We have added to our collection the Return of the Nightingale Nurse Attribute LabyrinthTM and we’re bringing it to the fairgrounds in Baker City, Oregon, on May 6th to kick off National Nurses Week!
The labyrinth has been represented through many different designs by many different cultures for thousands of years. There are different mythologies and theories exploring the use and significance of these mystical, sacred pathways.
Today, many are using the labyrinth as a pilgrimage, a tool for spiritual transformation, a journey of the soul through a walking meditation. This contemplative tool has been described as a spiritual practice that creates a gateway to the Divine; an access point for guidance, insight, inspiration, heightened awareness.
We have had our own experiences walking a labyrinth. The first time that I walked a twelve circuit labyrinth using the Nurse Attribute Prayer Beads, I had a most profound experience. At the time, I was struggling with very challenging issues and I was seeking guidance and strength to meet the situation. As I walked along the path, I began feeling more and more at peace. I experienced a calming by the cadence of my walk, the rhythm of my breath. I held the prayer beads in my hands, moving through each bead as I called forward the different nurse attributes. “May I embody Compassion. May I offer Hope………”
I heard a voice inside my head that said “You know who you truly are.” I felt as though I was encircled by Divine Grace. I was held in the arms of the Divine. I experienced high clarity that I wanted to share this experience in some way. That was the seed that was sown that grew into developing the Nurse Attribute Labyrinth.
Several of the nurse attributes in the Labyrinth.
The classical seven circuit labyrinth design was selected for Walking the Nurse Attributes Meditation for its simplicity, sacred geometry and its ancient history. We commissioned a stone cutter to laser cut the words of the nurse attributes in river rocks and placed them along the seven circuit pathway. We have built several labyrinths on the sandy beaches of the Pacific Ocean in Oregon where we live. Each experience of building and then walking this seven circuit labyrinth while calling forward the nurse attributes in a meditative manner has offered increasingly profound experiences. This opportunity is what we are sharing with you.
Our hope for the future is that there will be permanent Nurse Attribute Labyrinths installed as a Tribute to Nurses. These sacred pathways would offer an opportunity for nurses to “Walk Your Attributes” as a supportive, healing, strengthening and soulful experience. Be strong! Be clear! Be healed!