Visiting the Volcanic Witch Project
Sibley National Preserve 2006
Sibley Park is located high in the San Francisco East Bay Hills and offers a spectacular wilderness view. Hillsides and cliffs are wrapped in mysterious gray fog. Glimmering blue clouds touch the tips of black pines and flaming banks of poison oak ignite quarries of volcanic rock. Winds blow up suddenly catching both humans and birds by surprise. Mysterious walking paths conceal the hidden labyrinths of the Volcanic Witch Project and the pagans that design them. It takes a sharp eye and intuition to find these modern yet ancient retreats from the everyday world.
I first discovered the heart shaped "Mother Labyrinth" as it was called by locals in the 1980's and had no idea who had created it or why. I later discovered that the original maze was created by the labyrinth master; Alex Champion in the 1970's. In the 1980's, I also had the pleasure of discovering remnants of a far older Sibley Labyrinth created perhaps in the 1940's. Its history remains hidden and now lost forever. This summer the park service did fire prevention work in the area as it is chaparral (burn zone) and I fear the last of the original stones have been displaced.
Who are the caretakers of the mysterious labyrinths? No one knows for sure but it is suspected they are projects of local covens. The rocks have to be carried miles and refurbished each spring as rain washes them away in the winter.
People of many faiths practice this ancient tradition of meditative walking. The Sibley Labyrinths offer a unique spiritual opportunity to convene with higher powers in a radiant, natural wilderness environment.
The sun was warm and the air crisp as I began my annual pilgrimage to the Mother Labyrinth. The scent of bay laurel, eucalyptus and dried underbrush permeated the air with the particular fragrance known by the Oracle of Delphi. My deepest appreciation and thanks to the souls who protect and care take the labyrinths.
Others have photos and tales to tell about the Sibley Mazes.
Posts
14 comments:
Hello Princess Haiku:
I was very happy to see that you visited. ^_^ This blog is very interesting, thanks for sharing the pictures. It's too bad about you not getting to your space. Someone told me that they deleted the weather module to make theyre blog load faster so I did too. But I think it's the friend list and the photo album that are the slowest. Who knows? Anyway I like msn spaces, I hope they will fix any troubles they have but thanks for the information. I hope you have a nice day, I will try to visit again.
Take care,
Ilka
wow that place looks incredible!!! and thank you for the comment you left on my blog.
Welcome back... I missed your posts...
Did you know that they think that the huge graffatti like figures ... Moche comes to mind but I think that they are another civilization... in the deserts of Paru may have been walking meditative figures... They are so big they can only be seem from a airplane but are from around 700 AD I think... thanks for sharing something similar in the US. Marilyn
Dear Elise, What a great way to spend an afternoon! As ever be well. Stephen
I left a comment in your space with Live Spaces because I could not leave a comment here using my MSN Identity. I do have a blogspot ID because I opened one here when I thought I could not tolerate the new Live Spaces changes. However, it seems that Live Spaces has improved and is no longer as difficult to manage as when they just made the changes, so I stayed on and did not do much with my blogspot place. I hope this one will finally get uploaded here.
I just came from your live space and noticed that you have more than 5 blog entries displayed in your front page. This is why your space takes so long to load. Limit this to display only 5 entries and I am sure you will be all right. I noticed that you do not have the weather module in your spot, so this helps. Also try to limit your "Friends" module to display only 8 friends on the front page by putting this module on the narrower column. I hope this will finally make it to your comments section.
Hugs, Marie
Good morning Elise,
Here are the instructions on how to prevent Internet Explorer from crashing when you try to enter you blog. Just click or copy/paste this link:
http://josephbono.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!B0032A050C481847!805.entry
Hugs, Marie
This was a fascinating entry, Princess! And the accompanying photographs were stunning! You have just added another item to my list of "Things To Do Before I Die". (Which I intend to do at a really ripe old age)
Marge
Hi Elise,
Thank you for responding to my messages and the comment you left on my blogspot. My blogspot "Ocean Dome" entry was made as a test. I was going to add the photos but when my live spaces problems got resolved, I decided to just leave my blogspot alone for a while.
If you wish to see the photos of the Ocean Dome, I have posted them in an album called "Ocean Dome" in my live spaces.
Here's the address, in case you have lost it:
http://touchingbeauty.spaces.live.com/
I hope you will not have any problems acessing it.
Hugs, Marie
Hello princess
wow you cetianly turned this around
It is truly beautiful.
Thankyou for coming back and sharing with us.. I shall be back as long as I am welcome.
hugs noellexx
We miss you at spaces.
Rikk (Fleeting Glimpses)
My Darling Princess, i visited your blog yesterday. and was so very touched by your words and photos of this mystical labyrinth, and wrote you a long answer, and for some reason blogger didn't let me sign in and my words where gone..
only today do i find the time to write you back my darling.
I wanted to tell you how deeply i was touched by the voyage you made to mother-labyrinth.
the place looks magical, your words attached to it, took it even to a higher level.
while looking at the photos and reading your words - i so much wanted to be there with you, and get carried away by the caressing wind wave by the name "Volcanic Witch Project"' i take it that this mountain was in the past a volcanic mountain?
i remember well you told me about Alex Champion, and you've send me looking for some of his interesting works.
Did you feel different after visiting the labyrinth?
did mysterious things happened to you? were you inspired with beautiful words and images? does things got better?
Wish i could be there with you :)
HI there elise
I wondering why you havent updated in susch along time. I hope all is well with you my dear. take care
Easily I assent to but I dream the post should have more info then it has.
Post a Comment