Click the audio play button above to hear how to contact me…
Click the audio play button above to hear me talk about labyrinths.
Labyrinths
The gift of the Appleton dance.
Asseemedappropriatewehugged,movedpasteach other,switchedhandsandsetoffoncemore clockwiseroundthecentre,havingexchangedpaths. Itseemedmagicalthatwecouldstaytogetherwhile one of us was dancing to the centre and the other into theouterworld.Toenterthelabyrinthistoentera place of enchantment. Twocircuitslaterwewerebackattheplacewherewe hadfirstmetandwerethen‘tornapartbythe divergenceoftheways.Iwentouttostandinthe mundaneworldbytheentranceandshewentinto completethethreeshortcircuitstothecentre,where the ‘Sun’ is.InahalfjokingwayIbeganbeggingmy‘Goddess’to comeouttojoinmebut,thoughshecametowards meforalittlewhileonfouroccasionsshealways turnedawayagain.Atlastshecametotheouter, Saturnian,pathandIcouldholdherhandagainasshe walked‘widdershins’roundthelongest,slowestpath.I spoketoheroftherichesIwouldbestowonherifshe cameouttobewithme.But,afteranothercircuit, neartheentrancesheleftmeagaintogobackinto theheartofthelabyrinth.Wewereexperiencinga mysticaldramaimposedonusbytheformofthis enchantingdesign.Finally,aftertwomorecircuitsshe appeared,releasedatlast,attheentranceandwe joyfullyembraced.Theentrancementwascomplete. Atthatmoment,acrossthefield,themusicroundthe firefellsilent.Whatacoincidenceandaheart stopping moment.WhenItoldSiglateraboutthisserendipitousmoment hisreactionwas“Damn,mybookhasjustbeen publishedanditshouldhavehadthisinit.”Thenext editionincludeditandnowtherehavebeenfour reprints.SincethenI’vegoneonshowingvarious groupshowtheycanexperiencethe“Appleton”both asasinglecoupleandinlargegroupsofahundred andmore.Fiftycouplesweavingtheirwaytogetheron alargelabyrinthisquiteasight.There’salsoamore meditationalwayofdoingit.TheLabyrinthSocietyin theUSAhasusedthedanceversionmanytimesasa finale on the last night of their national convention.TheAppletondanceanimationabovewasoriginally commissionedbySigLonegrenforhis www.geomancy.orgwebsiteandcreatedbyHeather Hoon.
The paths and the signs
Click the play button above to see the Appleton dance in action.
Contactmeifyouwouldlikemore informationoraworkshoparranged. Readingaboutitisonething,experiencingit is something else.
Manyyearsago,atanOakDragonCampdownin Devonafteradayofworkshops,weweregathered roundafireatthetopofthefield.Musicianswere playingandpeopledancingwhileotherssatinthe shadeofthewoodenjoyingthebeautyofthesoft eveninglightasthesundroppedlowerinthesky.One oftheworkshopsIhadattendedwasSigLonegren’s aboutusingtheclassical,sevenpath,‘Cretan’labyrinth asaproblemsolvingdevicebywalkingthepathswitha questioninyourmindtofindan‘answer’atthecentre. Asyoufollowthe7pathseachcanbeseentoembody adifferentenergyrelatedtoyourquestion.Starting with“WhatdoIthinkaboutit?”followedby“WhatdoI feelaboutit?”andsoonuntilthecentreisreached.A placeofNoThingwhereSomethingwillcomeinto your mind.Thefullprocedure,rationaleandconstructionforthis canbefoundinSig’swonderfulbook“Labyrinths, Ancientmythsandmodernuses”publishedbyGothic Image, ISBN 978-0-906362-69-3 and on his web site .AsIdancedbythefireInoticedawomanwearinga ponchowhowas,witharmsoutstretched,whirlingher wayroundthelabyrinth,thatwehadmadeearlierin theday,downacrossthefield.Thatlookedgoodtome and so I ‘boogied’ down to join in. BythetimeIgotthereshehadcomeoutandwas coming back up to the group round the fire. I had taken myproblemwithme,itwas“Wheniswork‘play’and whenisplay‘work’?”AloneIsteppedlightlyalongthe ‘windingway’andsoonstoodattheplaceof‘Nothing’ at the centre and an answer came. This is part of it.Then,asIturnedtoleavethe‘maze’,Isawthatmy partnerwasdancingacrossthegrasstojoinme.Justas shewasenteringandstartingthepathofMarsIwas steppingtowardshertoentertheEarthpath.Wemet, smiledandjoinedhands.SheturnedleftandIturned rightandwedancedtogetheryetin‘opposite directions’forourfirstcircuitofthelabyrinth.Thenwe bothturnedleftandwentroundagain,anticlockwise thistime,inthepathsofJupiterandSaturn respectively,untilwemetfacetofacebackonthe other side of the entry path.
How the “Appleton” Labyrinth dance came to me.
Click the audio play button above to hear how to contact me…
Labyrinths
The gift of the Appleton dance.
