Rose Garden Dedicated to Marion Woodman - Ladera Lane Campus Here is a write-up of the Rose Garden Dedication Ceremony to Marion Woodman, which took place on Thursday, February 22, 2007. This afternoon I attended the dedication of the Marion Woodman rose labyrinth on the Ladera campus of Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. What an amazing event! Famed author and Jungian analyst Marion Woodman and her husband Ross Woodman were there and Marion spoke eloquently about the spiritual symbolism of the rose, which she sees as the Western sacred equivalent of the eastern lotus -- a plant which sends it roots deep into the earth and its life force and energy up into the unfolding or "individuation" of its exquisitely beautiful blooms. Marion has always been a devoted lover of roses, which is why Pacifica chose a rose garden as a special tribute to her and her work. The garden has been designed in the shape of a spiral labyrinth. Woodman sees the spiral as a symbol of the sacred feminine, and she talked about the way we come around and around to things in life, each time going deeper and sensing more meaning until we come to the center and finally understand. She spoke about how the rose unfurls in a spiral fashion. She herself was wearing a beautifully crafted necklace made of spirals, as well as a wrist corsage of roses. After remarks by Pacifica's Founding President Stephen Aizenstat inside the Barrett Auditorium, the group of about 50 people assembled outside (the rain had stopped just in time!) around the outside of the spiral and each offered a word or greeting to Marion as she walked with her cane, holding Ross's arm, through the spiral to the center, where a low rock had an engraved dedication to Marion and a simple terra cotta bench offered a resting place. She offered a blessing to the garden, envisioning its use by generations of future students at Pacifica and then she and Ross slowly exited the labyrinth. A celebration with champagne, cake and live harp music followed inside the auditorium. There are over 100 roses in the spiral. I'm trying to get a list of what's been planted, but don't have that yet. The project was envisioned by Edie Barrett with further design and implementation by master gardener Marshall Chrostowski, who heads up Pacifica's market garden and supervises the care of all of the grounds on Pacifica's two campuses. What other plant but the rose would have had the "numinosity" and soul for this very special tribute to a woman who has profoundly affected the way so many people understand the connection between body, mind and spirit? Linda Buzzell-Saltzman # 3/2/07; 12:01:37 PM