week forty six >> "quemada"

Quemada, to burn.

There are pieces of our past which have burned to ash.  Times in our lives which we have layed down to rest in distant pastures.  It is necessary, the fire, the destruction of the old.  New growth needs space, openings, to reach out it's expanding body.  Ever present in zbook, there are images of past experience, past indulgences, past beliefs and ideas.
When we chose this spread to present, and we selected the title, "quemada" I felt there was an acknowledgement of pyres smoldering behind our present pictures. 

I myself more often subscribe to metaphors of water.  The flood of obliteration which can swallow vast mountains.  The stream which runs underground, hidden from view, gathering riches in the dark, flowing forward, expecting to meet light.  Tears from the eyes; cleansing the emotions of body's heightened pulses. 

On this zbook spread, another idea of a spreading, engrossing element presents:  the thought of laughter.  "The Key to all casual interaction is the laughter".  I would now amend this zism - "the key to all life's connections is the laughter."  As water is the conduit, and fire the engulfer, laughter is the synapse leaper.  It is always my goal in my lessons with the children, to open opportunities for this bodily soul release.  Of course, in games, it is not difficult to find laughter, but still, it is something I watch for and engage in myself with purpose and intention and joy.  What a gift, to share laughter, to lose oneself in laughter... I love it!  Ciao and be good,  J.G.

week forty five >> "love"

I was out in the backyard this morning to absorb and reflect the changing light while taking detail shots of this weeks spread, 'love', aka "A Mother's Love."  The irridescence of lines and forms is radiant on these pages - catching gesture and highlights with brilliance as the viewer, me today, positions and repostions in relation to zbook.  I am particularly caprivated by the subtle color nuances enlivening the scene of foothills. 

The ladies head expressing atop these mountains holds form as a Queen of the Hills, a Goddess of the rolling, skyreaching earth.  She is piercing, this Woman of the moutains.  As my eyes travel into her domain, I am aware that she floats as well as soars, and that she speaks from under watercolors; waves and bubbles encapsulating her, and so I am now aware that these mountains are too under the sea perhaps.  As I dive upward, the moon glow of the love star leads me into a night sky and so I rock between the above and below surface.

On another note, in Burbank today, there was a five minute flurry of snow.  Tony and Hallie were prepped for an outing into the mountains and Jack and I were wrapped in ready for a wet bike ride to the library.  We had just started down the street when Hallie called to us amazedly, "it's snowing!"  We stopped in wonder, rejoined each other and romped raucously about as our front lawn turned white for a moment in time.  I felt a proudness in my Mothering Love, to be ready and available for this miracle; the snow softness lasted only a short short while before returning into a brief icy form and then back to water. 

Later, as Jack was playing in the wet sand of the park, I felt again a surge of brightness in my love, knowing how grand this play in the elements is for the soul.  I was thinking of this spread, and holding the picture of the watching, the caring through the eyes which is a gift of motherhood.  Thank you zbook for bringing forth these openings in your imagery to allow me to connect here and now in my path of self and giving.   I call out to zbook admirers, leave a note on any page, let us know how an image connects to your here and now.    Blessings and enjoy the weather, whatever it may bring, -Jennifer

happy new year Hemphill!

Today we celebrate the life and love of Jennifer! 

happy birthday Hemphill... happy new year... 

I love you!

Sketchbook Exhibit at Brooklyn Art Library, NYC

And to make it even sweeter... today is the opening date of the Art-House Sketckbook Project touring exhibition, launching where it will full circle back to for permanent exhibit, at the Brooklyn Art Library, NYC.  Our S.BOOK, along with thousands of fellows sketckbooks, will be in Brooklyn through 2/27 and then off to Austin, TX in March. See all cities and dates here. There is some wonderful system in place where each book is bar coded and so every time our book is selected for viewing, we will receive a notification. How rad is that?

                       see our previous posts about S.BOOK here!

