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Natural Awakenings Westchester / Putnam / Dutchess New York

New Labyrinth in South Salem: Born From Meditation

Andrea Candee

In South Salem there is a new and unusual place designed expressly for meditation: a seven-circuit, 40-foot-wide labyrinth with walking paths of grass separated by stone. Its creator, interfaith minister Andrea Candee, says the labyrinth itself was born out of a meditation.

“In gratitude for healing and grace for myself and others, I was guided to have it built on my property for spiritual groups to share,” she says. “It may be walked in recognition of something joyful, of celebration, of hope for discovery, of a time for clearing and renewal. My hope is that all who walk it will know the peace of love in their hearts and project it out into the world.”

The Quan Yin Labyrinth of Love and Compassion is named for the goddess embodiment of compassionate, loving kindness, Candee says. “Every spiritual path has its resonance of Quan Yin energy—for example Mary, mother of Jesus, and the Tibetan goddess Tara,” she says. At the center of the labyrinth is a statue of Quan Yin, on a mortar carved from the trunk of a 150-year-old satinwood tree. “It was used by the Philippine Igorot tribe for grinding grain and herbs,” she says. “It was passed from mother to daughter upon marriage as dowry.”

While there is no fee to use the labyrinth, Candee requests that, in order to deepen the experience, users offer a stone or crystal at the base of the statue to represent an exchange of energy.

The labyrinth is open to spiritual groups by appointment. Contact Candee at [email protected] or 914.763.8889.