New Art Installation + Virtual Visit Series on Whidbey Island Connects Visitors With Nature, From Anywhere
Earth Sanctuary, a 72-acre sculpture garden, nature reserve, and retreat center on Whidbey Island is launching a new art installation and accompanying virtual tour and meditation series this month. The new Ley Line sculpture, a piece designed to create connection and calm, joins tactile and interactive pieces like a Megalith Dolmen, Buddhist Stupa, Labyrinth and Native American Medicine Wheel.
The Ley Line sculpture is a curation of charred driftwood arranged to mark earth energies, which are known to inspire a spiritual experience. Visitors are encouraged to walk along the 56-foot driftwood corridor depicting the ley line to experience the sensations of earth energies in a natural environment.
Launching Friday, October 23, virtual visits hosted by Earth Sanctuary Founder Chuck Pettis will broadcast on the preserve’s Instagram and Facebook channels (@TheEarthSanctuary). New videos will post Fridays at 10 a.m. through November 13, providing a brief meditation in each of four sacred spaces, including the Ley Line Sculpture, Cottonwood Stone Circle, Labyrinth and Dolmen. Each video will be archived on these social pages for on demand viewing.
“Now more than ever, humankind is in need of a connection with the power of benevolent earth energies,” says Pettis. “Strong human emotions can be experienced at a ley line power center, which can create a new kind of self-awareness and comfort.”
The Ley Line sculpture is the preserve’s eleventh large scale installation designed and curated by artist Chuck Pettis, who is also the founder of Earth Sanctuary and known for his work in identifying ley lines. Throughout Earth Sanctuary’s 20-year history, sacred sculptures have been added along the ley lines of the preserve, including two stone circles, a Labyrinth, the Infinite Tower, a Buddhist Stupa, a Dolmen and more.
The most iconic ancient monuments around the world, including the Pyramids in Egypt and Stonehenge in England, have one thing in common: the presence of special earth energies known as ley lines. Earth Sanctuary follows this tradition by placing its tactile installations along a network of ley lines. This latest work, Ley Line, is a visual representation of these power centers.
Burnt driftwood finds its way to Earth Sanctuary after being rolled in the sea and surviving ample amounts of sun exposure, seasons of saltwater and tumbling tides. With preservation in mind, Environmental Artist Chuck Pettis selected the pieces of the Ley Line installation one by one to mark the significant power ley line running from the deeper woods to a rising hillside. He shares, “the line of burnt driftwood poles standing still after enduring earth, air, fire, and water, marks a significant diamond-shaped power center located beside a rounded earth mound. The resilient wood then floats down to a wetland where it magically disappears.”
“In our culture right now, we are missing visceral experiences that bring us into our inner self. Computer screens, masks, and the way we are living right now has removed us from the ability to regenerate ourselves,” notes Seattle-area painter and sculptor Claudia Pettis. “Virtual reality is not the same as sensory reality, yet sadly we continue to deprive ourselves and the next generations of a world of learning and being in the moment. Sacred spaces like those at Earth Sanctuary allow us to be surrounded by natural sensations - sounds, moisture, textures, ambiance, the seasons, birds, tree frogs, decay, and growth. How is a kid at a computer supposed to do this?”
An expert in identifying ley lines and energy centers, Chuck Pettis led the City of Seattle’s Ley Line Project in 1987 to create the Seattle Ley Line Map and has also authored the book Secrets of Sacred Spaces.
Twenty years ago, when Pettis began clearing, creating and planning the nature preserve, the goal was three-fold: achieve its 500-year plan to create a mature old-growth forest for the earth’s future; combine exemplary ecology with art and spirit to create a sanctuary for birds and wildlife; and create a peaceful place for personal renewal and spiritual connection. Learn more about the outdoor environmental art of Earth Sanctuary and plan a visit at www.earthsanctuary.com.
Located 90 minutes from Seattle, Earth Sanctuary is a magical and peaceful sculpture garden, nature reserve, and retreat center that combines ecology, art and spirit to create a place for exploration of all kinds. The 72-acre landscape includes two miles of nature trails, a peat bog fen complex, streams and three waterfowl ponds. A variety of sculptures welcome visitors to explore the stone circles, labyrinths, and other environmental artworks. The forested habitat is home to more than 100 species of birds, while a variety of wildlife like chipmunks, rabbits, and deer are frequently spotted. The ponds and bog fen complex have been designated as a “habitat of local importance” by the Whidbey Audubon Society and Island County Critical Areas program. Learn more at www.earthsanctuary.com and @TheEarthSanctuary on Instagram and Facebook.