Co-Lab Issue Two

5$

issue two, February 2016

co-lab.

cover artist: Ashely Foreman “Bloom”

a collection of ARTicles.

Enter the Feminine.

Schedule.

Letters, notes, inspirations..........pgs 2-3 Wanna Cuddle?..............pg 4 Pick-It Pot-It Poetry............pgs 5-6 Happenstance Poetry......pg 7 Sister, Dear Mami............pg 8 Anthony Arsirios West............pgs 9-10 Color Me Poetry............pg 11 Perceptions, Divine Masculine, Poetry........pgs 2-4 Poetry & Short Stories of a Nomad.........pg 5 Find Yourself (Music)...........pg 6 Letter to the sexes........pg 7 The 5 Stages of Artistic Grace.......pg 8 Ashely Forman...........pgs 9-10 Phases 1&2, Color Me........pg 11

Enter the Femininecontributors Heaven Earth - Ashely Foreman “The Divine Sexuality that resides within us all.”

May this Edition of Co-Lab Art and Culture Zine tantalize your very spirit to wiggle into position and make way the embodiment of your most intimate being. May your thoughts stretch far beyond the realms of where thoughts have reached before.

Thank you for contributions made to Co-Lab Zine on behalf of sharing artistic perceptions. I must remind you this Issue will have imagery and some private notes attached to it that may or may not be suitable, in your eyes, for the youngest of our generations. We remain Sex Positive, yet sometime the details are graphic, I urge you as a Parent to speak freely about sexuality and love with your children, Co-Lab does not assume responsibility, we may even encourage, the curiosities of children. We like to remind our Readers and Contributors; Co-Lab Publishes perceptions from all walk’s of life and age ranges of contributors vary from 18-76 years old. That being said, Read first, then share, this Issue gets a little juicy around the edges. enjoy! Collette Rogers, Publisher.

You can be a part of Co-Lab, email submissions to:

collette@colabzine.com.

go online for supplemental texts, contests, and MORE Art

www.colabzine.com

Ashely Foreman Lindy Kehoe Aly Rose Kris Fireheart Amanda Best Carolyn Peabody Jessica Heintzleman Chantal Elena Sadie Foster Milina Franke Nicole DeVaney Dominique Ceccon Melinda Stonecliff Yess Bryce

s

The divine feminine is she who creates from her heart center and speaks with intention to heal nations.

The wild woman who reminds us that freedom is essential.

The divine feminine will bow her goddess head in forgiveness; but not before she sees that you have learned the lesson.

The divine feminine is the type of strength that bears new life into this world and whispers “BE BOLD”.

The divine is loving, nurturing, understanding and kind to all living things without judgment.

The way of the divine feminine is written in the earth, the cosmos and in all our souls. We desire this essence to return balance to our earth, our bodies and our lives.

It is vital to remember her ways so we can expand our conscious awareness and rise to greater heights.

Seek the divine mother to lead you and teach you. Her life force is the spark that will ignite a deeper spiritual intelligence within.

When we tune into the divine yin energy that lives in all of us, incredible things happen.

Written with positive intentions by: Aly Rose

I am a woman who enjoys Tribal belonging. It is one of my core seeking behaviors. I am a woman who feels the power of being witnessed and expressed in a group. I am a woman who finds *huge* value in group process. I am a woman who both longs for the freedom of expression, and feels internally strangled by the reflection of past social “containers”. I am a woman who is both wise, and ignorant. I am a woman who is both developed and infantile. I am a woman. I contain multitudes. If it is a good fit for you here, play well. There is “a price of admission” to this ride...may it be an interesting journey.

Namaste Kris Fireheart.

“Sophia’s Luminous Light” Acrylic on Canvas with Gold Leaf- ©Lindy Kehoe

www.lindykehoe.com I am forgiving, for I have given for strength in all the weaknessess emanating from my creavases with every interaction, growth.

-Collette

The rhythm of a woman’s heart is wild… a beat that few choose to dance to.

If you dare enter her chalice be aware that this endeavor is one of surrender.

It takes courage to truly open yourself to the flow of the feminine~ Controlling chaos is an illusion. You can only witness attempts of stillness. She is the weaver of this fabric as well as the loom. Let her hands create you, her heart adore you and her love set you free!

-Nicole DeVaney 2

Dear Sister, As I sit here, preparing to send over my draft, the deep urge to just... Thank You... wells up. Since our first meeting, I have been left in a state of sheer excited awe. You inspire me to strive more, enjoy the simple things, and always…

Remain True to My Voice.

The level of unconditional love has been overwhelmingly, exquisitely beautiful.

There are days where the tears flow, out of sadness, outta happiness, and every single little breath-taking nuance in between.

Dear Sister, you show and remind me to…

See, Feel, And Cherish the Light and Medicine in Life, Nature, Everyone.

Primarily the Viscous Pisces, Myself.

Thank You. Throughout exploration, such swings of melancholy and sheer bliss arise.

The self-induced exploitative experiential fluctuations of this chosen incarnate – “Me” – flow forth, gracious and unbridled.

And awkward.

Oh, the “social anxiety.”

Bewildering, really.

Pfftt.

I digress.

manifesting, actualizing, night-owling into how “best” to highlight the mysterious and expansive Human Spirit.

I wonder if I am doing right<>left by my “fellow man.” I stumble about, grasping onto wisps of clarity for brief moments, reveling in their expanses and yearning to BE THE CHANGE, “Walk the Walk,” or <at the very least> pretend to “Fake it until I make it” until putting these silly games aside to just smile and be happy.

Because we are always here. Encouraging and exploring hand in hand, all the while cheering along our seen and unseen friends. Baby steps. Infinity. Beyond.

Thank you for pulling down inspiration and organizing it so that We can be Our Highest Serving Expression of Self and Bounce our Evolution Expression of Our Soul Nature’s Best.

It feels oft, as if I know nothing and all rolled into one. I have written drafts and bullet points and sketched and gazed upon the wind in trees under setting suns. I stay inside for days, and stare at walls long enough until the fire burns, engulfing all into ***ACTION!*** once more.

We have been here many times before. Always, Always, Always, there is a new promising door.

After playing with premises, titles, and varying such process, I have decide to follow the excitement and spirit. With humility, I submit various scribbles on paper, from “My Diary.”

Sometimes, We are more connected than we could ever possibly conceive. I am young.

I am old. I am someone. I am no one. I am anything Eye can Conceive.

Such quandaries arise: “What is authenticity?”

“What is transparency?”

“What is genuine?”

“How clearly can I reflect the blessing of life?”

