Every Shade of Peace for Santa Fe New Mexican publication
When you enter the Dwan Light Sanctuary, it’s instinctive to fall silent, just as in any sacred space. There is a sense of hush, a sense of stepping out of the busy everyday material world and into a realm of peace and inner space that is so much more expansive than the physical walls that enclose us.
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The sensation is similar to entering a church, a cathedral, a temple, a mosque or a kiva, but the Sanctuary is none of these. Or, if you wish it to be, it could be all of these.
It was designed as a quiet space for reflection for people of all faiths, and when it opened in 1996 the blessings and ceremonies included the abbot from Christ in the Desert Monastery, a Tibetan monk, representatives from Judaism and Hinduism and a Muslim artist. A Navajo medicine man made cornmeal offerings, petals were strewn, and Judy Collins sang. Then they all went away, leaving their echoes behind in this large white space filled literally with rainbows.
The Dwan Light Sanctuary rests on the edge of the Pecos Wilderness on the 200-acre United World College USA campus in Montezuma, NM. This little spot of heaven was the vision of Virginia Dwan, an art gallery owner, patron of the arts and philanthropist, who offered both the concept and the funds to build it. Solar spectrum artist Charles Ross and architect Laban Wingert brought her vision to reality, crafting a space that is flooded with light rays filtered through 24 large prisms in the apse windows and the roof to create bands of color. The building is aligned to the sun, moon, and stars, so it captures New Mexico’s brilliant sunlight throughout the day, creating rainbows of color that dance slowly across the floor and walls as our planet turns from sunrise to sunset.
On full moon nights, the lunar light through the prisms also creates a soft spectrum of color. One of the apse windows is aligned to frame the North Star at night.
The circular building is 36 feet in diameter, towering an airy 23 feet in height, and the floor is divided into twelve segments radiating from a central axis. The geometry and proportions have many layers of symbolic meaning. Virginia Dwan wanted to emphasize the “spiritual and temporal universality” of the number 12; for example, the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 stars in the Virgin’s halo or crown.
But visitors seeking peace and respite from the world don’t need to understand the significance behind every detail to appreciate the space. Whether you go to pray, to meditate, or just to sit and reflect far away from the constant triggers of social media, texts and emails, the Sanctuary feels like exactly that, a sanctuary from the barrage of information, the visual and auditory noise of the modern world. Surrounded by trees and stroked by the sun, the visitor finds a serene harbor amidst the storm. Watching the swathes of colored light glide slowly across the round walls and floor as time ticks by is a pure and simple reminder of our connection to nature, our place upon this spinning planet, the magnificence of our universe. There is nothing else to do but to slow down, breathe in, breathe out and be.
The play of light in itself inspires an uplifting sense of light-heartedness. Linda Seebantz, United World College USA director of marketing and communications, describes the typical responses she’s seen to the sanctuary as, “A lot of wows, a lot of chasing rainbows, a lot of playing beneath the rainbow, having the rainbow shine on your head while you are in meditation. It’s so subtle the effect that it has… It’s a heart space.”
United World College USA is a fitting home for the Sanctuary, with its progressive mission including an emphasis on sustainability and diversity. The current student population, aged 16-19, represents 94 different countries. More than 80 percent of the students attend on scholarship, allowing the college to select applicants based on merit and promise rather than financial means. Students and staff turn to the sanctuary during times of trouble, and it’s easy to imagine how a young person would find comfort in the universal appeal of the Sanctuary, no matter their cultural and religious background. The space also hosts music and dance concerts, meditation and yoga classes, and public weddings and funerals.
The Montezuma Hot Springs on the campus property offers the opportunity for a soak before or after a visit to the Dwan Light Sanctuary. The springs lie along the river, and in keeping with the ethos of simplicity and appreciation of nature, the pools are not landscaped, but kept in a natural state and surrounded by long grass. Think of it as a ceremonial baptism, or just a few moments of relaxation and communion with water, earth and sky.
BOX: If You Go
The Dwan Light Sanctuary is located on the grounds of UWC-USA in Montezuma, N.M., six miles from Las Vegas, N.M. The Sanctuary is open to the public from 6 am to 8 pm on weekdays, and 6 am to 5:30 pm on weekends. Visitors should stop at the welcome center as they arrive, and they will be given directions. Reach the Montezuma Hot Springs via State Road 65 where you will see the pull offs for parking. Hot spring hours are 6 am till 10 pm. Alcohol and nude soaking are not permitted – take a swimsuit! www.uwc-usa.org
Article for Santa Fe New Mexican publication Feliz Navidad.