soul sisters

           * click all images for large view*  (thanks to my mama for capturing most of these)

Last weekend I had the privilege and honor to participate in the Agape Soul Sisters Retreat at the Temescal Gateway Park in Pacific Palisades.  Like last year, my amazing mom gifted me this experience.  I have to admit, in my life I haven't been exactly enthralled by all women's gatherings.  In fact most of my life the majority of my friends have been dudes.  Of course though I have had and have a handful of very close friends who are women, they are indeed sisters to my heart and soul, who's friendships have graced my life.  I just have felt more comfortable in groups with both genders, generally.  So when my mom invited me to this retreat last year, I was like, cool, okay, this should be nice, a weekend with the ladies.  

Little did I know that I would be blown away by the experience of this outstanding group of people, each one so very beautiful... with unique stories, qualities, talents, and vision.  Experiencing this diversity of backgrounds, ages, shapes and sizes, affinities, voices, gifts, colors, and beauty was like swimming in a vast body of rich, life renewing, multi-sourced mineral water where a million earthly rivers did converge, powerfully refreshing.  I felt like I was in a power plant of human magnificence.  And I walked away from that weekend and into the world looking at EVERY human being with a slight tilt of my head and little grin wondering, I bet you are amazing aren't you, if I were to stop and listen to your stories, reveal who you are and what you are creating, I would discover you beautiful, I can feel it.  EVERYone, female or male, after that simply radiated to me.  And this feeling made me feel beautiful.  Helped me feel my own beauty.  Healing.

Well, this year was again a prolifically inspiring convergence of human beings. I am honored to be a part of it, to participate in this deep think-feel-be-flourish tank, to give and receive the gift of vulnerability, openness, and TRUST that is the ultimate strength and power. 

counsel of wise women, 2009

Quite possibly the most profound and wonderful part of this retreat is the counsel of wise women, our elders, who greet us as daughters when we arrive to the opening gathering on friday, and on saturday we gather around for "Tell Mama," a time that anyone can express something or ask a question to our elder women for a reflection from their earnest wisdom.  And at our closing ceremony on sunday, as we honor each season of age of all the women present, when we get to the "New Spring" to honor the amazing counsel of wise women, well, my heart busts into a million grateful pieces as I behold their grace.  I saw my grandma Tata up there standing with them, and out of total joy I humbly cried and gave thanks.  I am going soon to visit my grandma Tata to celebrate her 99 years alive!

my mama (far right), her wonderful friends
who headed the call, and me (on far left)

These are prayer squares (at right).  You carry yours with you and with a friend you present it and ask your friend for a prayer.  Your friend, in agreement, signifies the prayer by tying a knot with it's strings. And now you carry with you a visual and tactile reminder that your prayer is alive, and as these exchanges continue so do grow the prayers and their knots on your prayer square.  These were made by a group of women at the retreat for all of us.  I was gifted my square as well as another to gift to a friend. Yesterday I gave it to Jennifer and we exchanged prayers and knots. These are our squares in our hands.

Quan Yin statue reflecting at the soul sister alter

"good witch"      click to view

Our stories, our creativity, our gifts and what we give... I am waking up to that these are our expressions yes, AND they are the way we heal... ourselves, and one another.  Our medicine is the art and the stories of our lives.  In this sense we are medicine women and shamans.  Medicine women were deemed witches not long ago... and sO  we re-claim ourselves to that of a "good witch" like Glinda, here on Z page this week, beautiful and powerful because of her compassion, love and healing Grace.

in love & gratitude

∞ ceci

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Drippings

I do believe this to be my absolute, most favoritist page-spread in zbook.
Can you blame me, how mush more awesome can an image collaboration painting collage get?
There are so many elements here - let's take a look - expand the vision:

"good witch" click to view

So, a), for me, palettely speaking, I want to dive right in and eat it up - how delicious - the collaboration between the colors of blue and the highlights of purple and pinks and the overlay of green, yellow, and gold with white and blackish and graphite - it's pleasing and multi-faceted in that frame.

Glinda, the Good Witch

And then, b), is the dialogue between the 2 pages. For me, the left is an expression of the right, like a bubble busted, to see inside. The macro and the micro are in a constant lemniscate with each other between these two sides for my thoughts and eyes. Crossing into the straight forms of the right, the cirles and triangles, is where my gaze then bounces to the left because it is here that these conversing angels dwell in my internal story. From the rays of Michael, or other archangel being, and perhaps, overseen by them, sings the dance of the 'Hot Skillet Lickers' quartet.And, guiding the direction of their song, where it casts upon, is Glinda, in the bottom corner, waving her crystal wand with grace and gesture. Side note, she is who I always wanted to be as a young child when I wore pink frill or carried a wand - I think traveling by bubble is the key.
It is as if, the pulsation, which is the prayer gesture of the unity btw. the green and pink angels is the juice being squeezed through the sky of the right page toward the earth below.

C)ollaborating with this conversation are the other words on the page - on the left, there is faint silver in the rays, "Space Changes" - which again, rocks me into the shapes of the right, as they carve out the space of the sky in a lifted veil kind of way. And then, the piece-d-resistance (someone please correct me)... in relating the story line; appropriated from the tragic and great Jeff Buckley - in teal pen, on whiteout : "screaming down from heaven" - you should all know how to sing that lyric, if you don't already, please learn!

"screaming down from heaven"
click for larger view

d) The element of story depicted in this spread, which has been a key to understanding for both Cec and I, I believe, in the recognizing of how to translate our perceptions, and our expressions, into the language of daily existence: is the tiny gesture at the bottom right corner - the city - life. Through this beautifully drawn in sketch of life where we know it - revealed in careful looking within the mountains of the earth; through this, we are able to gift our understanding of much greater powers - of the mysteries of the universe, and how we are grappling with them and understanding them and making our way through and into them. Thank heavens for the gift of this spread for that revelation!

nipple dripping
click for larger view

and finally for now, e), the dripping nipple, has a world of story within itself. That image alone, could launch a thousand ships.

Adieu and farewell, please stay and feast from the HOT SKILLET for as long as you like, be sure to pay the "good witch" as you exit. Be well and blessings, -J.

week sixteen >> "good witch"

Jennifer once brought me a sarong from Maui, a gift from one of her many family trips to her beloved island.  It came with instructions, not in words but rather in pictures, suggestions really on ways to use the sarong, pointers to the fabric's versatility, an invitation to be creative.   I cut out these drawings of the sarong sportin' ladies one by one and collaged them into ZBOOK here on this page.  One day, maybe years later, maybe less, I opened up this page to find these ladies had been dipped in pink and had become their very own ensemble... with one swipe of the scissors and another of glue, the words "hot skillet lickers" made these ladies into super stars. 

[ click images to view ]

"good witch"

It must have been the work of the good witch!.. who appeared a bit later below at the center seam of the page.  She dresses in pink herself... maybe she made the sarong maidens into her backup singers, or maybe they are her projection of her multiple personas, or maybe she's an awesome sticker that Jennifer stuck in here to give the page more pink, and more magic.  

∞ ceci

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