“How can I be of service” “Who am I?” …Well, you know, the gambit of floating thought-clouds translated and tingling throughout the course of an energetic-physical Being aligning with a Soul Porpoise. (Pun ... er... Intended)

And so are you.

And so are we.

The REALLY Fun Stuff.

Milina

I find myself just... wishing... to learn and pay all due respect with fellow brother and sisters, all the while honoring our ancestors within a flawless blending of the ancient and present.

Joyfully. Progressively. ... I have a LOT of work to do.

I am organized. I ALWAYS Follow Through.

So be it.

The very fine line tippy top apex of this, my dear Inspirational Motivator, has coalesced into the reflection and writing of something bigger than me...

Simply,... this breath and agreed upon joyful, tangible “thing,” project, passing of musings...”

This. which has been penned by hand, to share and over/under/inner Stand.

“She Loved Herself.”

While withdrawing, yearning so very, very nothing and much at all to be the Highest, most Clear and Pure Version of Me...

I admire from afar the glory of these goddesses processing and sharing with unwavering authenticity for this belief-unveiling book. I subsequently and always believe in each and every one of these women so, so much.

In our vision.

In our mission.

In our being.

In our love.

In our light.

Our internal states reflect.

Concentric Circles.

Daydreams dance within our reality.

Bless.

I have towed the line for days on end, feeling into, day-dreaming, envisioning,

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{You... Are... AMAZING! } May All Beings Everywhere Be Happy and Free.

I Love You. Thank You. Bula.

“A letter of Thank You”-exerpt from the book “She Loved Herself ”

“Would you mind if I rub your feet?”

“Can I lay like a spoon next to you, whilst caressing your left arm?”

“May I sit on your left side, and hold you?”

It is no surprise to me touch is the curing factor of growth and personal health. I sit surrounded on all sides by a cradle of comforts, a magnifying feeling of being supported, who knew Cuddle parties are kind of a big deal? Paving the way through the social shaming of platonic intimacy, gatherings of “Snugglers” unite in a whole new fashion. Velvet throws tossed across the floor, soft and colorful, layers and layers create an inviting comfort; cuddling starts with consent. When it comes to boundaries, there can never be enough conversation, not a question that couldn’t be asked, even if and especially if you think you know the answer. People are more surprising, and more inventive than the majority of us give credit. Feeling embodied in your decisions, in your actions, in a place of safety without fear of approval, is an imperative act of social grooming that too often gets over looked and/or confused. All of this is created and respected during a proper cuddling session. I am empowering you as the reader right now to accept no, not as a disapproval, nor a shameful response to your existence, accept no as a reality, this is all it is, no means go elsewhere. I now am empowering you as the reader to accept yes, accept do not expect, yet allow yourself a yes every once in awhile, run through that field, kiss your best friends, share your love openly, give as freely as you receive, and in return receive as openly as you give. Connect with people you would never have thought too, break through social programming with questions and vulnerability, that being said I think we can agree part of the human condition is based on some or many levels, around our interests in connection(s).

“Urial and Arianna in the Garden of I Love You” Oil on Canvas- ©Lindy Kehoe 2004

Wanna Cuddle?

Cuddling for health is not a new notion; somatic transmissions sent to the brain increase sensation and the release of oxytocin. We are but chemistry sets built of neurotransmitters and hormones affecting our minds ergo our bodies. Scientific studies link Oxytocin to reduction in inflammation, therefore aiding in an increased healing response in wounds. May we speculate that “wounds” can also be trauma in the emotional body? Traditional Chinese Medicine defines the emotions can just as easily cause stagnations that limit the body’s immune responses. Likely not the first time you’ve heard of “the healing touch”. Oxytocin has a releasing action

on the body, for example the hormone encourages the initiation of lactation and the contraction of the uterus during birth in females, both processes that “release” if you will, that which has built up inside. I’ll allow that analogy to sink in for a moment when associating “release” with build up in the system, noting that build up without eventual release causes toxicity.

These are the reflections coursing through my mind as I lay over a pile of firm yet softly accepting bodies, breathing deeply, my senses activated from countless nerve cells scattered across an indeterminable amount of source. Thank you, what a high. It’s not hard to find the “Snuglife”, a little diligence and you may find yourself a puddle of consenting cuddles, increasing your immune response, your sense of connection to humanity, connection to yourself, and the embodiment of the now moment.

-A lesson in sensual activation and consent-C43H66N12O12S2

Collette

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PIC-IT-POT-IT

-Carolyn Peabody

Shivering;

-Collette

It is often in delivery; Exciting my very core. Social mimicry.

This disturbs, perturbs my every being.

By enacting, is this versing what I am seeing?

Procuring my disbelieving?

Isn’t it all glory, a lore, fable love story.

Not so soon, I may forever swoon.

Yet here I am; once more, stomach caterpillars digesting the cocoon.

Closely surveying the flowerpots, one catches your eye, you tend to it, you swoop it up, you handle it aggressively, or with the gentleness of ghosts. Did you pick a flower and forget to give it water? As the life is draining slowly, evaporation is in place, you put it in an empty vase. Deciding to Pick a Flower and leave it segregated from the earth -Sadie Foster in a vase with no water to nourish it whilst you’re at play? Into your current Please place it back near the plant from which it came.

As I inhale the sensual musk within this salty air Please do not sever the flower from the original space to I hear the ocean singing deep from below your quiet desires.

Your hair wet from the depths you’ve travelled, which the Flower exists without nourishment, the flowtelling wonders if only from a dream. er will wilt; You may take a cutting of the flower, to your As your chest lifts and fallshearts desire, and plant it in a heart shaped vessel, feed and your eyes look into the distance, for longings known yet unseen. nourish the flower so the flower may root and know it is Your gaze seizes my heart, not lost, so they may find sanctuary in a new home. If this my breath stops and I am yours.

You see into me, knowing the craftsmanship of all my being, is not your intention, I beseech you to allow the flower to The curves of pleasure, My cracks of hidden pain. re-feed that from which the flower came, so the plant may You know how to mold yourself to me, become whole from all that it has shed. It is a tragedy to fill every crevasse. to pluck a flower and put it somewhere foreign. Death is To support my limbs with a mothers comfort. but a cycle, yet when we detach the return of energy from To love my love-within your truth, my fears are nonexistent. the fluid circle of life and death, this action traumatizes the birthing origin. Similarly when two people share commu- To show me the unknown with a glance in your timeless landscape eyes.

