Crow’s Nest Meditation Labyrinth

A mediation labyrinth in the woods at Crow’s Nest Preserve

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager.

We are thrilled to announce that we now have a mediation labyrinth at the Warwick Woods part of Crow’s Nest Preserve. It was the initiative and effort of our long-term residential intern, Elwood Harney, who has enjoyed them at other places and wanted to create one here.

The labyrinth is a walking meditation, not a maze. Labyrinths can be used for different reasons: coping with grief and loss, opening the flow of creativity, relieving stress, or just needing some time to clear your mind. A labyrinth is often used as a metaphor representing the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into world with a better understanding of who you are. (Source: brochure for the meditation labyrinth at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Douglassville, Pennsylvania.)

We think that our labyrinth is particularly wonderful because it is located in a beautiful natural setting. It occupies one of the former campsites at Warwick Woods, so it takes up little space in an area that was already a gravel pad. We had a couple pallets of used bricks available, and we decided that a brick and gravel labyrinth would be easy to maintain. Special thanks go to our Buildings Stewardship staff and Excavator George Albright for their work adding and spreading the gravel.

You can find the labyrinth just west of the meadow at Warwick Woods, on the Meadow Loop Trail. It does not yet appear on trail maps so we hope you enjoy the discovery of it as you explore Crow’s Nest Preserve. Our interns add a lot to the experience of working and volunteering at Crow’s Nest, and a project is often a highlight of their time here. Our paid long-term internship includes provided housing and includes work in both land stewardship and environmental education.