week forty one >> "out of body"

My current bathroom book, Synchronicity - Through the Eyes of Science, Myth, and The Trickster, gave me insight into my own experiences this week, particularly in light of posting my musings of this weeks spread, “out of body."  One thing after another seemed to halt and alter my path.

Magicians hands

Looking upon this spread, “out of body,” in this swirl of images, there is a reflection of the ancient art of divination. In older civilizations, the magi, the magicians were looked to with great respect to “provide access to the world of spirits for their communities."  The symphonic gloved hands at right, the magicians hands, pinch the white flaming smoke of the ether to decipher stories from this mist.  (On a technical note, these hands are stickers which we drew in arms for.)  I'm remembering a scene from Harry Potter when Dumbledore pulls a golden memory strand from his head and releases it into the Pensieve.  These hands, in 'out of body' are like pluckers of threads from the vast sea of zbook.

"out of body"

This spread, reminds me very much of a tarot card, where symbols float in space, allowing the viewer to reflect their own meaning from the powerful story of the images.  In my reading of "Synchronicity", I was lightened in my original frustration with all the 'interferences' of my work, to think of the playful nature of forces around us, always guiding us toward self knowledge.

“The Trickster delights in frolicking with symbols. Synchronicity in such instances seems to mirror processes that are afoot deep in the psyche. Jumping across boundaries between the conscious and the unconscious, between the psychological and the physical, the Trickster tosses out images in play that express sheer vitality of the imagination.”


Flame the Pheasant Headed Mask

The story of this page, is story. All of these elements have the incredible potential of story in relation to personal meaning. The story of Flame the pheasant headed mask comes to mind.  At top left, the face whose cheek flashes 'DYNAMIC', in my current place of thought could certainly be a manifestation of Jung, who is known for his studies and expressions of ideas about synchronicity.  I particularly love the image of the waterfall pool at bottom left, where 'story' rises from the mist just above.  It reminds me of the way I introduced Council to the fourth grade class I worked with this week... as a bowl which we carve with our deep listening so that we may pour our stories into and see them swirling, uniting us and helping us to understand one another.

story pool

In other spreads, we have seen representatives of the strong and formed faces which Ceci often draws.  Here, these faces are manifestations from my hand.  My technique is often to free form draw, allowing shape or color to guide my form and then finding the being or face, the personality within that has come through and defining it with features.
Ceci has been charged with documenting and uploading details of zspreads the last few weeks, as she is currently in posession of zbook.  She wanted me to know that one encircling sentence of the right page side was captured in different shots...thus, I feel it is important to decipher said recording and show it's path on the page up close : " I just love bringing Zee book to diff. places & seeing it's beauty glow w/ the settings."

 - to close, a short verse in homage of "out of body"

ENCIRCLEMENTS so delicate and intricate.

Sweet gratitude and Testitude, in love of you.

Out of Body, Out of Mind, soul flight cross waves of time.

Inward unseen, a feeling gleaned.,

A throat, a note, a subtle scene.

Be well and Blessings,

-J.G.