You reflect my love in such a primal way, nion, and don’t sever their bonds when deciding to split, what else am i to do, no return of energy sufficed. Then a flower is picked and other than to allow all i have built within to collapse all around me. removed from the space to which it came, a flower, held dying in between the fingers that once gracefully caressed the soft plant from which it was plucked; You now hold this -Elise flower as it is wilting, dying off into dust. A botanist would To be reminded I’ve found that being reminded of you say a plant must recover from such trauma, as we too in Forces me to realize how much of you still resides inside of my heart many different invocations must too. Be soft and honest Pretending the pain is not there only keeps it hidden below the surface.

My subconscious wages a senseless war that my conscious mind denies exists with your movements, garden graciously.

Comical almost to think The hypocrisy My mantra is of forgiveness To forgive myself for the love I will always hold A string of eternal love I will never sever Because, how can you?

My heart can’t bare the pain of denying love to anyone, especially someone I’ve grown to love Letting my love flow freely As it should That, that is when I feel best So, with that I’m sorry Please forgive me I love you Thank you And the pain is something new Better It is Love

Convergence

-ccr

Within the walls of this physical body there lay a raging stream of golden energy In transition; moving with many vibrations in leminiscate With slow breaths quickening and utter thoughtful thoughtlessness there is synergy No halt in movement yet a conference in equally charging unity; no misfit As the bond thickens it is easy to call upon the nature of rhythm into larger frame A mystic might relay, a Yogi may purvey, call to me by name.

s.

-I thought all I needed was some sleep until I met you I thought the sweetest thing was sugar until I kissed you I thought the only thing to sting were bees until I missed you I thought it would be easy until I hurt you I thought you would never forgive me until I let you

-Chantal Elena

Cheeky Tips

No one ever told me that a woman’s anger pools at her base.

They didn’t want us to know.

They didn’t want us to know that we could turn their bullshit into a joyful dancing garden.

We aren’t supposed to talk about our dancing gardens.

About how you can start at the tips, those cheeky tips.

I mean sure you can use them to sell things and get out of speeding tickets.

But, did you know that a firm squeeze will perk up your parched flowers?

Did you know that you can hold them gently and tell them you love them?

The MOST charitable body, cosmically sewing seeds of polarities, You can squeeze, and push and pull.

Infinite knowing, momentary experiential spectrum of color You can do it til you can’t stand it anymore.

Primordial shape shifter, And then, and they really don’t want you to know this, continuously creating, you can pluck a flower from your own garden.

The tips of your fingers can can stroke the delicate petals.

Sustaining, Eventually, if you are patient enough, the flower might nudge itself against your hand, “Harder.”

Rearranging, So go ahead and bruise it’s crimson skin. I promise it won’t mind.

You’ll get satisfaction from the juice it seeps, thinking, “Wow that was something!”

My faith changing and gaining strength to bear the weight of my desire for Assuming it’s the end. disaster.

But the flower will start opening and closing, just a flutter.

The patterns finally changing, It will fly from your hand and bury into your navel.

Indigo innovator of the mindful massacre, And it’s rhythm will awaken all of the flowers in your garden right at their roots.

Came in the name of transformation, Soon, in harmony with one another, they will A burning sensation for liberation and my freedom to CHANGE THE FUCKING STATION Open and close.

No patience for the stagnation of a nation who lost GOD Open.

Finally dying, to nourish the source of intention Close.

Indestructible intention remains and sustains the web we’ve been weaving, Open, close. Open, close.

Honored with abandon I stand in the light.

Openclose, openclose, OPENCLOSE, OPENCLOSE. Fundamental frequency, OPENCLOSE OPECNLOSE OPCLENOSE OCLPOESNE The vibration of love.

Marry yourself to it and you will get a ring….

CLOSEOPEN, CLOSEOPEN, closeopen, closeopen a ring that vibrates, Close, open. and resonates so deeply, Close, open.

It will penetrate your being, and transform what’s sleeping in your waking Close. when your dreaming.

Open.

Let the stars do the dreaming so you can FOCUS… Close.

On the art of one heartbeat.

The beginning of belief found in the sound of your thoughts, And that shit, let me tell you, that shit is so good it can make you smile again. forgot the old stories in order for you to feel…

It will transform all that anger you built, from all the lies they told you into dew that The glory wets your way to truth.

Now seeing the resonance of heaven found only in your presence…

Or maybe just pleasure. now the completion of transformation.

Gifted death to feed the many seeds that birth the one Either way it’s better than bullshit. all seeing eye before your open to the light To show you how beautiful WE is.

-Jessica Heintzleman My softened heart exists in the heavy steps I left, to change the path in the process, honoring everything, always remembering, never forgetting, to keep connecting so moderation can be found in the stars above Planted in the dark skies of our mothers whom, grown in the infinite light of our fathers strength, fed by the fluidity the explodes into our breath.

I’m here to change the beat you breathe to... so BREATHE KEEP BREATHING to see that in the presence of me....you’re in the presence of you.

- Dominique Ceccon

Pencils-Chantal Elena

6

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rabbit Heartâ&#x20AC;? this is the way we become ourselves in searching and finding and re trying it is not trial and error but trial and learn i reach inside my chest and pull out a rabbit its heart beats fast and its blood drips thru my fingers i have not imagined this before it has appeared here with these keys i have not tried the door yet but i assume it to be the one i came thru and the same one i will exit thru maybe the door is not a door at all and i have appeared here just like the keys or maybe the rabbit pulled my heart out of its own chest and i am left with the dangling carrot in front of my nose i have no logic for you to explain why she may attack this and i cannot take the knife out of her hands i cannot make her walk backwards and i cannot remove her shield i can only say the rabbit knows whose heart it is that drips blood on the white rug and when the war is over the trail of blood will lead to a place of love where the she demon may not enter and her weapons will hold no weight we live the good life and fight the good fight leaving no room for hindsight the scene behind me holds no weight in this weightless place i have nothing to give her i give my true love my soul and his arms can hold me safe her attacks fall on deaf ears her attacks are useless and i can see this.

