Houlton Getting New Labyrinth Despite Councilor’s Satanism Worries

Fitness, exercise, and meditation are all awesome things.

You know, we could all use a lot more of those things in our lives day to day. We all run around stressed out of our minds, either from work or family or any other little thing... Yet, we hardly ever do anything to try and actually mitigate, if not eliminate, these things from our lives. Maybe we could all use a little more of a mindful approach to life.

In Houlton, one resident wanted to actually try and donate that feeling of peace to the entire town. According to the BDN, Dick Rhoda wanted to donate a labyrinth to the town that would be in Riverfront Park. It took several months to get approved, and it was finally voted through 5-1.

The reason for the dissenting vote may have raised a few eyebrows.

Originally, the town council turned down the project because of its immensity. It was to be 42 feet wide and would be built from thousands of bricks. Now, remember this was to be a place of peace and meditation. But Councilor Eileen McLaughlin reportedly got emotional as she was describing her worries about Satanism and satanic rituals becoming an issue.

She referenced some research about labyrinths from Loyola University, and recounted some of her own personal experiences being negatively affected by this type of activity, but didn't go into vivid detail. Other folks seemed more concerned about things like vandalism, and no one else seemed worried about the satanic implications.

Ultimately, the councilors chose to move forward with the project. But there's still a long way to go, and a lot of planning and discussion will go into it as well. So it may be some time before the labyrinth is in place. We'll be sure to report back when things are ready to roll and the labyrinth is open to the public.

Tattoos are always cool. Let's look at a bunch right now...