyrinth is available for public use.
While the labyrinth has just recently found a more permanent home on campus, the meditation tool has been used at Etown for more than 15 years by Chaplain & Director of Spiritual and Religious Life Amy Shorner-Johnson, who had previously made use of a portable labyrinth printed on canvas that had to be pulled out of storage throughout the year.
“Labyrinths are great for meditation and/or prayer, or just walking when you need a direction for your body to go,” Shorner-Johnson explained. “Folks use them for a walking meditation. Sometimes I ask a question and then bring it in a mindful way to think about for the time it takes me to walk in and out.”
Using the labyrinth is simple explains Comly, who encourages participants to walk with an open heart and mind, focusing on their personal journey of balancing body, mind, and spirit.
“Starting at the beginning of the path, walk at your own pace and remember to breathe,” Comly said. “Once at the center, you can sit or stand to meditate, pray, or just be. When you’re ready to leave, you can leave the labyrinth the same way they entered: through the path.”
To help fund her project, Comly applied for and received the Paul M. Grubb, Jr. Student Peace Award, which is given through The Center for Global Understanding and Peacebuilding (CGUP). One thousand dollars is awarded each year to the student who submits the best proposal for peace and justice objectives they plan to bring to life.
Etown’s Student Senate finance committee provided additional funding for the project as well.
After the obstacle of funding was overcome, then it came time to start the hard work of moving the rocks. With help from members of the Engineers for a Sustainable World student organization, Professor of Engineering & Physics Dr. Kurt DeGoede, Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies Naomi Kraenbring, and Rev. Amy Shorner-Johnson the labyrinth’s permanent home was completed on a Saturday in April.
“Leaving a lasting impact is rewarding,” Comly said. “I look forward to students, faculty, staff, and Elizabethtown community members using it and sharing a similar experience.”