7

-Yess

Throw me off a roof...

take me and throw me off a roof maybe make sure its a tall one more than ten stories at least a roof you can see the horizon from one that when you look down on life way down there the people look tiny like ants throw me and see me fly i will spread my arms out like wings at the last second waiting just to make you think i will plummet like a rock but i will fly and you will see that you are the one that has fallen and i am the one to catch you and things like money and bills and who pays what are inconsequential and meaningless because if we did not have each other to throw off the roof how would we know we can fly because once i have shown you weightlessness you will be so happy to fly with me we will jump off roofs together

-Yess

-Yesse Jesse Freesoul

l

Sister, Dear Mami, hello:

I write because I know your heart. It’s one that has felt that high-sigh-sing that lust brings all sugary and crisp; Ah, delightful, Palmier tongues and butterfly tummies~ mmm, don’t you love that part? A heart that swells once the spark turns to bloom. Then BOOM, like a bass-drop, Love bursts from heart to belly, down into your shoes. Love that grounds you- so real and heavy- refusing to leave anytime soon. The kind of stuff that just IS, without question. And when you’re in it, get ready for intensity and intricacies and oh boy…

So what to do then, right? I mean, it’s easy when the compass stops spinning and the timing is just so and He is everything you’d written on paper in the journal with the pink cover and a little lock. THAT is a blessed path to Bliss. Bless the lovers that have it down like that, all smooth and synched-up right. Must be nice. But that’s not why I write you, Sis. I know it’s been trickier than all that for you. It has for me, too.

See, what happens when the compass spins and spins while time moves counterclockwise? What about when love feels so real, your reflection changes? When you can no longer lie to yourself because each mirror glares only truth back at you? How to proceed when the map is in place and the babies are growing up and mommy is supposed to have it all figured out already? And as if it weren’t confusing enough, what if this He whose fate was to be woven with yours, turns out to be a She? Does that make Love any less real? I mean, not in the hypothetical sense and not for everybody else—of course, the answer is “Love is REAL, always and all-ways, a hundred times YES!” But trust gets twisted when the question is within the SELF. The answer turns uncertain once the map is lost. Unsteady waters. Broken compass. But still, all this Love is undeniable. You are buoyant yet anchored and it’s all so different this time. What then?

That’s when you sit quiet, feeling thrilled at this beautiful…something while terrified that this changes everything; A trapeze dance of joy and fear. That very moment is when you grab on to the hands of your distant sisters. You must reach out now to the women who are steady in their selves and listen to their stories. Let their strength and courage carry you for a little while.

Build your understanding of Love without condition in this context completely new and at once, deeply personal. This self-knowledge feels hot and strange and undeniably true. Identity has begun to melt in its warmth, the puddles form question-marked shapes at your feet. In the quiet you have a random memory of puddle-jumping, all barefooted and curious. Were you this person, then? A part of you, dormant for a lifetime?

You long for the simple worries of wet feet and catching cold and letting someone who knew better make the choices for you. Did you ever wish it was simple again, Mami? Have you ever felt like this?

Well I have. It was crazy-amazing and unexpectedly weird yet familiar just the same. And it took me far too long to ask for permission to be calmly fluid, to feel

cartoon -Hillary Mendoza completely and to just… be. But I am here now, Sister. In love with Love, however it may show up, because it’s the feeling and the spirit, not the form that matters. The years have past, after babies have grown from toddlers to teens, I have finally found the courage to speak it. I was thrilled but mostly terrified, until the words dropped out, easier than I’d ever imagined they would over breakfast…”Because you guys are the closest people to me and I am your mother and you should know who I am; I am Bi.” There was nodding and a sip of juice and my son: “Mom, there’s a kid in my class who’s Bi” and then my daughter, after a bite of eggs: “yeah, my friend has been dating girls for a while”, and it’s cool; no big deal. These children who came from love and never learned to judge it, hold this space readily and with ease. And at once I am proud of these humans who know my heart, too and I am even proud of me (a rare mommy moment) and I breathe a little easier and finish my food.

I write to reach a Sister who is struggling with her truth, and to you Mami if you feel like the timing might be too late to “begin” this becoming. What if the timing is perfect? and love is just right with its belly-flop, bass-drop madness? Maybe you just needed someone to give you permission to speak it, and someone who is living it to show you it will be better than fine (whatever “it” is). You are not alone. It is okay to feel fully… me, you. After all the curious confusion, I know this: Love bursts through, undefined and unconditional, the way it was meant to be all along. May however we become be honored and blessed and beautiful.

You are beautiful. You are LOVE. xoxoxo, me

D I C E

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journeys into the subconscious fabric of my being. Some were extremely traumatic while others were full of love and bliss but they all had one thread that linked them together.

The thread was that the key to understanding what I had seen and experienced was always found in ancient myth. The most profound experience I have had to date was on the entheogenic plant medicine Ayahuasca. It really brought things full circle for me in my creative process and showed me that it is my path in life to be a creator. That being said, at this time in my life I find that most of my inspiration comes from the cultivation of my inner realms and the practices I have adopted into my daily routine, rather than through the use of entheogens. I am still a huge supporter of the responsible use of both modalities, and strongly believe that each can be a great tool to reach alternative states of consciousness. Both have imbued me with enough creative inspiration to last infinite lifetimes. However I find that the entheogenic realms can be extremely seductive and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel that I can reach my fullest expression by constantly being in those realms. Just like anything in life the beauty comes with moderation.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ascensions Dreamâ&#x20AC;? - Electro-Mineralist-

Anthony Asirios West Inspiration for my style comes more from the physical realm while the subject matter comes from the cultivation of my inner realm and the study of mythology. I encounter inspiration around me all the time; everything I experience is transferred through my lens of creativity and focused into action in one way or another. Melding inspiration from nature, mythology, and my inner world for me is the key to creating the art that I am called to share with the world. Throughout my life I have had many different experiences in numerous different realms of consciousness. Some of them have come through meditation while others have come from entheogenic 9

In this phase of my journey my job is to sort through and organizing all the information and insight I have gained into useful and translatable imagery that I can share with the world. I am finding as I mature more as a creator that my biggest challenge is to focus my creative energy into the projects that mean the most to me. There is so much inspiration flowing everywhere all the time that it is easy to get lost in the infinite stream and get fragmented into numerous different projects that never quite reach fruition. As an artist and creator the biggest challenge is to keep my feet firmly on the ground. I have to cultivate my mind and bodies ability to channel the energy and focus it towards the completion of my projects. My most recent work has been focused primarily on my personal exploration of what it means to embody the masculine archetype and inevitably has led to an exploration into my relationship with the feminine and how that microcosmic dynamic plays out in the

macrocosm. It is really interesting to me how much we can play out the cosmic dance right in our own homes and in our closest most intimate relationships. Recently I have begun to dive into the realm of human sexuality, how it relates to the hero’s journey and how that mirrors the journey of humanity as a whole. To me the understanding of human sexuality is greatly overlooked and could hold the key to understanding ourselves, and where we come from. I believe that the true history of humanity is embedded in our myths and rituals; one of the most sacred and powerful rituals is that of sexual expression. Human sexuality is something that has been turned into a tool of control in more recent times but is embedded in myth as a tool for transcendence and understanding. As humans continue on our quest to understand ourselves and expand upon our understanding of the universe i feel like sexuality and mythology are our greatest keys to unlocking the mysteries for which we seek answers. As my journey continues I see my paintings becoming more and more representative of my true self and my highest divine expression. As I reach deeper inside myself I continue to find more clarity and calmness which translates into my imagery as more peace and tranquility.

