Response: Uvalde Shooting, Buffalo NY shooting and Gun Violence in the USA, June 4, 2022

We would like to implement the Global Healing Response for the gun violence in the USA that includes the victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting and the community of Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 children, 2 adults and the shooter on May 25; the mass shooting in Buffalo, NY that killed 10 adults at a supermarket on May 14; and the other 212 mass shootings in 2022. At the same time, we continue to be aware of the war in Ukraine and the horrible violence there.

As you might remember from previous Global Healing Responses (Katrina, Myanmar, Haiti, Japan, Hurricane Sandy), the GHR is an international effort through which countless labyrinths will be made available worldwide for people to walk, with a unified intention to bring peace and coherence to the world.

I would encourage us to walk the labyrinth, and to invite others to walk, with a three-fold intent.

• First, for the victims, survivors, families, and community of these shootings.
• Second, for the collective grief, anger, fear, and frustration we all are feeling (including the children’s fear of going to school).
• And finally, walking with the question “What can I do to make a difference right now, and in the future, to create change that will contribute to ending this senseless violence.”

It seems the USA can use healing from all over the world. If you live outside the United States, please join in the response. If you are a current or retired teacher or affiliated with an educational setting, perhaps this is a good time to share this response with them. The labyrinth could prove to be a wonderful coping tool for children who are needing help managing anxiety, grief, and trauma.

Of course, these tragedies have shaken all of us. Please be kind to yourself. We have a wonderful labyrinth community—let’s open our circle and envelope those who might begin to heal on the labyrinth.  

Blessings to you as you are a catalyst of peace, healing, and love during this time of pain and fear.

Thank you to The Legacy Labyrinth Project, The Labyrinth Society, and Veriditas for sharing many of the resources provided on this page. And thank you to Johanna Manasse for writing the lovely meditation we will all share.

Details

Date: Saturday, June 4, 2022 at noon, your local time. 
If that day is not convenient feel free to do your walk on Sunday, June 5 or choose a time that works for you and your community. 

Suggestion for activity:
Gather your community, friends, family or walk alone. Whether you conduct your event in person at a public labyrinth, outdoors or indoors, or even virtually there will be healing energy in the circle you create.

Suggested Intention for this walk:
Globally, we will all walk with the same intention

My intention for this labyrinth walk is to feel the coherent energy of my own heart, then send that coherent energy to the victims, survivors, families, and communities of these shootings. Let me be open to hearing what action I can take to decrease gun violence.

Suggested Meditation:
We will all use the same meditation that you can read to yourself, prior to saying and walking with your intention. A PDF version of the meditation click here.

We offer up the pieces of our hearts, the pieces of our broken spirits

We walk because we must—

              for those who walk this earth no more,

              for those consumed by unspeakable loss,

              for those who bear the immediate burden of forever altered lives,

              for those consumed by guilt and shame and powerlessness.

We offer up the pieces of our hearts, the pieces of unanswered questions, of rage, of sorrow.

We walk because we must—

for those whose hearts are hardened and whose ears are deafened to the pain and suffering of others,

              for those who feel powerless to effect change.

              for those who know not how to heed the call for help.

We walk because the pieces of our hearts connect with the pieces of the hearts of all others who walk because they must.

May our pieces become joined to create a blanket of loving compassion to cover every hurting heart, every closed heart, every raging heart, every confused heart, every numbed heart.

May we learn to lead in Love.  May we walk in Love.

May we gather up the pieces until we are whole again.

–Johana Manasse

Resources

Finger Labyrinth: Click here for a PDF printable finger labyrinth.
Find a Labyrinth near you: Click here for the Worldwide Labyrinth Locator.

Covid Considerations: Click here for information about how to conduct a Covid friendly event and create a Covid friendly labyrinth. Of course, it is necessary to adhere to all Covid 19 recommendations that apply to your community. If you are walking in a group, perhaps outdoors would be best. It is also an option to meet with a group virtually and walk finger labyrinths in unison. And please, don’t underestimate the power of each of us walking a labyrinth alone with our unified intention.

Centering Ourselves: To create peace and healing we must commit to centering ourselves before we form a group and enter the labyrinth. I invite you to watch the videos that were created by The Legacy Labyrinth Project about How to Walk a Labyrinth with Intention and How to create Brain Heart Coherence.

Please let us know when you will be having a walk by posting it on the Global Healing Response Facebook page or as a comment below this post.

I urge you to pass this information on to anyone (or group) who might be interested in participating in the Global Healing Response. We learned during other responses that those outside the labyrinth community wanted to participate.  Hopefully, that will be the case this time.

Remember, never underestimate the power of the labyrinth AND unified healing energy!

Peace and Healing,

Ellen Bintz Meuch

Global Healing Response, Founder
The Labyrinth Society, World Labyrinth Day Coordinator
Veriditas Certified Facilitator