In the Hands of Alchemy - the way of trust and transformation: 2024

Vi Hilbert (respected tribal elder from the Upper Scaget Tribe) telling traditional Native American stories at The Light that Never Dims
Jerry's Article, "Holding a New Vision"
(Vi Hilbert as visionary) -HERE

Click on images to enlarge

The Light that Never Dims - A story, music and art event at the Whidbey Institute (from left to right) Christina Baldwin, Laura Simms, Allison Cox, Rebecca Chamberlain, Vi Hilbert, Jerry Wennstrom and Marilyn Strong

Laura and Vi after our event

Ishmael Beah (Laura's adopted son from Sierra Leone, he's Author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Child Soldier)

Gathering and a meal in The Gallery following the event

Vi and Christina Baldwin

The Light that Never Dims (an event)

Marilyn Singing at The Light that Never Dims

Storytelling - The Light that Never Dims

A Visit to Richard Prince's Studio

Jerry visiting Richard Prince's "Body Shop"

Richard Prince at his "Body Shop" studio in upstate, N.Y.

Same art piece installed and under guard at the Guggenheim

Richard Prince's photos printed on cars

Photos printed on cars

RP's studio with works in progress.

Clay car in RP's studio with his Brook Shields photo in background.

Painting Studio with nurse painting

Richard Prince's studio with photo of "Cowboy" photo.

A visit in NYC at Laura's loft with Jerry's long time friend - Musician, Poet, Steven Weitzman

(Steven did the music for Jerry's audiobook.)

Steven "Muddy Roues" playing with BB King

Brothers Steve (Muddy) and Billy

*

"Chasing Carrots" an interactive art piece commissioned by Pam Schell (pictured with Jerry)
for a Langley, WA Park

(Turning the wheel sets the piece in motion. A jumping bunny chases a carrot, another carrot wildly tumbles and spins, the moon looks up and down and a star shoots across the sky above.)

"Chasing Carrots" in action.

Visiting with Jerry are Gay-rights activist Grethe Cammermeyer and artist Dianne Divelbess Seen above is "Chasing Carrots" -- an in-progress interactive art piece going into a public park in Langley, WA.

(Photo by Frank Rose)

Heron Feeding Her Young

Marilyn on Broadway.

Susan McKeown and Marilyn rehearsing for a performance at The Institute for Spiritual Entertainment in New York City.

Susan

Susan McKeown performing on Whidbey Island

Randall Bays, Dana Lynn and Eanon O'Leary (Susan's band) jamming in The Gallery after Susan's performance.

Ryan Mcgiver and Eanon O'Leary jaming in The Gallery

June, Susan and Jason Sypher after a performance.

Preparing for a workshop in our studio

Marilyn performing a ritual with a group.

Carla, Scott and twins Lana & Dylan
(Cookie the dog)

Ralph Metzer (of the 60s trio along with -Ram Dass and Timothy Leary) visiting The Gallery

Ralph Metzer visiting The Gallery

Laurence Hillman (James Hillman's son) and Marilyn in The Gallery

Jerry and Laurence following one of their events at the Jung Society in Seattle

Steven and Whitney Boe (produced & directed the film, "Mythic Journeys")
visiting The Gallery
Jerry's sculptures and early paintings are featured in the film.

The Role of the Artist- Deepak Chopra

Featuring Jerry's Art

Jerry and Oliver in The Gallery

Marilyn's Birthday in The Gallery

(L to R) Judith Adams, Marilyn, Leslie Cotter and Lucinda Herring

Jerry's Birthday Party

Jerry, For Your Birthday

by Judith Adams

If there was an odd little planet

skirting the earth where inhabitants

Were in no mood for hurry, and whose eyes

lingered with a kind of ease.

I would say Ahh! That is where you are from.

To give a name to this monastery in the sky

we would call it anything but pedestrian

Or fathomable, especially for the industrial inclined

or those whose only survival

Is commerce and agenda.

This breed of monk confrontational

and determined to find the feet of clay,

The place of panic,

before a soul is lost

To sleep or hysteria.

There is a kitchen and a lot

happens there, bread, casseroles,

and conversation

for its potential to

Change the status-quo.

I suspect others from this planet

Are not jolly and pot-bellied either,

They can do without,

though it is pleasing that

you are capable of

extreme glamour

a hot little red sports car

similar to the one Marilyn Monroe

Cruised the neighborhood!