∞ ceci

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week forty four >> "amor (love dub)"

"amor (love dub)"       clik to view

This week of valentines brings forth Z page "amor," our most lovey duby spread which I affectionately call the "love-dub" spread. We definitely let ourselves go super girly here, which is my style really, not Jennifer's either, but still undeniably part of our ethos growing up as girls... an ethos I highly resisted I must say, as I never felt akin to the frills and pinks of "what girls like."  I shunned the color pink my entire childhood all the way until I was almost 30... when I realize that my rebellion had only given power to the mass perceived linkage to gender and that the color pink was independently quite innocent and its energetic properties were actually quite aligned with being.... in love.  And so I reclaimed it for my own, on my own terms, in my own truth... and every now and then you may even find me wearing it.

Setting myself free in Z pages of Z book from the ages of 22 to 36, definitely included a lot of reclaiming of old loved things that had been forgotten and these old territories previously subverted.  This page~spread became the place where stickers and images of hearts and romance came to BE, in all there lovey dubbiness.  Where it's okay to be smooshy and kissy and sweet.  And although this indeed is not the whole embodiment of being a girl, why deny this sweet open hearted facet all together.  The world could benefit from allowing more the expression of it's tolerance, kindness, and love... and recognize vulnerability as the strength and vital force that it is.

In this TEDtalk, acclaimed playwright Eve Ensler speaks about how "that there is a girl cell in us all -- a cell that we have all been taught to suppress." That this girl cell in us ALL, women and men,  is compassion, empathy, vulnerability, openness, intensity, relationship and intuition. And how "this particular grouping of cells is central to the evolution of our species and the continuation of the human race."  I invite you to check this out, this is compelling stuff:

I wish someone would have reminded me when I was little that I didn't have to suppress my girly side in order to embrace my masculine energy and that in fact my intuition and ability to connect and relate were strengths and assets vital to my life and our world.  I'm grateful for this awareness now, and my experience through ZBOOK has helped me realize this for myself beyond measure.  This is a huge reason of why we want to share ZBOOK with the world now, starting with a focus on young girls, to help ALL recognize and revere the POWER of all of our open hearted sensibilities.  

∞ ceci

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week forty three >> "into the source"

Through Z page this week, Flip right "into the source."  I would like to allow this page to speak for itself, through all that is evoked within you, our friends with whom we shares Z pages of ZBOOK...

 "into the source I scream my song"

 

click these to get in close

The nights I gave birth to cosmic forces formed

through my body to flesh and blood

I oozed and endured

imagined and trusted;

I breathed through waves

of undercurrent Cave Creation

Jennifer Gould

  

Thank you Hemphill for your courage, in life, in giving life, and in releasing your most vunerable, powerful expressions of your heART.  

I am honored to be your sister. I love you.

∞ ceci

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week forty two >> "moment of truth"

It seems to me there are innumerable occassions which could stand forward as a "moment of truth" within one's life.  This idea of a moment when a decision is made, when a change is inevitable and something has to be let go to move fully into the present truth with courage, focus and conviction.

Situations come to mind at present which mirror this idea of "moment of truth": 

One - I will be engaging the PWS fifth graders in discus training this week.  This beautiful round flying disc has the potential to soar with the rhythm, form, and strength of the thrower.  In Greek times, and present as the fifth graders themselves mirror this epoch in our human evolution, it was believed that the throw of the discus was representative of the inner truth of the athlete.  In bringing this skill, I will be asking the children to raise their discus to the god or goddess of their chosing (from their studies of the Greek pantheon) to ask for guidance and to send a message of thought to this deity on the flight of their discus.  In this act, they are standing before immortality, seeking wisdom from the heavens and absorbing it into their actions.  With each throw, they are potentially enacting a "moment of truth".  As I go forward to bring this opening to them, I ask myself to breathe in this wisdom, to ask for courage and guidance, to throw my discus true, far and straight before me.

The second thought picture occupying my space in relation to this 'moment of truth' idea, stems from my husband, Tony's recent embracing of God's knocks at his door.  He is overflowing with a need to witness to others his own story of a sequence of unexplainably profound events in his life which he is now reflecting back on as fuel for his current emergence onto a path of god.  His moment of truth started in a dream, then led into a conversation and proclamation by another which then was followed by a hugely sychronous revelation.  Through this series of experiences (vague in my present telling), Tony was so deeply affected, he walked into a nearby church, searched out the priest, asked to be baptized, and within an hour was being dunked into a pool of water.


