Artist's rendering of the Berkeley Marina labyrinth
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Contact, Nina Ham, 510-526-7377
The East Bay Labyrinth Project (EBLP) is a group of volunteers dedicated to the installation of an 11-circuit labyrinth at a public and accessible site in Berkeley, California. The group has successfully secured approval from the City of Berkeley to install a Community Peace Labyrinth at the Berkeley Marina. We are currently raising funds for its engineering and construction by a master labyrinth builder. Our goal while fundraising is to create a series of temporary labyrinths at the site as a means of introducing the community at large to the benefits of walking the labyrinth while creating opportunities for interested people to have a direct experience of this unique activity.
After a lengthy public process, the EBLP gained the approval of the City of Berkeley's Waterfront Commission and City Council to build an 11-circuit labyrinth made of paving stones on the East Lawn of the South Basin at the Marina. It's a lovely site to the south of University Avenue as you proceed west, just past where Marina Boulevard splits off toward Cesar Chavez Park, 100 feet along the asphalt path soon to become part of the Bay Trail Extension. Its outlook takes in the bicycle/pedestrian bridge and the East Bay Hills viewed across an inlet favored by birds. Currently the EBLP is engaged in the process of raising $100,000-plus to fund the project.
Labyrinths are ancient patterns found in many cultures around the world. They date back as far as 5,000 years. Their design is based on the spiral in nature, with one path leading to the center and back out again. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has no tricks or dead ends. It is not designed for you to lose your way, but rather to help you find it. There are many different styles of labyrinths, including the classic Cretan labyrinth and the 11-circuit medieval labyrinth, which consists of one continuous path of 11 rounds, or "circuits," leading to the center and back out again.
Walking the labyrinth is an increasingly popular activity, and people often find the experience to be centering and calming. When you walk the labyrinth, the path is in full view, which allows you to focus inwardly. Many find that walking the labyrinth, individually and in community, offers a powerful way to ground our peace and justice work in the world. Some find that walking the labyrinth puts them in touch with a sense of peace and the "still small voice" of conscience. But the labyrinth can be approached on any level; kids (and adults) often enjoy it simply as a fun, winding path to follow. In addition, labyrinths can serve as beautiful pieces of art utilizing a variety of materials including mosaic tile, stone, rocks, and flowers.
The Willard Community Peace Labyrinth is located on the blacktop next to the Willard Greening Project gardens at Willard Middle School on Telegraph Avenue between Derby and Stuart Streets in Berkeley, California. Working in partnership with the school, two dozen EBLP volunteers, led by master labyrinth installer Richard Feather Anderson, painted the 35-foot, 11-circuit pattern on the asphalt in August 2003. The intention behind the creation of this labyrinth is to give people a direct experience of walking an 11-circuit labyrinth as we build community support for the permanent labyrinth installation at the Berkeley Marina. Over the years, the EBLP has offered monthly community labyrinth peace walks at the site and has sponsored special Solstice and Equinox walks there. The Willard labyrinth is available for people to walk any time except during school hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m. M-F during the school year). If the front gate on Telegraph is locked, you can get to the labyrinth via the school access road opposite Andronico's driveway on Derby Street.
As part of our community outreach, the EBLP has offered guided walks on temporary, community-created 11-circuit labyrinths at the City-approved site at the Berkeley Marina as well as at the Willard Community Peace Labyrinth. We have also sponsored several peace walks on a canvas labyrinth led by Margie Adam, a singer, songwriter, and labyrinth facilitator. To find out about upcoming events, check our listings on the BPFP calendar, join our EBLP Facebook group, or contact eastbaylabyrinthproject@gmail.com.
The EBLP's next steps are twofold: to build community while sharing the labyrinth experience with diverse groups; and to raise funds for the permanent installation of an 11-circuit labyrinth at the Marina site approved by the City of Berkeley.
You can participate in creating the Berkeley Community Peace Labyrinth at the Marina. Volunteers are needed to support outreach efforts, to create temporary labyrinths at the Marina site, and to help plan and stage fundraising events. Join our growing EBLP Facebook group and become a part of our labyrinth community! We encourage individuals, families, and groups to honor someone special by sponsoring a specific part of the labyrinth pattern with a donation. For details, please contact us at info@eastbaylabyrinthproject.org. The EBLP is affiliated with Berkeley Partners for Parks (BPFP, ID# 94-3228356), a 501(c)3 nonprofit. You can donate to the EBLP's efforts by credit card through BPFP's Network for Good page (be very sure to earmark your donation for EBLP). Or, if you prefer to write a check, make it out to BPFP/EBLP and mail it along with your address and email to EBLP c/o Edie Hoffman, 2324 Valley Street, Berkeley, CA 94702. Many thanks for your support!