The Gallery

Dale Wilson in the Gallery

Richard Berger's Secret Giant Crystal Palace

Back- Richard Berger, Miriam Dyak, Marilyn

Front- Peggy Taylor, Jerry, Susan Osborn, David Densmore

Photos taken by Nancy Rumbel & enhansed by Carol Wright

Marilyn and Richard with one of Richards giant crystals.

Cordy with a Giant Crystal

Richard donated the giant crystal that is at
the Cathedral of St John the Divine in NYC.

Our dear young friend Gloria Ferry Brennan opening for the Mythic Journeys film event.

Chazen Museum of Art Events in Madison

Host, Efrat Livny and Jerry preparing for

Jerry's Chazen Museum of Art Lecture

Museum director, Anne Lambert introducing Jerry at the
Chazen Museum of Art

Jerry's lecture and slide show at the Chazen Museum of Art

Jerry speaking on the Chazen's collection.
(Art by El Antsui)

Jerry speaking on the Chazen's collection.

Jerry speaking about Joseph Cornel 's "Sun Box"

Madison Children's Museum

Gathering materials at the
Jean Scott-Horning, Efrat Livny & Jerry

Creating art with children
Madison Children's Museum

Madison Arboretum

Jerry's Lecture at the Arboretum

Playing after the Madison events-
Ferry to "Spirit Lake"
Ken, Jerry, Efrat, Harvey

Efrat visiting us on Whidbey Island

Friend and artist Mauricio Saravio, actors Radha Mitchell and Robert Mack
Mauricio and Marisa Darnel, publishers of Artist Interviews Magazine did an interview with Jerry.

Hosts of New Dimensions Radio Justine and Michael Toms
(Listen to Interview with Marilyn & Jerry)

Good friend Charlie Hess - founder of Stay Inspired and CEO Inferential Focus
(Jerry's writes Between the Lines for Inferential Focus)

Ned Leavitt and Jerry at the Lake House

Jayadeva and Wah at the Lake House

Cinema of the Spirit Film Festival, Berkeley, CA -Left to right- Shems Friedlander (Director Rumi: Wings of Love,) Marilyn, Jerry, Micky Lemle (Director of Ram Dass: Fierce Grace and Compassion in Exile: 14th Dalai Lama,) Joe Kulin (Publisher of Parabola), and Andrea Kulin.

Micky Lemle , Jerry, Marilyn, Joe Kulin .
A film presentation at the Birmingham Art Museum

Click on images to enlarge

Marilyn doing the opening ritual for Parabola's Cinema of the Spirit film festival at the Birmingham Art Museum

Local Birmingham Pub - Micky, Jerry, Marilyn, Lucinda and Joe

Coleman Barks
In the Hands of Alchemy had its debut at Parabola's Cinema of the Spirit film festival, New York University. Marilyn opened the event with ceremony and music, Coleman Barks read poems by Rumi.

Working with inner city kids at Space One Eleven in Birmingham

Space One Eleven

Phil Lucas
(Directed - "In the Hands of Alchemy")

Marlene King in Jerry's studio for an interview
for Dream Network Journal

The Tower

The Tower (40' high)

Jerry Building the top section of the Tower, which was later lifted by crane (40-feet) onto the lower section built, in place, on top of an existing cistern.

Nine Tibetan Monks from the Depung-Loseling Monastery fill our 8' X 8' Tower
to ritually bless the tower and prayer wheel.
If you would like a prayer placed in the prayer wheel for yourself or someone else, please email us at soluna@whidbey.com.

Monks leaving the Tower after the blessing ritual

Stairway to the Tower made of discarded Tires filled with dirt and covered with cement

Click on image to enlarge

Heidi and Silas filming an interview with Marilyn in The Tower

Greg Levoy, author of the best selling book "Callings" interviews Jerry in the Tower for a new book he is writing called- Vital Signs: The Drive for Aliveness.

Marilyn performing a double wedding in our Tower (Flaming Stupa)

Newlyweds leaving the Tower (Flaming Stupa)

Jerry's 3rd story loft studio (arrow) Nyack, NY. The rear windows overlook the Hudson River.
(The building had been given a facelift in this more recent picture.)

Jerry at his loft 1979

Jerry outside the building on Broadway.

