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Rachel Schmidt, BSW, PLC
Rachel Schmidt, BSW, PLC
Land & Body - A Contemplative Art Gallery
These are creative reflections from women who have walked the land, listening deeply to the wisdom of their own bodies and the natural world. It is a privilege to share these expressions of the inner life and the creative self.
01
presence
here,
in the stillness of the forest,
I am present.
I am whole.
I belong.
02
I dream of spring
sometimes,
late at night,
I dream of spring,
and I dance
03
echoes
as spring arrives,
I hear the echoes of the past
01 / 03
presence
here,
in the stillness of the forest,
I am present.
I am whole.
I belong.
01
presence
here,
in the stillness of the forest,
I am present.
I am whole.
I belong.
02
I dream of spring
sometimes,
late at night,
I dream of spring,
and I dance
03
echoes
as spring arrives,
I hear the echoes of the past
Jill, Manitoba
01
Mantraspiral. Ink on paper
As a Qigong teacher, mantra is a big part of my work and spiritual practice. I have taken the mantra "I am in the universe, the universe is in me, the universe and I combine together as one" and written it as a continuous line in spiral form, from centre to edge, growing ever softer and quieter, the way the mind stills in repetition of mantra, like the ripples of a pond stilling as they move out from a central point. Confusion to calm.
02
Etched. Ink on paper.
I was playing with sections of my fingerprint, looking for spiralling patterns, and was drawn instead by the lines of life and living that are etched onto the fingerprint. Evidence of the way I use my hands in my work. The way I and life are permanently intertwined. Or rather, fleetingly intertwined, as no physical body has permanence. I was here. This was me.
03
Soulprint. Ink and thread on paper.
Soulprint further explores the idea of our lives being written on our bodies, on our souls. Using softly flowing ink words from a piece I wrote that resonates deeply with me, and the harsh jab of the sewing machine needle, I stitched my soul together as the words bled into the wet paper. Echoes of the patterns of the fingerprint in soul form.
01 / 03
Mantraspiral. Ink on paper
As a Qigong teacher, mantra is a big part of my work and spiritual practice. I have taken the mantra "I am in the universe, the universe is in me, the universe and I combine together as one" and written it as a continuous line in spiral form, from centre to edge, growing ever softer and quieter, the way the mind stills in repetition of mantra, like the ripples of a pond stilling as they move out from a central point. Confusion to calm.
01
Mantraspiral. Ink on paper
As a Qigong teacher, mantra is a big part of my work and spiritual practice. I have taken the mantra "I am in the universe, the universe is in me, the universe and I combine together as one" and written it as a continuous line in spiral form, from centre to edge, growing ever softer and quieter, the way the mind stills in repetition of mantra, like the ripples of a pond stilling as they move out from a central point. Confusion to calm.
02
Etched. Ink on paper.
I was playing with sections of my fingerprint, looking for spiralling patterns, and was drawn instead by the lines of life and living that are etched onto the fingerprint. Evidence of the way I use my hands in my work. The way I and life are permanently intertwined. Or rather, fleetingly intertwined, as no physical body has permanence. I was here. This was me.
03
Soulprint. Ink and thread on paper.
Soulprint further explores the idea of our lives being written on our bodies, on our souls. Using softly flowing ink words from a piece I wrote that resonates deeply with me, and the harsh jab of the sewing machine needle, I stitched my soul together as the words bled into the wet paper. Echoes of the patterns of the fingerprint in soul form.
Hazel Moon, Ireland
01
A Map of Belonging
Inviting a conversation with the land to find my way home.
Click for full image.
02
Everyday Magic
Paying attention and honouring moments of discovery. I am held by the land and the land holds me.
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03
Medicine Boxes (Sticks and stone, feather, seeds, skin and bone)
My healing is found in paying homage to sacred finds along the Antler River
01 / 03
A Map of Belonging
Inviting a conversation with the land to find my way home.
Click for full image.
01
A Map of Belonging
Inviting a conversation with the land to find my way home.
Click for full image.
02
Everyday Magic
Paying attention and honouring moments of discovery. I am held by the land and the land holds me.
03
Medicine Boxes (Sticks and stone, feather, seeds, skin and bone)
My healing is found in paying homage to sacred finds along the Antler River
Kathleen Abley, Ontario
Rachel Schmidt, Canada
01
The Return
A bird’s nest woven from found natural objects, the fur of my beloved dog who passed, and my own hair. An exploration of kinship with the living world - that we are made of the same matter, and that in returning to the Earth, we participate in the ongoing cycle of growth.
02
Life Cycle
Honouring the life cycle of all living things, and the way we are deeply connected within it. The turning of time - birth, growth, loss, and grief - all part of this larger, living whole we are woven into.
03
Same
When looked at closely, we are made of the same matter, there is no true separation. A living force moves through all beings and the natural world alike.
01 / 03
The Return
A bird’s nest woven from found natural objects, the fur of my beloved dog who passed, and my own hair. An exploration of kinship with the living world - that we are made of the same matter, and that in returning to the Earth, we participate in the ongoing cycle of growth.
01
The Return
A bird’s nest woven from found natural objects, the fur of my beloved dog who passed, and my own hair. An exploration of kinship with the living world - that we are made of the same matter, and that in returning to the Earth, we participate in the ongoing cycle of growth.
02
Life Cycle
Honouring the life cycle of all living things, and the way we are deeply connected within it. The turning of time - birth, growth, loss, and grief - all part of this larger, living whole we are woven into.
03
Same
When looked at closely, we are made of the same matter, there is no true separation. A living force moves through all beings and the natural world alike.
01
Releasing
The wind lifts the hush of the hills, and the clouds unfurl like thought— a slow remembering of light.
Pines stand as green witnesses to the sky’s long exhale, where distance becomes tenderness, and the earth listens back.
Click for full images.
02
Witnessing
You open yourself to the light— soft, trembling, becoming.
I stand just beyond your bloom, feeling the shift you barely name, the quiet urgency of your unfolding.
In watching you, I learn how change begins— not in certainty, but in the courage to be seen as you grow.
03
Becoming
No rush, only the slow unfurl— a breath held in green silence.
Light touches, and something within remembers how to open.
Each petal a whisper of courage, each moment a soft arrival.
01 / 03
Releasing
The wind lifts the hush of the hills, and the clouds unfurl like thought— a slow remembering of light.
Pines stand as green witnesses to the sky’s long exhale, where distance becomes tenderness, and the earth listens back.
Click for full images.
01
Releasing
The wind lifts the hush of the hills, and the clouds unfurl like thought— a slow remembering of light.
Pines stand as green witnesses to the sky’s long exhale, where distance becomes tenderness, and the earth listens back.
Click for full images.
02
Witnessing
You open yourself to the light— soft, trembling, becoming.
I stand just beyond your bloom, feeling the shift you barely name, the quiet urgency of your unfolding.
In watching you, I learn how change begins— not in certainty, but in the courage to be seen as you grow.
03
Becoming
No rush, only the slow unfurl— a breath held in green silence.
Light touches, and something within remembers how to open.
Each petal a whisper of courage, each moment a soft arrival.
LaDana Hintz, Montana
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