Maze of the Week #121 - Horse

Maze of the Week #121 features a Horse. National Help a Horse Day is on April 26.

Were you able to guess correctly based on my preview image?

Here is the first version of the maze. I went with a light brown coat.

And the alternative version I went with a darker coat, lighter hair and a white base of the nose/snout - what do you call that ?

Downloads are available in the comic book style maze section. Come back tomorrow to see what the comic book cover looks like !

Next weeks Maze Preview: What do you think the maze is ?

6 Labyrinths to Visit in Kentucky

So you want to visit a labyrinth in Kentucky. I have selected 6 of the best (there are over 30) that are accessible to the public from around the state, focusing on large population areas. If you want a full list of labyrinths in the state check out the Worldwide Labyrinth Finder.

Why visit a Labyrinth ?

Labyrinths are ancient and mysterious symbols that have been used for centuries for meditation, contemplation, and spiritual renewal. They are also a lot of fun to explore! If you're looking for a unique and challenging experience, walk a labyrinth with intention - it often leads to self-discovery. Personally, I like to walk labyrinths between dawn and sunrise or at sunset until dusk, but any time of day works. You may not realize it, but there is probably a labyrinth near where you live. Today we explore…

6 Labyrinths to Visit in Kentucky

1. The Contemplative Garden Labyrinth

This beautiful 11 circuit Chartres style labyrinth is made of bricks/pavers and is located at Spalding University. The garden also has it’s own website where you can see renderings and learn about the garden project. And of course check out the gallery where you can find pictures of the labyrinth !

Location: Louisville, Kentucky

Address:
828 S. Fourth Street
Louisville, Kentucky 40203

2. Hunter Presbyterian Church Labyrinth

This labyrinth is a left handed, 9 circuit, square shaped, Roman version that is painted on the concrete. It is open during daylight hours and measures 40 x 40 feet. The labyrinth is located in the secondary parking lot of the church.

Location: Lexington, Kentucky

Address:
129 Rosemont Garden
Lexington, Kentucky 40503

3. Christ Episcopal Church Labyrinth

Christ Episcopal Church Labyrinth - Bowling Green, KY - courtesy of the church

A 7 circuit medieval labyrinth made of bricks/pavers. Please check out the church website where they use the labyrinth as the background.

Location: Bowling Green, Kentucky

Address:

1215 State Street
Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101

4. Danville Pathway of Peace Labyrinth

Constructed in 2002, this 11 circuit Chartres style labyrinth is featured in a PBS special on labyrinths in Kentucky (see links after #6 in this post). It has it’s own website and it’s own entry on Google Maps. Each have pictures of the labyrinth and information to plan a visit.

Location: Danville, Kentucky

Address:
Main Street
Danville, Kentucky 40422

5. Etcetera Coffeehouse Labyrinth

A big shout-out to a coffee house with a labyrinth ! Their website features a cat napping in a large pile of leaves so you know they’re cool. The labyrinth is located next door the the cafe and is an 8 circuit Chartres style on concrete. You can find nice pictures of the labyrinth on their Google Maps page.

Location: Paducah, Kentucky

Address:
320 North 6th Street
Paducah, Kentucky 42001

6. Berea College Labyrinth

Berea College Labyrinth - photo courtesy Berea College, Jay Buckner

Berea College Labyrinth - photo courtesy Berea College, Crystal Wylie

A 6 circuit Chartres style labyrinth made of bricks/pavers. The labyrinth has it’s own webpage where you can read about the labyrinth. Located near Hutchins Library and Phelps Stoke Chapel.

Location: Berea, Kentucky

Address:
101 Chestnut St.
Berea, Kentucky 40404

BONUS: PBS (KET) did an excellent show called Labyrinths of Kentucky that can be watched at the link given for free. It is a bit over 18 minutes long and although it was made in 2008 it is still applicable today. Here are some time stamps if you are interested in specific topics/places. The show revolves around the Danville Labyrinth project (labyrinth #4 above) with cuts to various other labyrinths around the state.

Start - Introduction and Short history of the labyrinth

1:28 Danville Labyrinth Project

2:45 St Paul’s Episcopal Church - Louisville

4:06 Danville Labyrinth Project discussion of stone used

5:08 Coming Home: Sanctuary, Kenton County

6:41 Danville Labyrinth Project - labyrinth maker interview

7:51 Epiphany Catholic Church - Louisville

9:06 Garrard County, Cliffview Center

10:43 Danville Labyrinth Project dedication ceremony

11:28 Scott County

12:44 Danville Labyrinth Project - Spiritual discussion

13:34 Daviess County - Sacred Oak Grove

14:53 Danville Labyrinth Project

16:05 Boyd County - Snake Labyrinth Healing Center

17:51 Danville Labyrinth Project

5 TIPS FOR VISITING A LABYRINTH

1. Set an intention for your walk so you can walk with purpose. It could be prayer, reflection, meditation, contemplation, or openness.

2. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes, as you will be doing a lot of walking.

3. Bring water with you, especially if you are visiting on a hot day.

4. Take your time and enjoy the experience. There is no need to rush through a labyrinth.

5. Be respectful of other visitors. This includes not making noise and being respectful if walking with other people.

5 BOOKS TO READ ABOUT LABYRINTH WALKING

I wrote a blog post reviewing the following 5 books, each that deals with walking labyrinths. You can check them out yourself at the Amazon links below or read this blog post: 5 Books about the Spiritual Aspect of Labyrinths to learn a little about what each book teaches.

1. Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool by Dr. Lauren Artress 201 pages. AMZN

2. Labyrinth : Your Path to Self-Discovery by Tony Christie 312 pages. AMZN

3. Exploring the Labyrinth: A Guide For Healing and Spiritual Growth by Melissa Gayle West 209 pages AMZN

4. Walking the Labyrinth: A Place to Pray and Seek God by Travis Scholl 240 pages AMZN

5. Labyrinths from the Outside In: Walking to Spiritual Insight by Rev Dr Donna Schaper and Rev Dr Carole Ann Camp 187 pages AMZN
   
   
   
   

If you are interested in more spiritual labyrinth aspects I suggest the following websites:

1. Lauren Artress website - For coaching, workshops and classes.

2. Veriditas - The nonprofit labyrinth group founded by Lauren Artress

3. Worldwide Labyrinth Finder - Find a labyrinth to walk near you, or while on vacation

I am a maze artist but I have never made any mazes from Kentucky. If you have suggestions - drop me a note. Otherwise here are some mazes of famous buildings:

Taj Mahal Maze

The Louvre Maze

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Maze

A look at 7 Different Circle Mazes; Create a Circular Maze template

I have made step by step instructions on how to make over 40 different maze types. And while I have made circle mazes before I wanted to explore what the shape would look like when done in different maze constructions. So today I am going to show you 7 different circle maze constructions then show you how to make a template to create your own circle mazes.

7 Different Circle Maze Constructions

1 - Kids Circle Maze

A circle maze that is meant to be easy, relatively obvious false pathways, and large fonts.

Kids Circle Maze

2 - Circle Grid Maze

While not a typical grid from on square or rectangle, I was able to make a circular grid and then use it to make a maze !

Circular Grid maze

3 - On Line Circle Maze

In this type of maze you travel ON the line rather than between them.

4 - Circle Escape Maze

In an escape maze you start in the center and need to escape to the goal outside of the maze.

5 - Large Circle Maze - Goal in question

In this version of an escape maze, there are multiple possible goals and the solver needs to figure out which one is correct !

6 - Circle Arrow Maze

I am a big fan of Arrow Mazes and I wanted to try making a circular version. I think it came out ok, but getting the direction of the arrows just right can be difficult.

7 - The Moon Maze

A maze art example of a circular shaped maze. This is meant to be printed on very large paper.

I may make more circular mazes in the future, and if I do I will add them here.

How To Create A Circular Maze Grid Template

This step by step will give you a template to make many different types of circular mazes digitally.

1 - Draw # Concentric Circles

The number of circles will obviously determine the size of the circle maze. One note - the center will probably become either the Start or Goal of the maze, so make sure it is large enough to hold the letters or arrow you will use for that. My example is 8 circles.

2 - Draw a Vertical Line Down the Center of the Circles from Top to Bottom

I made my vertical line the same thickness as the circles, but that is not required (I think it looks better).

3 - Copy and Paste the vertical line rotated at # degrees (repeat)

Again we have a # where you decide depending on how many grids you want. Luckily 360 degrees is divisible by 20, 30, 45, 60. See what the 4 options look like below (I like 30 degrees). You will copy/ rotate/paste until you fill the circle.

4 - Empty out the Center

The center is full of lines now, so now we want to cover them with a white circle. If the center is too small you can fix that now also. Make the white circle just slightly smaller than the circle you want to be the innermost. My example below uses the 30 degree version.

You can now use that template to make a circular grid maze, a circular escape maze, etc.

You can invent your own maze types with some help from this 3 part guide:

Part 1 - Options for Starting and Ending a Maze

Part 2 - Maze Pathway options

Part 3 - Conditional Pathway options

Maze Comic Book Cover #16 - Escape From the Dawg Pound

Issue #16 in my comic book cover series is called Escape From the Dawg Pound. In this version of the maze I went with black eyes (vs. green). Check out all the Comic Book Cover Mazes.

Stop back in a week for issue #17 !