In September 2024 the Visionary Practice and Regenerative Leadership PhD Program held its annual Fall Residency welcoming its third cohort. A hallmark of the program and all graduate programs at Southwestern College is experiential and transformational learning. Here we share a brief photo-essay on one of the residency activities, walking the labyrinth at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Photographs are by new doctoral student Vlad Rebek. The words below are from entering doctoral student Justine Mastin.
“Some of the most nurturing experiences that I practiced during the residency were: the labyrinth, the morning walkabout, and the vision seed collage. In each experience I felt connected to something bigger than myself, in addition to something deeper within myself. The collage reminded me of my love for this art form, the morning walkabout connected me to the natural world and the power of its nurturance, and the labyrinth brought me to a liminal place between worlds where messages could pass through. During the labyrinth walk I received this message that became a mantra as I walked, and it is informing me as I move forward:
Follow the path—there are no winners or losers.
Follow the path—You are not alone.
Follow the path—Keep your eyes on your own.
Follow the path—Notice and accept what is.
Follow the path—there will be obstacles.
Follow the path—yes, it is wide enough.
Follow the path—I am here. You are here. We are here.
I am, you are, we are together.”