When I view my work I want to feel a sense of calm power that emanates out and inspires the viewers to continue on their own path. I want the viewer to walk away feeling calm and invigorated. It is my greatest hope that my work can be a signpost for my viewers, detailing that they are on the right path because that’s what art is for me. Art is a signpost, and a gentle reminder to continue moving forward.

-Anthony Asirios West “Portal Road” - Anthony Asirios West

“Self-Portrait”- Anthony Asirios West

Once upon a time.

Once upon a time you were my king.

We frolicked in a land constructed of our dreams.

As we gazed at stars and galaxies.

Our souls intertwined.

Became one.

We were lost in sea of believing.

Wakeup

-Elise

Phase 1.

Would-Be Would wait to catch The drift of the song of Would-She(?)

As she would Slowly amble the all of her Down the secret alley of If she should.

Like the sweet breath of bees Would-She(?)

Enter humming A dizzying tune of Energies sustained---just enough—to mist The mirrors of desire in their Could be Fantasy.

Up on her toes Would-She(?)

Go whirling, turning This way and that, Merely to brush With her aphrodisiac Charms but--NEVER To touch.

Only the rainbow of Her honey spray Arched and Encircled his proud display until--M*A*D*N*E*S*S Transfixed His bestial grin.

-Tony Hardwick 11

“Alphabet” - Rene Medina Marker & Paper- Yesse Jesse Freesoul

Phase 2.

“Oh sweet Chimera/my love/our love/engendered by my mind/my mind yet/I feel you’re responsible for the planting thereof/do you know?/could you know?/how would you know?/how could you possibly have known?/HOW DO YOU KNOW???/how/did/you/know/how/would/could you possibly have known?/where/why did you go?/I often thought about your strange newborn voice/how it could become as familiar/familiar as it always has been/always has been/ where did you go?/has some chop-fiend sexed you into pieces?/ a Shiva sacrifice?/a necessary ritual for your death/rebirth?/your torso for a tree?/for me?/ to love?/you/your image/it certainly was real or was your touch a dream?/touch/a/dream/a terrible mystery?...”

-Tony Hardwick

Like I mentioned before, my depictions are a mirror of my own process.

They are a bit emotionally autobiographical, yet although they are quite personal, there are universal themes.

I am usually not alone in my process, although my conscious self might think that I am. When I take work out into public settings, a lot is often revealed. We aren’t just individual bodies and personalities... we are also a field of awareness, and impulses flow through us all. So, while I may be “remembering”, it turns out that other people are too.

I had a great response recently to a painting I am currently working on, from a young woman in San Francisco who said she has never seen such a depiction of an empowered woman, especially painted by a woman. To me, this meant that there is a larger calling for this imagery. Source is sending this out, and I just happened to pick it up on my antennae. Women are sent many messages about themselves

“I Know that Language” -Ashely Forman from many different directions and sources, and we are looking to reintegrate any misplaced power, or rewrite the cultural stories that we are taught about ourselves. Men also respond to these visions, because we are all connected... we all want each other’s healing, as it benefits us all.

Our True Nature is sexy.

more work by Ashely Foreman can be found at; www.thirteentwentystudios.com www.facebook.com/ashelyforemanart www.instagram.com @ ashelyjosephine

“Vital Expression”- Ashely Forman

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Ashely Forman “Ayehli”

Inspiration comes in different forms. For me, my paintings usually come straight from sober visions, or a series of them as I’m working over long periods of time. They are like a picture language conversation between my conscious self & subconscious. I may also attract references I enjoy, and then over time it is revealed to me why I was attracted to it, and what I was calling in.

I have never actually had a psychedelic vision that I then set out to paint. The boundaries are not that defined. I have seen amazing things, but so far, I have not left a ceremony and then set out to paint what I saw.

It is usually the opposite. I usually see my paintings that I’ve already been working on in a bigger way during work with plant medicines in ceremony. There is an overlap, and it feels that the same Source that I can hear 9

so loudly with the help of medicines is really always there trying to help me, and is also the guidance behind my artwork, writing, and almost every creative endeavor that has the intention of the heart in it.

I often “see” things, but I also feel things in a variety of ways. I think metaphor is the language of the subconscious, and although I don’t usually understand why I am creating, seeing, or feeling the things I do from the beginning, they tend to evolve and reveal themselves through synchronicity over time. There is eventually an expansion & clarity around the meaning of the piece and its alignment with other events in my life.

Emotionally, I tend to paint things that are soothing to myself. I often paint what I am deficient in, as though my subconscious is delivering the right medicine or “feeling” meta-program that I want to integrate... Many of my works are expressions of nurturing, connection, support, guidance, confidence, empowerment, and femininity.

Although the perceptions others have of me may be the opposite, I usually don’t feel that I am already embodying the things I create artwork about.

Rather, I think I am working on it, even subconsciously, and the artwork is sort of a mirror of that process. It’s a bit like reclaiming parts of myself that have been fragmented or pushed into the shadow.

Me the artist is often frustrated with myself, because I can see a lot of what I want it to look like or feel like, and lots of ideas come, but it’s a slow process so I can often feel frustrated with where I am at vs. where I want to be. At other times though, such as those moments of clarity, I see beautiful things brewing inside myself, trying to make their way out of my subconscious and into my conscious awareness... then, I feel awe and appreciation in those moments; Like a puzzle piece that just fits.

I turned to my art as a place to express myself and learn more about myself in a deeper way.

more Adam Sturch @ http://adamsturch.blogspot.com/ “Calypso’s Milk” - Adam Sturch The FIVE STAGES of Artistic Grace Documented Charles Schneider 1. This glory is the puppet of monsters. Float away from body for color blinds, music burns, back-lit leaves, majestic as stained glass invoke nausea, silent days; in phantom the flame wears alien skin, it has been removed. Metallic flaying.

It has been drizzling salt-water all these weeks I have lived in the wilderness without you 2. Leave them; summoned by daemon-horns, playing by the river, the wild, mad children with skins of canvas, playing a strange new game dancing in ancient menagerie aflame the season dies with spoken words; beneath each mossy rock unturned, blue-glow marks of secret world, churns an empire of beats rutting, they are devouring trampled siblings riotous blind albino narcissistic tumult.

