Holding space for the Sacred in our lives, is an art and a necessity.
What does it mean to hold our precious lives—the health of our bodies, the openness of heart, and the clarity of a quiet mind—as Sacred?
How do we awaken and hold Sacred within our relationships, especially when they involve flexibility, forgiveness, even loss?
How do we tell the story of the Sacred through our personal journeys of discovery, failure, and connection?
How do we hold our Mother Earth, Gaia, as a Sacred being especially at this time of deepening stress?
These four questions merit our conscious attention. This pilgrimage will explore these questions and invite us into dialogue with like-minded souls. We will utilize meditation, chant, dance, dream gathering, storytelling, writing, and daily talks.
As pilgrimage leaders, Lauren and Judith will draw on their decades of experience welcoming pilgrims to the remarkable Chartres Cathedral. As seasoned psychotherapists and spiritual guides, they will enliven the archetypes present in the Cathedral and the Labyrinth held within. Gathering together to make room for the Sacred, we deepen our commitment to reverence for ourselves, our beloveds and our planet as we welcome in the Sacred in every aspect of our lives.
The Reverend Dr. Lauren Artress
Lauren is the grandmother of the modern day Labyrinth movement and is the Founder of Veriditas. She is the author of: Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool (Putnam/Riverhead Books, New York), The Sand Labyrinth Kit, (Tuttle Publishers), The Sacred Path Companion: A Guide to Walking the Labyrinth to Heal and Transform (Riverhead, 2006) and most recently, The Path of the Holy Fool: How the Labyrinth Ignites Our Visionary Powers (Rose Petal Press, 2020). In May of 2006, Lauren's rediscovery of the labyrinth was honored by Grace Cathedral and she was designated Honorary Canon, a lifetime title.
Judith Tripp
Judith Tripp, MA, MFT has created a body of work, which she calls Circleway which encompasses her passions for individual healing work through psychotherapy and spiritual counseling, the Women’s Dream Quest, Pilgrimages to Avalon, retreats and workshops all over the world as well as flute and vocal recordings. Her book, Circleway, The Story of the Women’s Dream Quest, chronicles 25 years of her work with the Dream Quest. Trained in Transpersonal Psychology, Judith is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She began her work with the Women’s Dream Quest in 1987 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Today she leads Dream Quests all over the world. She has been involved with Veriditas since its inception and trained as a labyrinth facilitator in 1996. She began her work at Chartres and her Avalon pilgrimages in 2000. Judith's produced musical offerings Homage, Return Again, and To Bless the Walk. Integrating a healthy psychology with a robust spiritual practice is a mainstay of Judith’s life and work. Well versed and practiced in diverse spiritual traditions, Judith is equally at home in a Cathedral, a Yoga Ashram, a Buddhist Meditation retreat, and the temple of Nature. She loves to chant and dance, meditate and pray.
Kayleen Asbo, Ph.D.
Kayleen holds four advanced degrees in mythology, psychology and music. A professor, lecturer, pianist and composer, Kayleen's greatest passion is inspiring people to find their own inner creativity and greatness through connecting to the masterpieces of music, art and literature. Kayleen is the cultural historian for the Santa Rosa Symphony, Veriditas Faculty, a lecturer for the San Francisco Opera and the Mendocino Music Festival, and a faculty member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Programs at UC Berkeley, Dominican University and Sonoma State University. Kayleen taught music and psychology at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for 19 years and has lectured on courses ranging from the HIstory of Christianity at Pacifica Graduate Institute to Expressive Arts Therapy at Sonoma State University before integrating all of these subjects in her work for Mythica. She has delivered keynote presentation for Humanities West in San Francisco, at the Assisi Institute for Depth Psychology in Italy, at the Oxford University Conference on History, Women and Power, for Jung Centers, seminaries, churches and retreat centers across the world.
The Chartres Experience
What better place to feel nurtured than the sacred space of Chartres Cathedral? We begin with a reception to meet each other followed by an opening ritual and orientation to the program. Then each day, there is a morning seminar, a small processing group, and an experience of what Chartres has to offer. On Tuesday afternoon, there is a tour of Chartres Cathedral. Then, on Wednesday, there is an orientation to the labyrinth followed by a once in a life-time candlelit labyrinth walk with medieval music on the Chartres Labyrinth. Thursday afternoon is a tour of the Crypt , and a closing celebratory reception and dinner are on Friday.
Accommodation
Our block booking to reserve a room at the Hotellerie St. Yves where the program is held will open soon. All Pilgrims who have already registered will be emailed to make their reservations prior to the link becoming available on our website.