Click the audio play button above to hear Jon talk about labyrinths
How the “Appleton” Labyrinth dance came to meManyyearsago,atanOakDragonCampdowninDevonaftera dayofworkshops,weweregatheredroundafireatthetopof thefield.Musicianswereplayingandpeopledancingwhile otherssatintheshadeofthewoodenjoyingthebeautyofthe softeveninglightasthesundroppedlowerinthesky.Oneofthe workshopsIhadattendedwasSigLonegren’saboutusingthe classical,sevenpath,‘Cretan’labyrinthasaproblemsolving devicebywalkingthepathswithaquestioninyourmindtofind an‘answer’atthecentre.Asyoufollowthe7pathseachcanbe seentoembodyadifferentenergyrelatedtoyourquestion. Startingwith“WhatdoIthinkaboutit?”followedby“WhatdoI feelaboutit?”andsoonuntilthecentreisreached.AplaceofNo Thing where Something will come in to your mind.Thefullprocedure,rationaleandconstructionforthiscanbe foundinSig’swonderfulbook“Labyrinths,Ancientmythsand modernuses”publishedbyGothicImage,ISBN978-0-906362-69-3 and on his web site .AsIdancedbythefireInoticedawomanwearingaponchowho was,witharmsoutstretched,whirlingherwayroundthe labyrinth,thatwehadmadeearlierintheday,downacrossthe field.ThatlookedgoodtomeandsoI‘boogied’downtojoinin. BythetimeIgotthereshehadcomeoutandwascomingback uptothegrouproundthefire.Ihadtakenmyproblemwithme, itwas“Wheniswork‘play’andwhenisplay‘work’?”AloneI steppedlightlyalongthe‘windingway’andsoonstoodatthe placeof‘Nothing’atthecentreandananswercame.Thisispart of it.Then,asIturnedtoleavethe‘maze’,Isawthatmypartnerwas dancingacrossthegrasstojoinme.Justasshewasenteringand startingthepathofMarsIwassteppingtowardshertoenterthe Earthpath.Wemet,smiledandjoinedhands.Sheturnedleft andIturnedrightandwedancedtogetheryetin‘opposite directions’forourfirstcircuitofthelabyrinth.Thenweboth turnedleftandwentroundagain,anticlockwisethistime,inthe pathsofJupiterandSaturnrespectively,untilwemetfacetoface backontheothersideoftheentrypath.Asseemedappropriate wehugged,movedpasteachother,switchedhandsandsetoff oncemoreclockwiseroundthecentre,havingexchangedpaths. Itseemedmagicalthatwecouldstaytogetherwhileoneofus wasdancingtothecentreandtheotherintotheouterworld.To enter the labyrinth is to enter a place of enchantment. Two circuits later we were back at the place where we had first met and were then ‘torn apart by the divergence of the ways. I went out to stand in the mundane world by the entrance and she went in to complete the three short circuits to the centre, where the ‘Sun’ is.
The paths and the signs
InahalfjokingwayIbeganbeggingmy‘Goddess’tocomeoutto joinmebut,thoughshecametowardsmeforalittlewhileon fouroccasionsshealwaysturnedawayagain.Atlastshecameto theouter,Saturnian,pathandIcouldholdherhandagainasshe walked‘widdershins’roundthelongest,slowestpath.Ispoketo heroftherichesIwouldbestowonherifshecameouttobewith me.But,afteranothercircuit,neartheentrancesheleftmeagain togobackintotheheartofthelabyrinth.Wewereexperiencinga mysticaldramaimposedonusbytheformofthisenchanting design.Finally,aftertwomorecircuitssheappeared,releasedat last,attheentranceandwejoyfullyembraced.Theentrancement wascomplete.Atthatmoment,acrossthefield,themusicround thefirefellsilent.Whatacoincidenceandaheartstopping moment.WhenItoldSiglateraboutthisserendipitousmomenthis reactionwas“Damn,mybookhasjustbeenpublishedandit shouldhavehadthisinit.”Thenexteditionincludeditandnow therehavebeenfourreprints.SincethenI’vegoneonshowing variousgroupshowtheycanexperiencethe“Appleton”bothasa singlecoupleandinlargegroupsofahundredandmore.Fifty couplesweavingtheirwaytogetheronalargelabyrinthisquitea sight.There’salsoamoremeditationalwayofdoingit.The LabyrinthSocietyintheUSAhasusedthedanceversionmany times as a finale on the last night of their national convention.TheAppletondanceanimationabovewasoriginally commissionedbySigLonegrenforhiswww.geomancy.orgwebsite and created by Heather Hoon.
Click the play button above to see the Appleton dance in action
Gardner's Double Appleton:In2011,GeomancerGrahameGardnerdiscoveredanextended versionoftheAppletonthatallowsuptothreepeopletowalk side-by-sideinthelabyrinthandcyclespeopleintothe movementsothatthe'dance'becomescontinuous.Wedecided to call it Gardner's Double Appleton. See it in action here:(Here's the link to the YouTube video if you want to share it) -
Contactmeifyouwouldlikemoreinformationora workshoparranged.Readingaboutitisonething, experiencing it is something else.