Along the southern coastal town of Bandon, Ore., ornate meditative labyrinth pathways etched into the sand draw thousands of tourists from around the world each year.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon Denny Dyke, Circles in the Sand’s founder, faces the sea wearing his signature blue sweatshirt and pink cap.

“This is my favorite place to be before we begin and end our labyrinth walks. My favorite moment is when the labyrinth is about to dissolve into the sand. That first grab. Sometimes it just takes a couple of feet. The next time it may take 30 feet. That’s what makes it almost surreal to a lot of people. They’ll ask me, ‘Why do you take all this time to create these labyrinths when the sea is going to take them away?’”

Dyke says without a pause, “It’s a great time to reflect on the impermanence of life.”

Now in its eighth year, Dyke still marvels at the growing popularity of the labyrinth as an opportunity for people to slow down, connect and let go. Since 2015, more than 40,000 pairs of feet have walked these elaborate labyrinths. Unlike a maze, these labyrinths have a continuous path with an entry and exit spot, stretching across the beach weaving around tide pools, sand drifts and rock outcroppings.

Many onlookers ask if these intricate labyrinths are designed ahead of time. In actuality, each is drawn freehand depending on the day’s beach topography. “The goal,” says Dyke, “is to create without a plan.” After spending a moment at the sea’s edge watching the contours and drifts, the path is carved into the sand using long sticks. Once the lines are drawn, volunteer groomers etch the spaces between the lines with yard rakes to reveal the pathway.

Crowds gather about 30 minutes before the designated walking time. Some walk silently as others skip, dance, and fly kites. Denny somberly reflects on a day when two sisters came to walk.

“One had walked the labyrinth before. She told me her sister was in town and her mom was in hospice. They were walking the path for her. An hour later, the woman came up and thanked me. She said they’d been notified out on the labyrinth that their mom made her transition. I still can’t make it through that without choking up.”

Over the last two years with all the uncertainty in the world, Dyke and his Circles In the Sand team promoted their intention to ‘Share love. Show love. Be Love.’ Dyke asserts, “We want to give people the opportunity to share love, even if it’s just a smile at a stranger. I think we’ve learned during COVID that we need that human contact, we need those hugs, we need that positive reinforcement. Once everybody gets into that habit, maybe we can change some of the trajectory that we appear to be on. Change is not going to be something from the top. It’s going to have to be grassroots. Everybody needs to know that if we love each other, life will be better.”

Dyke steps back as a wave takes a few more feet off the labyrinth. It will take several hours before high tide fully erases the pathway and engulfs the shoreline shaping a new canvas for the next labyrinth.

To see the schedule of this year’s walks, visit Circles in the Sand’s website at www.sandypathbandon.com. Volunteers interested in raking should email ahead to ensure they get a chance to participate.

Carolyn Campbell, a former leadership & business coach, left city life four years ago to better understand the rural/city divide. Today she lives and works in rural regions to experience first-hand the issues these communities face and the innovative approaches to solving complex issues.