A Place Called Fourbear

Along the Wadmalaw River, Live Oaks and Loblolly Pine trees lend flow, grace, and spirited energy to our home, Fourbear. A name that represents luck and love. Many people name their rural properties in our area. We decided to call our place Fourbear. This made-up name combines Chris’ lucky number four and Bear, the name of a beloved golden retriever that grew old on my family farm in upstate New York. Fourbear is not to be confused with the word forbear, though the realization of our home and the labyrinth certainly did require forbearance on our part.

I have described my labyrinth journey as a passage through times of brilliant clarity and profound darkness. I found myself traveling with brilliant joy when we installed our labyrinth at Fourbear in the spring of 2021.

The labyrinth at Fourbear is a left-handed, eleven-circuit medieval design inspired by the pavement labyrinth found in Chartres Cathedral, France. It is set in a private cathedral of pine trees on Wadmalaw Island. The space is energized by coastal winds, choruses of songbirds, and the distinct scent of pluff mud that rises from the shifting tides of the salt marsh. The space is also grounded by the local materials used to create it, including Charleston brick, bluestone, and cobbles recovered from a courtyard on Catfish Row in Charleston. This sacred space is consecrated by every soul that walks within it. Souls ignite the path toward discovery.

This is a private space that is generously shared with friends and family.

Jack On The Path - Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina