Labyrinth - Arlington Gardens Pasadena California
by Ram Vasudev
Title
Labyrinth - Arlington Gardens Pasadena California
Artist
Ram Vasudev
Medium
Photograph
Description
This is a labyrinth at the Arlington Gardens in Pasadena, California.
A labyrinth may be described as a complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one's way. It has also been described as a single path or universal tool for personal, psychological and spiritual transformation; as a complex series of winding paths that forces the walker to go in certain directions; and as a complex and circuitous path that leads from a beginning point to a center.
In the Middle Ages, walking a cathedral labyrinth was a substitute for going on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Not everyone could make the long and arduous journey to the Holy Land, so walking a labyrinth in a church was a devotional activity. Today meandering labyrinths are often used as walking meditations, to focus the mind and put the walker in tune with the greater reality metaphorically represented by the labyrinth.
The Classical 7 Circuit labyrinth in this photo was built in Arlington Gardens, Pasadena, California with the help of local students. The labyrinth design is more than 5,000 years old and is the oldest and most common. You enter through the mouth and then walk on the paths, or circuits. The walls keep you on the path. The goal is in the center of the labyrinth. When you reach it, you have gone half the distance - you now need to turn around and walk back out. It takes roughly 5 minutes walking at a slow pace to navigate this labyrinth. Walking the labyrinth is more about the journey than the destination (you know you are going to get to the center.) It helps you achieve a contemplative state, as you enter with your troubles or issues, achieve the center where you can let them go, and leave refreshed. A labyrinth is a single path tool for personal, psychological and spiritual transformation, and is thought to enhance right brain activity.
Arlington Garden is Pasadena's only dedicated public garden. It is unique among all open public places and is an example of successful waterwise gardening in Pasadena's Mediterranean climate. It is also a valuable horticultural garden and is home to a great variety of rare and endangered California's native species. Through the inclusion of rare species in an urban landscape, Arlington highlights the unique biological heritage of California that is in danger of being lost. Vernal pools, alluvial sage scrub, bunch grasslands, and oak woodlands are imperiled plant communities that are featured prominently within the Garden. Native coast live oaks, Engelmann oaks, valley oaks, California bay laurels, and California sycamores are keystone species in Southern Californian ecosystems and have gained special protected status in Pasadena, Los Angeles County, and the State of California. Threatened native plants featured in Arlington Garden include San Diego ambrosia, bush anemone, rainbow manzanita, and big cone spruce. Specimens of cardon, the world's largest cactus, and boojum, a tree-like relative of the ocotillo, are prominent species of Baja Californian flora that once existed on the coastal plains of California. Arlington Garden also provides shade, shelter, food, and water for a great variety of small animals and birds. It is a place to find serenity in an urban setting. A classical seven circuit labyrinth, a raised poppy habitat in the middle of a meadow, paths winding through trees and plants, and benches set throughout the Garden allow one to stroll or sit and experience peace and tranquility.
The "fine art america" watermark will NOT appear in prints of this image. In addition to prints available here through FAA, the image is also available for rights-managed licensing to publishers and magazine editors (please contact me through this website).
Copyright © Ram Vasudev. All rights reserved
Thanks to the following groups for featuring this work
PhotosRUs, 11/26/2013
Motivation Meditation Inspiration, 12/10/2013
Uploaded
November 10th, 2013
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