May we all be present with our moments of truth.  May we be given the opportunity to take in a few deep breaths and proceed with all our being.  And may we take heed of the wise words from zbook....  "From Now on Everything is Huge."  For after all, every day, every moment has the potential to be a moment of truth.


Be well and Blessings
-Jennifer

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.

Introducing S.BOOK !

S.BOOK will be touring the country and then be on permanent exhibit at the Brooklyn Art Library.  click map for info!

A few months ago we told you (here) about our participation in the Art House Sketchbook Project... we are thrilled this week to have submitted our sketchbook for this national exhibition!  Announcing.... S.BOOK ! "S" for Sketchbook, S for Swap-book, S for STORYbook, for this is the first of our books that tells a page by page storyline... in the foreground that is... for in the background, the pages themselves still offer all the magic of the modality of creating we cultivated through ZBOOK. With S.BOOK we decided to take our work to the next level and use our brand of art making to empower a chosen story... and we chose to tell Z story of ZBOOK!  After all, the Sketchbook Project theme that we signed up for is "trading forever."  It is this trading of books, this trading of inspirations, creativity, stories, and trust that has given birth to ZBOOK.. and now S.BOOK which tells Z story of how it all began...

This past week has been a full court press to get S.BOOK done and ready for launch.  We had been swapping S.BOOK in its creation every couple weeks or so, but in the past days had intense sessions during which we'd swap it back and forth every 5- 20 minutes until finally we were in it simultaneously.  We were crafting the images and story right up to the wire of the postmark deadline, making our last marks and words right up until the last minute before closing out the postoffice! It was thrilling... and funny that we didn't really get the chance to behold its final form before slipping it into the envelope and releasing it into the universe, out of our possession, free to live and touch others.  Surely we will meet again, hopefully during it's traveling exhibition days, most likely in San Francisco in june, and after that we will find it 4ever at the Brooklyn Art Library.  and O yes, it will also be digitized for a cyber experience, never a replacement for a tactile experience, but special in it's own way... a light experience.

We barely took a few snap shots before sending S.BOOK off to Brooklyn... when the digitized version comes out we will be sure to share those images with you!  Until then enjoy these glimpses: 

Go discover S.BOOK at a city near you!  Look in the "Trading Forever" section and let us know about your experience!

in sweet gratitude 

∞ ceci

ps(l): shout out of endless gratitude to Andrew Hoeveler for bringing the Sketchbook Project to our attention and thus Z story to the world!

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week forty >> "in me"

"in me"       click to view

Week 40 of ZBOOK4ever.com! 

We have you the story (here) of our first official collaboration back in 1996 at UCSB, a show called Indulge, for which we put the first words, ideas, and instincts in ZBOOK.  It was the first co-creative experiment where we put our co-visions into co-actions, rising all challenges and opportunities to trust.  The show was about the senses and included multiple experience involving food and invitations to indulge.  The show was sparked by an indulgent, colorful, decadent, delicious dessert we had shared some months before that our senses all riled up.  We seemed to feel that the food itself was enjoying the experience, and wrote some words as if from the food's perspective... of course enjoying how such a dialogue mirrored the traditional sense of sensuality.

 

Most of this in in Jennifer's handwriting and so this marks most probably the first of countless verses that she gifted ZBOOK with.  Clearly, ZBOOK was a place where we felt completely free to creatively explore and express, from the very beginning.  This simple thing is really the most healing, freeing, and vital gift... along with profound trust we forged in blending our expressions, and I am so grateful to have this experience of life.  So grateful for Jennifer and our ZBOOK.


