Next Event: Thursday, January 23, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
RSVP for the event by filling out the form here.
We are planning walks on every 4th Thursday of each month at 12:00 PM
Join your UCSC colleagues in walking the new campus labyrinth located under the Redwood trees in the Baskin Engineering Circle. A labyrinth is different than a maze in that there are no dead-ends or tricks, which allows visitors to move through the path and focus on the present. We invite both those who have experienced labyrinths and first-timers. There is no right or wrong way to travel the path.
Labyrinths are a tool for meditation and introspection. Many receive answers to personal questions, big and small. This first sponsored walk will offer participants the intention of a peaceful world, one without hate, bias and discrimination. This walk can offer folks a start to the new year and/or rest and renewal from 2024.
The land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices on these lands and heal from historical trauma.
This event is co-sponsored by the Office of the Ombuds, Faculty and Staff and Well-Being Program, and the Well-being Collective.
Using the Labyrinth
Integrating this ancient tradition into the fabric of the campus reflects UC Santa Cruz’ commitment to celebrating diverse cultures and fostering a sense of global interconnectedness among our students, staff, and faculty. The Labyrinth also serves as a timeless reminder of the universal human quest for introspection and well-being.
Straddle the yellow rope and see where it takes you. Read the sign which invites you to Release, Receive and Return. Many of us use the labyrinth as a walking / traveling meditation. Practice staying in the present moment and letting any thoughts or distractions float by in your mind.
The UCSC labyrinth is available for solo walks at any time.
De Acker (she/her/hers) helped to build the labyrinth at UC Merced and now at UC Santa Cruz. De has been locating and walking labyrinths since the pandemic (2020). She is a certified Veriditas Labyrinth facilitator and a member of Veriditas’ “Labyrinths in Higher Education Initiative.”
De comes to UC Santa Cruz with more than three decades of UC experience. She served as director of the UC Santa Barbara Women’s Center for 12 years before joining UC Merced to serve as the assistant dean of the School of Natural Sciences. After founding the campus’s first Ombuds Office, she went on to establish the UC Merced Office of Campus Climate, which coordinated campus diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. De also served as a staff advisor to the UC Board of Regents from 2014-2016.
To learn more about the labyrinth, please visit the UCSC Labyrinth webpage.
For questions or if you would like to request a facilitated group walk for a group, organization, department, etc., please contact De Acker at deacker@ucsc.edu.
If you have questions about wellness workshops, please reach out to Jessica Bulleri, Campus Health and Well-being Program Manager, at jbulleri@ucsc.edu.