Prairie Hollow portal path
Along the walking paths you will find a number of structures, some big, some small. Each piece is designed as a portal. The portals are intended as an invitation to travel into a different space, both physically and metaphorically. These prairie portals are Laura’s vision, but were a co-creation involving many people. The installations were designed to invite you on a journey or pilgrimage much like the idea of the labyrinth that heads the path. Where you go and what you do is entirely your choice. It depends on your intention. There is no right or wrong way to experience these portals, let your intention & intuition be your guide.
1. The 5-Element Peace Labyrinth can be the first stop on your journey or the last or both the first and last. If you are unable or simply don’t wish to visit all the other portals, the labyrinth can be a complete journey of its own. A labyrinth is a unicursal path, meaning that it has no dead ends or false paths (as are found in a maze). Once you begin, you are always led to the center. Labyrinths have existed in many cultures and are used for meditation or spiritual pilgrimage. Our labyrinth is based on a design known as the Chalice Labyrinth. The labyrinth has representations of the 5 elements: earth, water, fire, air and space. We call it the Peace Labyrinth with the understanding that seeking balance in all things brings peace.
2. Walls Collapsing: A chair sits alone in a field with four walls laying down on every side. This image denotes the way we can be in a prison of our own design. When we choose, we can collapse the walls, freeing ourselves. It can also represent the beginning of the spiritual journey when we feel our normal way of viewing the world collapses.
3. Inner Wisdom: A Buddha statue sits serenely under an oak tree. A path circles around the tree. This portal represents out own wisdom, sitting in the center of our being, just waiting for us to circle round.
4. Between Two Streams: This portal is at the bottom of the draw on a patch of land that sits between two seasonal streams. Walking across a small metal bridge you follow a path that leads to a large open metal gazebo with log seats. This portal symbolizes the way station between the outer and inner world.
5. The Golden Portal: This portal is a golden archway that greets you as you ascend from the draw into the far field. It represents moving from the liminal in between space into the inner light. From our “day to day” experience into the mystery.
After going through the golden archway you have three choices in terms of direction. The lefthand path takes you to the Divine Feminine and Masculine portals, the Tree of Renewal, then up the hill to The Bubble Portal and on to Desarae’s Portal. The straight path leads to the TARDIS and the right hand path leads to The Pergola. This is a circular path that rings the field, so no matter which way you choose you can visit each spot without backtracking or getting lost.
6. Divine Feminine: This portal sits in the space between three osage orange trees. These trees appear to represent the 3 faces of women: Maiden, Mother and Crone. The portal entry is branches bent into the sacred shape of the Vesica Piscis (two interlocking circles).
In most cultures of the world, there is an understanding that every living thing emanates from the Divine. And that divine nature when expressed includes qualities of feminine and masculine. Everyone regardless of gender identification has qualities of both divine feminine and divine masculine.
The divine feminine is archetypically represented by the moon & nighttime, inner and reflective, hidden and wise. Spend some time here to get in touch with and uncover your own divine feminine.
7. Divine Masculine: This imposing and majestic Osage Orange tree sits across the path from the Divine Feminine Portal. The arch of the limbs spread wide and seem to seek to protect all who come under his branches. The term "divine masculine" refers to the qualities, energies, and characteristics traditionally associated with the masculine, archetypically represented by the sun & daylight, outer and expressive, expansive and active. You are welcome to spend some time under the canopy of this giant tree to encounter your own divine masculine.
8. Trees of Death & Renewal: This portal sits in the center of a large field. The path brings you to a mowed circle with a white bench. In front of the bench is a dead tree stump turned upside down its roots reaching to the sky. Beside it is a new tree. Its small trunk and leaves just starting to grow. This portal represents the one constant in life; change. The old dies away and the new takes its place. The cycles or circles of experience, yin and yang, coming and going, ending and beginning.
9. Bubble Portal: Two chairs sit side by side flanked by pinwheels and a box containing several bottles of bubbles. This portal serves as a reminder to rest, take time to play and enjoy the journey.
10. Desarae’s Portal: This natural portal was found by a woman walking the loop, so it carries her name. This portal she said, lets you release darkness that is clinging to you and allow you to come back into the light. You are welcome to walk through the portal and back out again, or you can enter or leave from a small side path and walk it as part of the unicursal path. Either way, it is a place to leave darkness behind. The prayer flags carry the energy to be recycled.
11. The Tardis: This portal was inspired by the television show “Doctor Who.” The Police Box on the show is a vehicle (in disguise), used to travel anywhere in time and space, piloted by a helpful alien known as The Doctor. The ship is called by its acronym TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions In Space). The TARDIS is in a sense outside of time and space. Nowhere and everywhere at once. For those that know the show, it can be a fun experience to visit the TARDIS. For those that don’t, the idea of resting outside of time and space can be transformative. This space is great for meditation.
12. Pixie Grove & Fairy Portal: Fairies are long known to be associated with portals to other realms. This area has the “feel of the fae.” The land takes on a cooler, shadier feel under the canopy of large trees that arch over the path. This portal (several trees with a path between them) invites us to be open to subtle realms which we may at first only sense. But if we maintain an open mind, we may actually begin to see and be invited into the fairy realm to play.
13. The Pergola/Into the Draw: This portal looks into the draw, inviting you into deeper reflection if you wish. Sometimes, it can be helpful to take time to reflect into our hidden dimensions or shadowy aspects. This space is ideal for that intention. This portal, directly across from The Thinny/To Another Realm Portal, allowing you perspectives from both sides of the creek.
14 (or #19 Dark Tower fans will understand) The Thinny/To Another Realm: This portal was inspired by “thinnys” found in Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. They are portals — “thin places” between layers of reality. As you leave the far field once again traveling through the 4th Golden Portal you descend back into the draw taking the path this time across from the 3rd Portal into the mystery of the woods following beside the creek. You emerge out of the Thinny from the back side of it. You were in the other world now coming back once again to the outer world. This portal is located directly across from The Pergola on the other side of the creek. It allows you to see the the same landscape from two different vantage points.
15. Spirit Phone: This Portal was inspired by the “Phone of the Wind” in Japan. The portal entrance has an Angel to greet you, hand outstretched in welcome. The path through the portal brings you to a bench next to a free standing phone kiosk. Visitors are invited to pick up the handset and speak to whomever they choose — departed loved ones, to God, your Angels, your Higher-self, your own inner wisdom, whoever you choose. Or one can simply sit and contemplate the hill and creek and the fields beyond. This portal invites us to access and connect with subtler realms even while we are in the outer world.
*(This portal was kindly sponsored by Annette Stahl in honor of Ron Faught).
