Meet Laurel Reinhardt
I am a former Licensed Psychologist turned Joy Coach and certified facilitator of The Transformation Game, a published author, dreamworker, and fiber artist. I came to the latter late in life, after a move from the Twin Cities to Asheville, NC, left me bereft of my favorite labyrinth. In my attempts to create a one for myself, I reconnected with my grandmother’s art (quilting), and began designing and making St. Amiens Cathedral-style labyrinth wall-hangings. One of these was my signature quilt—a labyrinth combined with the bagua (the visual representation of feng shui).
Wanting to make labyrinths available to more people, I decided to make a line of animal-shaped “placemats” with labyrinths stitched into them. I began with the turtle in honor of the Ojibway legend of the great flood. (Turtle was one of the few survivors of this devastation, along with muskrat, who went down into water to retrieve some mud to start a new land mass. Turtle offered his back to place this mud upon, where it grew into a huge new island (North America) upon which all of the survivors could live.) Each time I enter a labyrinth it is like a new beginning. There is often a flood of emotions which either brings me to the labyrinth, or overtakes me as I enter. But the labyrinth is like the turtle, offering me solid support for the journey back to my new/true self at the center.
Over time I added bears, puppies, fish, elephants, and owls, with buffalo and a few others still to come. At the request of a friend, I also created a small medicine wheel with a labyrinth in it. A medicine wheel is a physical manifestation of spiritual energy, an outward expression of an internal dialogue, a mirror in which we can better see what is going on within us. It has much in common with the labyrinth and is, therefore, a perfect marriage partner for that other ancient pattern. These animal labyrinths are time intensive, and I sought, once again, to make the labyrinth more accessible I collaborated with BeeHaven Quilts to create my Healing Path Quilt in a variety of colors, and partnered with Lucy Oliver to send some, free of charge, to some of the nation’s hospices and clinics.
During this time, I started branching out, quilting other images such as a life-sized buddha figure (wtth a labyrinth in the belly!), a buddha in a small hut, a buddha under a bodhi tree, a buddha floating on a lotus, a buddha floating in the starry night sky. Most of my work has a spiritual theme to it, and future designs will include the Sri Yantra which, along with the labyrinth, only scratches the surface of my intrigue with sacred geometry. But I also believe, as Peter Mayer says, “Everything is holy now,” , and so I am working on things which are holy to me, such as a quilt of a North Shore (of Lake Superior) waterfall, and purses and travel bags which allow me to blend wildly different fabrics into a pleasing whole.
Over time I added bears, puppies, fish, elephants, and owls, with buffalo and a few others still to come. At the request of a friend, I also created a small medicine wheel with a labyrinth in it. A medicine wheel is a physical manifestation of spiritual energy, an outward expression of an internal dialogue, a mirror in which we can better see what is going on within us. It has much in common with the labyrinth and is, therefore, a perfect marriage partner for that other ancient pattern. These animal labyrinths are time intensive, and I sought, once again, to make the labyrinth more accessible I collaborated with BeeHaven Quilts to create my Healing Path Quilt in a variety of colors, and partnered with Lucy Oliver to send some, free of charge, to some of the nation’s hospices and clinics.
During this time, I started branching out, quilting other images such as a life-sized buddha figure (wtth a labyrinth in the belly!), a buddha in a small hut, a buddha under a bodhi tree, a buddha floating on a lotus, a buddha floating in the starry night sky. Most of my work has a spiritual theme to it, and future designs will include the Sri Yantra which, along with the labyrinth, only scratches the surface of my intrigue with sacred geometry. But I also believe, as Peter Mayer says, “Everything is holy now,” , and so I am working on things which are holy to me, such as a quilt of a North Shore (of Lake Superior) waterfall, and purses and travel bags which allow me to blend wildly different fabrics into a pleasing whole.
Contact Meet Laurel Reinhardt
email: dreamway@aol.com
website: innerlandscaping@aol.com.