∞ ceci
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week thirty nine >> "blizzard's storm"

Hempfolklore falls upon our page again          click to view

"blizzard's storm"       click to view

I may never know what evoked such verse from Jennifer, these speaking to the "blizzard's storm," for as story surrounding this blizzard's storm seems to appear here and there in sneaky place in ZBOOK, Jennifer has not yet revealed to me what dream, story, poem, mindtrip, vision or momentary lapse sparked these expressions. I may never know, and that's okay :)  For the mystery is as simmering and internal as the winter's hibernation (sleep) and it's intense emotions (storms), and who is ever to truly understand the what's and hows and whys of nature, including the nature of a a mind's inspiration or a spirit's response.  And maybe the best 

clues are to be discovered in our own response to the artist's response to life, divining our own mysteries and myths around the myths the artist, the human, divines around the mysteries of they find in life.

click

I am quietly delighted every time to discover a piece of my dear Hemphill's folklore expressing forth from a page in one of our books, or in a postcard or right here in our blog shares.  I always want lift the vail to peer inside, because I know that I'll only find a thousand more stories within it's essence. 

Thank you Jennifer, my dear Hemphill, for singing the songs of the ages.

∞ ceci

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on and on

Ya know what’s funny... I don’t believe we ever referred to zbook pages as ‘spreads’ before this here blog. It’s a delight to call them so, now, over and over again!



we (will) influence

On a journey I fly with this weeks spread,

across yellow headed meadows, along sparkling pumpkin fields,

 through dreams of sound, below hallowed ground.

GO GO GO GOG GO GOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGO
Says the sprawl across the top... and in true form, it reflects my inner questionings needs... My body near collapsed yesterday, in fever fit...the day before, my son did burn high. Today, with weakness’ will, I washed some laundry, played checkers with Hallie, cut cantaloupe with Jack, wrapped up 7th grade mid-term reports, and on and on.



the eyes are the windows to the soul,
and fire burns.

 Husband, Tony and I have been engaged in talks of GoD of late. There has definitely been reference, with immediate synchronicity, to the ‘eyes being windows to the soul (or GoD)’ reflectioning here in zspread of ‘we (will) influence’. (Speaking of this spread, I wish I had some close-ups, and perhaps I’m calling on a resurgence of this spread in another week, thus profound as it is in our estimation.).
Back to the fevers: Allowing the opportunity for let down, to permit a fever to burn hot, it’s such a rare gift...especially in adulthood.
As children, we can hope we were given this opportunity, to be nurtured in fever, to be permitted close-down. It is a gift to the body, and I daresay a necessity to the growing child. Fever burns and incinerates and hopefully does enough clearing to surrender new growth. It is incredibly stunning to see in a young child, this growth maturation after fever onslaught. Of course, fever in the head is a very serious thing, and when Jack’s fever was burning, we were lemon compress wrapping his feet and massaging his lower extremities to pull the fever into the body, out of the head a bit...it works!

For me, I slept and curled myself into covers and blankets. Finally after a full day, from mid-morn to post dinner eve, my fever broke, I was sweating. Headache and aches continued into midnight, then I chose to take 2 advil and slept till morn....
This kind of ill, when fever takes over to do it’s powerful work, always reminds me of the week I returned from 9 months abroad. Only once in my traveling mode during those months did I find a haven in which to engage in let-down, where my body expressed fever intensely to burn out some bugs. That week of returning, I dropped down into an all day fever, very hot, and allowed my body to heal itself with fire. It was the day I realized how valuable this fever reprieve is. And so, now, I value it with great gratitude, when it comes, and I offer it my thanks when it grooves with rhythms of life in my lane.

Peace to all in heart and soul, and Happy New Year loved ones near and far.

-J.G.

p.s.(l). did I ever mention that for some insane reason, this spread conjures feelings of bowling for me??! What is that!

 

One more note... this return I spoke of was in alignment with my Grandma Pearl's 80th Birthday Celebration.
Shout out and prayers to Grandma Pearl, now a stunning 92, as she regains strength following some heart-wrenching traumas! 
Cheers and life to you Grandma!

week thirty eight >> "we (will) influence"