D I C E

3.) Your flesh was sacred. Remember once when for years we doubted the power of this; writing words now just now today Like an Arcane spell they must be as perfect as possible, as precise as unmovable as standing stones, words may be all that can save us.

4.) Three-hundred and five years ago looking as pale, your own lithe torso, moonlit ribcage jutting a shining darkness enveloping rainbow stars at night black and all known colors were and are all one, all the same, all light the mind and marrow conglomerate; fell out of body now one year awoken, Szukalski whispered most emphatically, “You must take the Art and suck it out of your BLOOD.” How long can you protect your belly shimmer? and shift?

Sleepwalk and destroy - with vellum purification - with ink for open windows - the play is all you ever had.

5.) Looking out the coffee shop window to see the beautiful little bird all scruffy and matted, a grey sparrow of sorts this little creature has one leg the other is a tiny stump from who knows what battle or accident. The bird and friend take to the sky, and are out of view…yes, if yes. if.

The Bird. The Seed.

The Light in that bird speaks: “LIVE ON. DON’T GIVE UP. FEED ME. SLEEP. AWAKEN. HOP AND FORAGE. FLY-THOUGH YOU WOBBLE, NEVER GIVE UP ‘TIL STRUCK DOWN

BY A HAMMER.”

“Current”- Adam Sturch

Homme Mesdames

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Find yourself.

-Joe Gillespie

I think I remember everything about that moment at Papa Wolf Fest. Amid the Birkenstock faux fur joint orgy, I left my momentary friend (Birch or something) on the dirty couch and found guitarist Timothy Punturo side stage. This is assuming my memory wasn’t affected by any substances: dirty bare feet, vacuum sealed skinny jeans, and some sort of graphic tee completely bro-tankified – a real 21st century lost boy.

He put up with compliments the way all musicians do after a great show, with a well-rehearsed, slightly awkward, completely sincere catalogue of smiles, nods, and thank you’s. I pressed relentlessly. How long have you been a band? How often do you tour? How long have you been playing man, Christ?”

“This is our first show.”

What the fuck.

Now I was jealous and in love.

Placerville’s Find Yourself is the tightest – still covered in fluid they’re so new – unsigned band I have heard. These gentlemen get down.

Instrumental Experimental Post-Rock ambient funk bliss; they belong in a box unto themselves. Jonathan and Timothy Punturo, Alex Coleman, Lucas Feil, my hat goes off.

Despite their extremely short lifespan so far, Find Yourself has been gestating for quite some time. In fact, I think that Timothy and Jonathan came out of the same womb. They have the same last name. They probably have subjected each other to their various awkward musical phases of adolescence. They wear those same moth-eaten sweaters and have the same beaming grin. Most of all, they speak the same musical language, the whole band does.

Since playing their first show last summer, Find Yourself has released a fantastic seven song EP, “Friendship.” Despite a lack of production not uncommon with first-releases, “Friendship,” stands out as one of the best instrumental albums I’ve heard all of last year. Adding melodic sauce to the carnal grooves between bass wizard Lucas Feil and Jonathan, Alex and Timmy jazz chord, tip-tap, and riff-raff all around the sonic spectrum creating an exuberant and playful cloud of sound that is somehow both mature and insanely free-spirited. In a genre dominated by one trick ponies, Find Yourself doesn’t seem to give one shit about impressing anyone with their individual musicianship (while my tongue is hangs on the floor).

Instead the focus is on the feel; the infectious energy, keeping the listener responsive and engaged and moving. Movement! It is so important. There is never a lethargic moment. When Lucas and Jonathan are syncopating a funky offbeat rhythm, Alex and Timmy dance in and out with tasteful

guitar leads and crystal arpeggios. There is lighthearted warmth and sexuality to their music that differentiates them from other instrumental bands whose focus seems to be on speed and technicality. Not to say they don’t break character and go nuts occasionally. The third track “If I’m the want, then you’re the need,” explodes into organized chaos before falling back down into their familiar moving melodic landscape. It’s the juxtaposition between the extremes of their arrangements that give every song a corresponding color and emotion. The final track, “There is a light,” reminds me of half-drunk lonesome wander through an unfamiliar city – an over attentive focus and curiosity for every new stimuli. Jonathan’s dynamic and fluctuating drums pulse independently while the hypnotic guitars create a type of tunnel vision trance. When the mood has been explained, the band shifts gears and falls into an outro adorned by beautifully strange chord voicings and a scintillating bass solo.

The quality about “Friendship” that sets it above so much else is that you are able to get such an unobscured picture of who the creators are as people. Something I thought was near impossible to do playing Instrumental Post-Rock. Perfect for an orgy in space, perfect for a walk home, perfect for soaping up in the shower, perfect to fall asleep to, “Friendship” is streaming in its entirety at: https://m.soundcloud.com/find-yourself-music/sets/friendship-ep.

a page from a picture novel- Adam Sturch

She had black and white stockings.

I was raised in Alaska in a Christian “back to the land” cult. I was not allowed to talk to girls and visa versa. In the church they decide who you marry. You then have to do what’s called ‘walking out a year’ the most a couple can do is hold hands, they have to always have a married person with them. The women were not allowed to wear pants and when we would go to pick the fields they would put on pants but they had to wear an ankle length skirt over them.

My first kiss was at around 14, she was 19 her grandmother was the head elder for doing exorcisms or “throwing demons out”. Her parents were not in the church, she had gotten in trouble at school for drinking, the authorities that be said she was having sex. So her parents sent her touring with her demon-throwing grandmother to purge her demons out. During a ritual where someone was having their demons thrown out, everybody was in a cult crazy state of mind with their arms in the air and praising as hard as they could. She says ‘why don’t you kiss me’ so I did, and no one saw.

Winter Animus You don’t dance anymore.

The tempest, once issued of Nocturnal breath, no longer Stirs the fiber, the salt nor the water.

Frost has captured a curious maskUnderwater blue, behind which a Face has slipped nose-down-in-the-snow.

The air is still now.

I search the horizon, yet I find only a vast Whiteness. Are there no Boundaries to this bed of ice? Perhaps somewhere There is a tiny blue spot where at first a Crack Will appear. Then a pool will form, Sniggling the faintest rays of the sun.

And the sapling will surely push toward the sky.

--Tony Hardwick

I was a virgin till 18 and had the hardest time looking at naked bodies because they turned me on.

“I’m just telling you all this weird shit because V-day is coming up.”

