Why Stone Labyrinth?

People often ask me "Where did you get 'Stone Labyrinth' from?"  My initial response is always simple.  "A labyrinth is quite a therapeutic place."

I'd like to take this opportunity to reflect and share with you my rationale for the labyrinth in our logo.

It all started with a trip to El Valle de Guadalupe, which is located in Baja Mexico.  My brother and his lovely bride were married there, and I had the distinct pleasure of joining them for the trip.  We stayed in a gorgeous villa set overlooking acres upon acres of vineyards that made up the valley floor.  A short walk into the desert on the property behind the villa, however, was a stone labyrinth.  My brother showed it to me as part of his welcoming tour of the property, and I was instantly intrigued.  I had walked labyrinths before, but I had never done so deliberately--with any real purpose.  

For the extent of my trip, walking the labyrinth became my morning and evening ritual.  Walking the labyrinth under the early morning sunrise was refreshing and invigorating.  I found my mind clearing in the same way that the new-morning sun slid down the eastern side of the valley and over the tops of the vines on the valley floor.  My morning walks through the labyrinth were as life-giving as the sun.  And after a day full of activities--coffee on the patio, breakfast in the dining room, wine tours, more authentic dining experiences, lounging, laughter, and love--walking the labyrinth in the starlight was calming and peaceful and humbling.  It was me in midst of a collection of stones in the middle of the desert beneath a galaxy of stars.  I found the labyrinth to be quite a therapeutic place.

I immediately equated my walks to the counseling process.  From one perspective, seeking counseling, much like walking a labyrinth, may seem quite simple.  It's unicursal--you walk in, you go around and around, and then you walk out.  From a more deliberate perspective, however, walking a labyrinth can be so much more.  In fact, when taken seriously--when done with purpose and a sense of deliberateness--walking a labyrinth can be very therapeutic.  A labyrinth, much like the counseling process, can be seen as an invitation to move forward toward a central core.  A labyrinth is not a puzzle. In fact, when walking a labyrinth, no mistakes exist, only insight into what works and what doesn't.  It is the mindset of the walker that determines the value of the time spent. The same can be said about the counseling process.   

Taken a step further, one may be able to see how we each represent our own unique labyrinth.  And the counseling process is like a deliberate walk.  On our way inward, we may recognize that our patterns are built out of past and present thoughts, emotions, and choices.  At our centers, we can find stillness--peace and serenity--or perhaps a simple turning point. And on our way back out, although we may recognize the path, having spent some time working deliberately toward our center, we may now allow ourselves permission to see it in a new light, for a labyrinth is quite a therapeutic place.

--Nick