Happy 2011!  Wow, just as I thought I was used to the 2000s this year of 2011 hits and it feels as surreal as ever. Most likely because I have never experienced a decade of teens; all these early century years are tripping me out. What do we even call this decade?  There were the 70's, the 60's, the 90's, the 20's and I guess we referred to the last decade as the 2000's, but this one, what? the 2010's? Seems weird.  I say teens, but 2010-2012's 10-12 are not actually teen numbers.  I guess we are in pre-teen years :)  ...I do know one person who has lived in teen numbered years... my grandma Tata, who was born in 1911! Although her birthday isn't for 9 more months, I am celebrating NOW.  It is 2011 after all, officially 100 years since 1911. But just because she has known years ending in teen numbers doesn't mean she is any less tripped out by the 2010's, in fact my mind-trip pales in comparison to Tata's!  Imagine not only reaching 100 years from when you were born, but also just look at how our world has changed and how fast over these past 100 years.  Exponentially so.... to the point that even I today, born only 36 years ago, am astounded by how fast everything is changing in the past 10 years and feel slightly dizzy most of the time.  I've got to give it up to Tata. She is alive in 2011. She is WELL, sO well and sound in health and mind, so present, and still so focused on life... all as she faces what might as well be an entirely new planet she lives on.

100 years... what a trip!  and the journey continues...... what are we going to do with it?                  We (will) Influence. 

we (will) influence          click to view

 

That is Z page for this week, and a reminder for me that our "resolutions," which I feel as my intentions, are activated by feeling it NOW, what is coming is already HERE, not out of my will, but out of my acknowledgment and meeting it with my action.  This year we meet the magic of what we've cultivated and discovered in the past 15 years via ZBOOK with actions that launch our work into arenas where we may influence others to discover the creative forces they are... and how vital that is to their lives and our world.  And we begin with young women, ages 11- 21.  Ahh, there's that number again: 11.  Pre-teens and teens and young adult women... we want to remind you that your very essence is unique and your expression of it is a thing of beauty... be yourself, it's okay, and not only that, it's extraordinary and important.  Allow yourself to play and BE so that you can continue to discover your authentic voice in this world and speak it into creations that (will) influence the world.  Life is indeed a trip! ...ENJOY the journey and discover your unique PART of it!

∞ ceci

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week thirty seven >> "sanctioned madness" BLUE december

Indeed.  

I wish to offer some poetic and universal truth to enliven this weeks post... indeed.
Somewhere in the strength of my shoulders, those juices are swirling... indeed.

For now, I'm weakened, in the chaos of familial madness... indeed.
My sweet Grandma, bless her heart, laid out from last weeks masectomy... indeed.



encapsulated in madness' warm juices



And now, here, tonight, again in the clutches of hospital wing care... indeed.

A fall, broken hip, otherside, to add to her recovery list...indeed.

Angel keepers, white and blue, please look down, showering starlight through her window...indeed.

Keep her warm, rested in calm, imbued with the love of all our prayers...indeed.

Blessings and healing thoughts go forth, take care, -J.G.

week thirty six >> "solstice" BLUE december

"solstice" click to view

Tonight we ring in the solstice of winter, the short day, the long night, the vast darkness on the brink of the coming of LIGHT. In the darkest moment we celebrate the LIGHT. Our LIGHT. We invite it, exalt it, feel it even before we can see it.

This Solstice will be powerfully and super specially initiated by a TOTAL lunar eclipse... thanks to this eclipse falling on the night we go into winter solstice, meaning the sun is shedding it's light at our earth's most south point and the FULL moon riding high north, we are in for a Total eclipse... the likes of which our earth last experienced 372 years ago in 1638 and will not again for another 475 years on the winter solstice of 2485.

It's interesting that on this long dark night there is the abundant LIGHT of the FULL moon and incredible that the typically unyielding FULL moon will be shaded completely for over a whole hour, with also partial cover for an hour before and after that main event. It will be like witnessing an entire moon cycle in the span of approx 3 hours.

How will we use this experience, this window of nothingness, this window of abyss, this night of FULL LIGHT opening up into the dark, the void, the space to state our case, our dream, our high intention for our lives. Perhaps this is a doorway, if we so choose. How do we choose to walk through it, and with what, and for why. And what will we gratefully leave behind. As the FULL LIGHT will quickly swell back into the night, perhaps with it could come the activation of our visioning... and by beautiful extension, permeating even more intensely, by the increasing light of each next day as we head into the new year.

. . . . . . Bon Hiver. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

and sweet visioning to you and yours.

∞ ceci

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