-Yesse Jesse Freesoul

My first Art teacher was our neighbor; she owed my parents money. I had gone from being able to take notes in church with colored pens to drawing on myself, so I got spanked. They gave me a pencil so I drew in the notebook, so I got spanked. They then took my notepad away knowing the only place I could write was in my bible and I wouldn’t write anything or draw anything in it. So I started to draw on myself with the pencil, I got caught, I got spanked. Finally they just took my pencil away and I was not allowed to touch pens or pencils until the fateful day the neighbor owed them money. It had been years of trying to draw and getting spanked, at the age of 12 my parents said, “this kid keeps trying to ‘doodle’ so maybe you can show him something”. She did, I walked home with it and their jaws hit the ground, proclaiming how sorry they were for trying to stop this God given gift. The best part was the neighbor had playboys, and every once in a while she would let me take a peek.

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I don’t do fairytale. I’m not poly either. I’ve had more pets then partners but not really interested in either right now. I’ve enjoyed the concept of a First Mate but these days I’d prefer you have your own vessel. Let’s find a clear bay with a nice waterfall and drop anchor for a bit, maybe we can work out an armada and take turns being commodore.

But mostly I need “friends” right now.

I have taken a lot of steps to redefine myself lately and had to let go of a lot of unhealthy habits and people to do it.

So I am seeking new healthy “relationships”. But that’s all I’m after. I can’t help my facial expressions or change how sensual I am. I like reminding people that they are attractive too.

But if I’m hitting you up to share time space it’s probably because I consider you a gorgeous brilliant talented artist.

I am craving loving touch, but lets try this new thing where I keep my pants on.

Can we be friends?

I get it, old archetypes of relationships no longer work but are easy to fall into....

Can all you guys out there please stop attempting to use psychological and physiological manipulation or socially constructed obligation to get laid? I’ve been noticing lately how much that winds up affecting my relationships, so if you could just stop?

Thanks.

Sincerely, Every nice guy tired of unpacking and arranging the same baggage when they find a new snuggly buddy.

--Sumbhodi

“The Future”-Adam Sturch-oil

This Is Where I Know You This is where I know you.

Here and not there.

Not before and not after.

Not far and not near but Here. Right here.

Not when but now Right now.

Your hand in mine The feel of your pulse in my veins Sweet, immediate melody filling me up to my ears.

Press into me; become me as heaven does you.

Shake the dust from your feet shoes and let’s move As one creature.

Feel the music in tune with our sweat; play in the key of we These throat horns Loud into the fathomless black out-there.

Fly into me and out with streamers like filaments of dreams you’ve saved for this moment only.

Quicken the night with you body, teach the earth to shimmy, Shine.

Here. Now. Crack the sky, lightning fingers outstretched atop me - head cradled betwixt your breasts Sweet stench of sex in tents and the open desert.

Pray here with me to the prana preacher perched atop 30ft speakers printing bass drags into our skin We bleed beats.

Make love like we dance and dance like we make love.

Low, high and dirty. Big and unknowable.

Now. Here.

Get in me.

Ride with me on my leg-mobile.

Find a dust funnel and let’s send up.

I know you.

Roll around with me and wear it with honor.

Here. Now. In Connection, Wren

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“Convergence”, Adam Sturch, Graphite on Paper.

To me

Being embodied in my divine masculine means being in harmony and in balance with my divine feminine. Balance, integrity, understanding, compassion, acceptance, and action are some of the key words that come to mind when I think about what it means for me to feel empowered and embodied in the divine masculine. When I say “embodied man” I mean the spiritually aligned, consciously integral man. In polarity the un-embodied man is one who doesn’t hold his awareness at the forefront of his being and actions.

Recently I have felt my self grow in tremendous ways in regards to my understandings of the synergy that comes from aligning my heart with my mind and my body. I have gained a keen sense of my boundaries and limitations with others, where my strengths and my weaknesses are, as well as some areas that could use a little more nurturing and growth.

In my day to day life this manifests as a sense of supreme flexibility in the midst of sometimes overwhelming and constant changing circumstances.

Especially recently as of the new year, I feel I’ve been thrusted into my center in the midst of great stress and chaos. The younger me used to fall into bouts of depression and shut down by being over stressed and feeling utterly overwhelmed. The current me now finds that I naturally respond in fluidity to stressful situations and I feel empowered taking them head on.

I feel this shift naturally as I feel myself maturing. centered and embodied, it becomes a natural approach to life.

When embodied I feel acutely aware of my awareness and all the things around me. When embodied I feel strong, collected and open to whatever experience may come next. When embodied I am in touch with a subtle, but firm knowing that has always been there. The knowing that I am a trajectory of limitless potential. That I am truly, very powerful in my being.

An embodied man breaths through his frustrations, acknowledges his anger and owns his processes with no projections onto the other. He only reflects on the lessons presented in the moment by others. An embodied man is patient. An embodied man is of service and honor. He offers to others with no attachments or expectations. An embodied man is full, in and of himself. An embodied man has access to great wisdoms, if he chooses to listen closely enough. The embodied man is humble in his power.

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In relation to the divine feminine. An embodied man is secure in the space he holds for the representative of the goddess. Weather it be his mother, his sister, or his lover. Open to receiving the waves of her being while standing firmly in himself like a rock on her shore. The embodied masculine is brave and vulnerable.

Personally I have learned that channelling my sexual energy literally charges my entire chakra system. I can feel it in meditation. My motivation builds right along side my sexual energy. When I don’t expend that energy frequently I notice I am more grounded in my masculine embodiment. When holding my power and building my sexual energy, arousal becomes much more potent and tantra unfolds like first nature.

In meditation I sit, recognizing how full of love I truly am. How much I have to offer all the people in my life by just, simply, being the example of embodied love that is my true self. A trait I’ve always identified with and have fought to let come fully through, all of my life. Doing as I do. Communicating, expressing, offering myself to those around me in whatever form is beckoned. Being present and with a strong foundation.

I’ve grown to become convinced that the only way to change the world for the better, is to pursue the path of self mastery. To be able to keep all of your biological traits in observation and control your reactions and perceptions of your self and the outer world. It seems to me to be the highest goal to pursue. Probably one of the few paths that can profoundly improve the lives of all those around you. A path that could very possibly change the entire world. Walking the path is the goal.

With love.

Kevin Black

To you,

Slowly starting to realize it isn’t just me. It really is you.

If I’m trying to have a relationship with you I will probably define it. It can change by the minute but if boundaries or even gray areas and nebulous territories are discussed they are much easier to respect.

If given the chance I will tell you exactly why I enjoy your company, what I get out of it and what I have to offer in return. If I have any hopes plans or dreams for the future that involve you I will share those with you at my earliest convenience.

