Hello!
And, welcome to my bio page where you will learn a little bit
about me. I am an artist, poet, and I hold a Ph.D. in psychology.
I happened upon and walked my first labyrinth in 1993 at the
Angela Center in Santa Rosa, California and have been captivated
ever since. My life work brings an inquisitive heart to educating,
designing, making, and researching labyrinths as well as creating
art from a variety of mediums.
I
most enjoy creating and exploring labyrinths in the company
of others. My creative endeavors with the labyrinth have been
greatly influenced by curiosity and research into the labyrinths
of antiquity. My labyrinth creations have a solid foundation
upon the labyrinth designs that have survived the forces of
time.
I
have created several contemporary labyrinths, including
the Santa Rosa Labyrinth, the SNOOPY™ Labyrinth
for the Charles M. Schulz Museum, the Ladybug Labyrinth
for children (and adults!) as well as smaller, personal
designs. I have facilitated labyrinth installations
for public and religious organizations, corporations,
and private individuals in Sonoma, Mendocino, and
Marin County and across the United States. I have
given classes and experiential labyrinth talks at
Sonoma State University, Santa Rosa Junior College,
Santa Rosa High School, Luther Burbank Home and
Gardens, and to numerous organizations including
the Labyrinth Society and the Philanthropic Education
Organization (PEO). I was the keynote speaker at
the 4th annual New England Labyrinth Guild Festival
in 2005.
Collaborative
labyrinth projects include: The Labyrinth & Sea Project:
Worldwide Circle of Labyrinths commemorating the 2004 Indian
Ocean Tsunami, the Angela Retreat Center, the Luther Burbank
Performing Arts Center, and the First Night celebrations in
Santa Rosa, CA and numerous other labyrinthian forays with
other labyrinthers at retreats, on beaches, in parks, and
any surface that can be drawn upon. In the spring of 2004,
along with other labyrinth enthusiasts in our area, we initiated
a gathering and the Wine Country Labyrinth Group was formed.
This group includes about twenty-five people working with
labyrinths in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Marin and Lake Counties,
and currently gathers quarterly for sharing labyrinth knowledge,
inspiration, and experience.
I
am an active member of the Labyrinth Society and
on the Research Committee, a participant in the
Labyrinth In Schools Group, and on the membership
committee. I used the Santa Rosa design in my doctoral
research to explore and demonstrate
the psychological significance of the labyrinth.
My research focused specifically on the relevance
of the life-long process of individuation with particular
attention to the transitional period of adolescence
using the labyrinth as a container for these explorations.
I
live in the downtown of Santa Rosa, California with my neuropsychologist
husband-Milton Harris, schipperkee-dog-Nikki, as well as a
22 foot Santa Rosa Labyrinth in our backyard (picture above
). My step-son Orin Harris has been a tremendous help with
geometry and my labyrinth projects. I am a sixth generation
Californian with family roots in grape growing and wine making
in the Alexander and San Joaquin Valleys of California (recent
labyrinth research has led me to the link between labyrinth
making and the art of wine-making!). Our family continues
to grow wine grapes in the Alexander Valley. In the vineyards
and rolling hills of the Sonoma County, I have room to further
explore my interest of how our heart's desire can assist in
bringing forth our creative potential.
I
would like to thank here, the many people who have
been midwives in assisting me in bringing forth
the Santa Rosa Labyrinth as well as bringing me
inspiration for other creations and labyrinth endeavors.
Lea
in the "Ispiritual Store"
photo by Rita Caroni