Peace Abbey

Peace Abbey Sherborn, Massachusetts

Lewis Randa (founder Peace Abbey) and Marilyn

Marilyn with statue of Emily, Peace Abbey

Multi-faith Sanctuary at Peace Abbey

Jerry presenting at Peace Abbey

Marilyn, (Peace Abbey Award in background)

Special needs students, Lizzy and Bobby at Peace Abbey's Life Experience Program

Jerry's Kauai Museum Lecture

Marilyn at the beautiful place Marg loaned us for the week.

Kauai Museum

Masks Jerry made from palm leaves and left for Marj

Marilyn and our dear friend Nina at the Kauai Museum

Marilyn visiting the cemetery adjacent Peace Abbey

Inside Edge Foundation book signing after our presentation

Inside Edge Foundation

Part 1 of Jerry's Inside Edge lecture
See parts 2 & 3 HERE
All other videos HERE

Click on image to enlarge

"Radical Departures" - Whidbey Institute

"Radical Departures" Marilyn opening the event with a song

"Radical Departures" Marilyn presenting

"Radical Departures" Sarah Blum introducing the film "Appointment With A wise Old Dog" by her deceased husband, David Blum (film intro by YoYo Ma)

Marilyn

Marilyn making a delivery

Dear friends Cynthia Novotny and Cordy Fergus

Cordy and Cynthia's amazing house in Bellingham, WA

Marilyn and Cordy

Jerry and Cordy

Click on image to enlarge

Early photo (by Ricardo Sanchez) of Cordy and his sister with an overlay of Jerry's painting from Sacred Marriage

Luxor Tevella and Marilyn at Paracelso (Luxor's world famous boutique)
414 West Broadway, New York City (SoHo)

Luxor Tevella and Jerry NYC (Jerry's headdress arranged by Luxor)Luxor Tevella
WATCH VIDEO

Friend, Rachelle Lamb

Master carver, good friend and great helpmate Nathan Gilles
at Jerry's showing at Museo Gallery

Marilyn as Anubis on Halloween
(Made by Jerry)

Marilyn & Jerry Halloween

Mexico

Marilyn in Mexico City

Marilyn at hotel altar in Mexico City
DOD (Days of the Dead)

Our home for a week on a private estate in Malinalco, Mexico

Estate's main house

To market to trade firewood for flowers.

Grave yard DOD
(just down the road from where we were staying)

Children tell stories on the graves of the dead.

Ritual site, the day after an all night Aztec ritual

Jerry carried pails of water to the graves
for some of the older woman.

The motorized rickshaw that drove us around Malinalco

the evening of the Days of the Dead.

Offerings during the Days of the Dead
We visited the homes of several families that lost loved ones
and they offered us food and drink.

Marilyn on the evening of the DOD

Grandmother speaking of the dead

Party Musicians

Marilyn and Robbie Bosnak

Street altar

Delights of Italy

THANK YOU-THANK YOU

CHARLIE HESS, ALL WHO MADE IT HAPPEN AND THOSE WE SHARED THE EXPERIENCE WITH! We were in Italy from June 19-26th and most of our time was spent in Assisi and La Verna with the most wonderful group of friends. Here are pictures and a couple of short articles we wrote about our experience.
(click on images to enlarge)

Our Gathering in Assisi
(Top Row) Krystyna Jurzykowski, Wendy Parsons, Fran Insinga, Danny Martin, Marilyn Strong, Jerry Wennstrom, Manab Sen, Clark Winter. (Row 2)-Brookie Maxwell, Juanita Yoder, Gerarda Pizzarello, Richmond Mayo-Smith, Indrani Sen. (Front row) Charlie Hess, Rolando Brown, Jayadeva Mandelkorn.

Marilyn

Juanita and Gerarda

Charlie and Jerry

Gerarda, Indrani, and Jayadeva

Danny and Marilyn

Eremo delle Carceri
(Legend has it, that the devil was chased out of this monastery through the hole visible in stone floor)

La Verna

Cave where St Francis lived at La Verna

Clark Winter and Jerry on the mountain trail at La Verna

CHARLIE'S HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Wendy and Charlie

Charlie, Fran and Rolando

Richmond

Clark and Marilyn

Manab, Jayadeva and Brookie

Danny and Krystyna

Clark, Rolando, Danny

Brookie and Clark

An Assisi Triptych:

(click on images to enlarge)

"St Francis "
Thank You Gift Jerry Made for Charlie

The Assisi-influenced Shrine we made in our garden the summer we returned from Assisi. The carved cedar Madonna and fountain are enshrined in an old claw-foot bathtub.