In other words I will state my intentions but I detest obligation or expectation. And those are just my friendships.

If I am trying to date you I will use the word date. I will ask you if you mind if we call it a date. It’s a level of commitment that I like and am comfortable with. You have committed to meeting and sharing timespace at a specific DATE and time.

That’s all it means to me.

I have yoga dates, music dates, food dates, and movie dates with guys, girls, gods, guru’s and myself. It does not mean I am trying to sleep with you.

However, if you are an attractive available female it means I’ve probably taken a shower and the option is open.

But if I was trying to sleep with you you’d know. You’d know my current level of sexual activity, std check status, recent dating history and current theory on all the loves in my life: past present and future.

So if we haven’t gotten there yet I’m honestly trying to keep my pants on.

“In this culture that we are co-creating, there is an alchemy of gender occurring in which we no longer chose to associate the lead with masculine, and following with feminine, men lead men, and women, woman, and the lead and the follow can change many times in a partnership.”

- Wren LaFeet, “Pioneering the New Renaissance,” TEDxBend “this is the reality of dismantling the gender binary in our culture, alowing movement into a deeper evolution of our sexuality. “ I believe that human beings are sexual in nature. Sexuality is really at the root of who we are, animals programed with a biological response to reproduce. Without our sexuality we have no impetus to continue growth; it is inseparable from who we are as a continuously existing species. It is the birthplace of our creative spirit.

With this understanding, it is primary that I accept my sexuality as a real thing, as such I have to accept the urges and attractions I feel are also very real. How we react to and enact these qualities is what is affected by the stimulus of social programing. My mother heard of my first sexual experiences and responded with nonchalant, yet powerful advice to be safe. I felt I could do what I wanted as long as I was considerate of everyone involved; this healthy notion helped me begin my current inquiry into power, privilege, and consent. While at the time my comprehension of dancing with these concepts was nebulous, I see now that my personal experience was guided by a destiny and a morality both deeply seeded in my upbringing and my soul, to sensually follow my sexuality.

Shifting my perception of sexuality into awareness was aided and catalyzed powerfully by my experience with the Mankind Project. This rite of passage experience asked much of me on all levels, particularly in the way of examining and engaging with my masculinity, and with masculine relationships in my life; namely: my father. As we really do not have any of these kinds of experiences built into our western culture, it was naturally incredibly powerful for me as a cis, white male to glimpse my own power and privilege.

Though still operating with a amorphous understanding of this privilege, it did initiate me to inquire further, “How am I showing up into spaces with this energy?”

In 2008, I began teaching hip-hop and swing to classes of primarily young females. The energy of budding sexuality was palpable, and to experience myself in that highly charged environment was deeply formative; to realize, obviously, nothing is okay or consenting with these young people except showing up as a mentor and educator. These experiences solidified in me the responsibility we have to each other to create safe spaces for platonic intimacy and expression. Working now with groups in my communities on sexuality, power, privilege, and consent with responsible notions as to how to Marshall - or direct and appropriately express these energies - has become a great focus and discipline of mine.

The perspective I’ve been working to cultivate with blues and fusion dance, in particular uses this raw energy, emanating from the same energetic center our body draws from to create. Implementing practices such as reading body language and facial cues, listening if partner’s subtleties are moving away or towards me; remaining open to change enables a more integral sensuality. I enjoy physical touch intensely - it’s my primary love language and one of the main reasons I stay engaged with partner dancing. My desire to remain open to where dances go, and to feel safe and clear with my boundaries empowers a sense of play within them, based on what I’m receiving from my partner. Creating the safe space for my partner to have autonomy within their boundaries, as well as my own formats the root of a solid connection. Delight of the orgasmic variety is absolutely possible when two bodies engage in this way; holding an open space, and making room for magic. I encourage you to play within your boundaries.

“The only thing required for magic to occur, is some form of structure, and an open mind” -Key Eleven, Gene Key. by Richard Rudd.

It’s the teaching of the self-sufficiency - the autonomy - that we need to engage within these different communities; In connection within the structure, we are learning to receive the intimacy we are seeking; the reciprocity.

In Connection,

Wren LaFeet

Creator, Nomad Dance and Cocréa -Movement Arts Facilitator, Cultural Architect www.NomadDance.com www.dancecocrea.com

Ink on paper-Yesse Jesse Freesoul

“Shaigatomi Musashi Ronin”-Anthony Asirios West-

“The Divine Sexuality that resides within us all.”

Schedule.

Perceptions, Divine Masculine, Poetry........pgs 2-4 Poetry & Short Stories of a Nomad.........pg 5 Find Yourself (Music)...........pg 6 Letter to the sexes........pg 7 The 5 Stages of Artistic Grace.......pg 8 Ashely Forman...........pgs 9-10 Phases 1&2, Color Me........pg 11 Letters, notes, inspirations..........pgs 2-3 Wanna Cuddle?..............pg 4 Pick-It Pot-It Poetry............pgs 5-6 Happenstance Poetry......pg 7 Sister, Dear Mami............pg 8 Anthony Arsirios West............pgs 9-10 Color Me Poetry............pg 11

Enter the Masculine contributors Anthony Asirios West Adam Sturch Wren LaFeet Yesse Jesse Freesoul Kevin Black James Davis Tony Hardwick Joe Gillespie B.Cunning Waking Crow Rene Medina Charles Schneider Alex Coffman

May this Edition of Co-Lab Art and Culture Zine tantalize the inner workings of you spirit, formatting you into position to make way the embodiment of your most intimate being. May your thoughts leap and stretch far beyond the realms of where thoughts have reached before.

Thank you for contributions made to Co-Lab Zine on behalf of sharing artistic perceptions. I must remind you this Issue will have imagery and some private notes attached to it that may or may not be suitable, in your eyes, for the youngest of our generations.

We remain Sex Positive, yet sometime the details are graphic, I urge you as a Parent to speak freely about sexuality and love with your children, Co-Lab does not assume responsibility, we may even encourage, the curiosities of children. We like to remind our Readers and Contributors; Co-Lab publishes perceptions from all walk’s of life and age range of contributors thus far vary from 18-78 years old. That being said, Read first, then share, this Issue is a little juicy around the edges.enjoy! Collette Rogers, Publisher.

You can be a part of Co-Lab, email submissions to:

collette@colabzine.com.

go online for supplemental texts, contests, and MORE Art

www.colabzine.com

“Vessel”, Adam Sturch

5$

Enter the Masculine.

co-lab.

Issue two. February 2016 cover-“Birth of Sirius” - Anthony Asirios West

a collection of ARTicles.