Visit D&R Greenway’s Labyrinth on the Conservation Campus
Found in the Edward T. Cone Grove, the labyrinth is open to the public every day of the year. It is part of D&R Greenway’s Conservation Campus off Rosedale Road in Princeton, NJ.
A labyrinth is an ancient and mysterious pattern that is representative of one’s journey in life. Unlike a maze where you encounter a wrong turn or a dead end, the labyrinth has one way in, leading to the center, and one way out. You can never get lost in a labyrinth; the idea is to “find” something! That something is found through your own meditation. The circular pattern is known to be thousands of years old, dating back to Greek mythology. The traditional 11-circuit labyrinth, found on the floor of the medieval Chartres Cathedral in France, is probably the most famous.
“The idea to create a labyrinth came about in a conversation I had with donor and poet Jody Kendall about the value of being outdoors and the healing quality of nature,” says Linda Mead, D&R Greenway President and CEO. “Jody found regeneration and joy in walking the trails at Greenway Meadows, the park that surrounds our Johnson Education Center, and wanted to share that with others. “Walking a labyrinth is a personal experience. Dedicated on a beautiful fall day in October, in a ceremony led by Chaplain Terri Anderson, the event included music orchestrated by Ken Guilmartin of Music Together and a song written by his wife Lyn Ransom who founded Voices Chorale. The song’s refrain is noteworthy:
Homeward bound, the land can bring me home again
Homeward bound, it brings me back to me.
Jody’s poetry and Lyn’s song can be accessed through an audio tour of the nearby “Healing Trails” that can be accessed on the free-to-download TravelStorys app.
The grove surrounding the labyrinth is newly enhanced with wild bergamot, wrinkle leaf goldenrod, New England aster, lance leaf coreopsis, marginal woodfern, fox sedge, Eastern redbud trees, arrowwood viburnum and sweet pepper bush. A new garden was planted this fall by the Stony Brook Garden Club in memory of their members including Leslie Kuenne, whose daughter Olivia has a children’s art gallery named in her honor inside the Johnson Education Center. Two Adirondack chairs have been added to the Grove for the comfort and relaxation of visitors to the labyrinth. Come….walk, sit, reflect and learn about yourself.