Mark Whitman's 50th Birthday Party

Architect Mark Whitman and his wife Julia created this amazingly beautiful home in Ojai, CA where we attended Mark's 50th birthday party.

Mark and Julia Whitman

Ronda Larue

~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~

Friend Claire Dunne (author C.G. Jung Wounded Healer of the Soul)
(Clair's endorsement of Jerry's book)

Claire Dunne in leading roll of the Australian film classic,
"They're a Weird Mob"

Alabama folk artist Myrtice West in her studio looking at Jerry's book.
(A friend of Howard Finster)

Myrtice West and Jerry holding her painting, Key Church & School -1950 (A painting we came home with.)

Myrtice West on her front porch

Visiting Georgia folk artist, Howard Finster's "Paradise Garden"

Paradise Garden

click on picture to enlarge

Friend & Mississippi folk artist Mary Brooks Tyler

Marilyn showing Brett Bonner and MaryBrooks around Jerry's studio
(Brett is editor of "Living Blues" Magazine)

Brett, MaryBrooks and Marilyn

Artist and Long time friend Nanda Milton Currant on her property in Silver City, New Mexico where she stays in her vintage Airstream.

Nanda and Bernhardt

Jerry - by Nanda Milton Currant

Meeting Nanda's friends in the Wild West

Joy Moulton with her soul friend Jillie

Dale and Jan

Dale in Jamaica

Paul Nelson & Bhakti Watts in The Gallery

Paul interviewed us several years ago for his radio show.

Mike and Sydney Hoffman

Artist Robin Sierra

Shirley and our dear friend Sandy Menasche

Friend, Musician,filmmaker Levi Burkle

Our beautiful friend, Teri who recently passed.

Whidbey Island friends and artists Reene and Ro Purser

Marilyn rehearsing with Rick Ingrasci for the Thomas Berry Hall performance

Marilyn rehearsing - Thomas Berry Hall

Click on pictures to enlarge

Marilyn performing - Thomas Berry Hall

Summertime in Susan Scott's back yard

Marilyn modeling with 7-foot boaconstrictor
Ed Severinghaus- Photographer

Marilyn and our friend Ana Mozol in Santa Barbara after a Pacifica Graduate Institute presentation Jerry did there.

Joan Murray and Jerry

Artist Patricia Waters and Marilyn

"Heartist" Dominique Mazeaud and friend Dick Miller

Marilyn with a Mask that she made

Marilyn preparing for a radio interview at the office of Good News Broadcast in NYC.

David Fideler (upper left)and group from Concord Grove Educational Center, Michigan

Nour (a Muslim child) and Jerry at Concord Grove

The MoveOn, Barack Obama party held at our Whidbey Island Studio

The Ferry/Brennan family of artists - Patrick (painting,) Ann (glass/music,) Gloria (Violinist, artist) Lucy (drawing and painting)

Marilyn

Marilyn with Jerry's Painting of her in the background
(Photo by Ed Severinghaus)

Stephanie Fleck, Marilyn & Judith Adams
(2 members of Marilyn's Dream Group)

Leslie Cotter Whyte and Marilyn
(Dream Group)

Lynn Mizono and Marilyn
(Dream Group)

Dream Group Husbands
Jerry, Craig Fleck (& son Connor,) David Whyte, Robin Adams

Jerry's Art Show -Poet Judith Adams, Sam-Sam the dog, Designer Lynn Mizono & artist Norma Solomon

Meeting with friends in San Francisco following the "LightWorks TV" interview (a production of Grace Cathedral.) Pictured- Carol Wright (our original web master & creator of the YouTube video "The Piano,") Lynn Mizono (fashion designer,) Beverly and Marilyn.

San Francisco

Marilyn's New Bee Hives
(Painted by Jerry)

Removing the queen from the full package of bees

Worker bees surrounding the queen

Moving bees to the new hives

Instillation complete, the bees are in their new home!

Carol Wright with her mom Shirley

Jerry giving Carol a haircut.

*
This bittersweet respite from tasting hell's sting
Is just long enough to breathe, but not sing.
Poem by Carol Wright inspired by her work with Wendy Carlos