Nov 1, was a beautiful fall day for a road trip. I had set up a field trip for my herb class to Muskogee, to see the the labyrinths and gardens at Moonshadow Herb Farm. We arrived in the late afternoon, to turn into the driveway under the pecan trees, Sharon, our hostess had warned me there was much renovation going on and it was apparent as soon as we arrived, we could see stacks of pecan wood under the trees. As we drove up to the area to park, the greenhouses were on our left, 1 large and 1 small greenhouse and straight in front of us, we could see part of the gardens, and the first thing my eyes settled on, was a large pineapple sage in bloom. I love sages, of all kinds, the pineapple being one of my favorites ! As our group tumbled out of the cars (there were only 7 of us, some having to cancel), Sharon was there to greet us. She began our tour with some information about her labyrinths, her words
"I have two 7-turn Cretan pattern labyrinths: The largest one is the meadow or prairie labyrinth that is 50 ft. diameter. The smaller 26 ft diameter laby is near the house by a well. They are not corn mazes with puzzle-like paths (that are popular this time of year). They are labyrinths with grass paths & bricks that mark the 'walls' ~ you walk to the center & back out again. They are sacred circles". And she gave us a brief history of labrynths in general, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth.

After she had shown us the labys, she gave us some free time, so that we all could walk at our own leasure. I chose to walk the hilltop laby because it was in the sun, and I felt like that was what I really needed at that time. Some walked both, some one or the other. But, I have to tell, you can feel the energy and intent in this place.
When everyone had enough time to walk the labyrinths, we all gathered back at the front of the herb gardens. Sharon gave us a walk through of her beds, talking about each plant as she walked. Those plants that were still full and some blooming were absolutely beautiful !! Sharon says she uses horse poo for fertilizer and it seems to be working for her ! Besides the sage we saw lovely comfrey, mints galore, mexican sage (a type of tarragon), a variety of St John's wort, that I need to get the name of, and many others. She also grows sweetgrass, and gave me some hints to growin it successfully, which I truly appreciated !! Our generous hostess served us spiced tea and cookies and as we sipped, we started planning our spring trip to see Sharon and her gardens. But because she does not have a store front, but sells mainly at the spring festivals, we may have to catch her at one of those !
Sharon welcomes anyone to share her labyrinths, as long as it is done in a spiritual way. So, if you are in the area, and feel the need to walk, let her know and be sure to look for Moonshadow Herb Farm at next spring's herb festivals in OK.
You can contact Sharon at moonshads@aol.com