Nov 232015
 

I recently had a message from my friend Dandelion (Hat tip) that included a quote with the meaning that when politics is not being fueled by hope, there is a vacuum left for fear to fill.  That seems so apt just now.

Not long after a pastor mentioned that for the first time he can recall, a local newspaper had a story about simple acts of kindness, caring, giving on the front page…in the bottom corner as the headlines blared the tragedy in Paris.  The article was about the Facebook post from one of the victims which had been viewed 600,000 times in 24 hrs. describing the person who protected her head in the midst of it, the injured person who held her while she thought she’d lost the love of her life, the people that carried her to safety, the woman who opened her home to victims for safety and shelter, the friends who brought her clean clothes to replace her bloodied ones…how much we need such inspiration. 

Where do we draw our inspiration for our hope to turn the tide? Artists over the centuries have spoken of drawing their inspiration from the muses.  Some speak of three, others of nine: Wiki provides this table at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muse:

Muse Domain Emblem
Calliope Epic poetry Writing tablet
Clio History Scrolls
Euterpe Music, Song, and Elegiac Poetry Aulos (an ancient Greek musical instrument like a flute)
Erato Lyric poetry Cithara (an ancient Greek musical instrument in the lyre family)
Melpomene Tragedy Tragic mask
Polyhymnia Hymns Veil
Terpsichore Dance Lyre
Thalia Comedy Comic mask
Urania Astronomy Globe and compass

In a different form from http://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/nine-muses-in-greek-mythology/

“Analytically the Nine Muses are:

1. Clio: The Muse Clio discovered history and guitar. History was named Clio in the ancient years, because it refers to “kleos” the Greek word for the heroic acts. Clio was always represented with a clarion in the right arm and a book in the left hand.

2. Euterpe: Muse Euterpe discovered several musical instruments, courses and dialectic. She was always depicted holding a flute, while many instruments were always around her.

3. Thalia: Muse Thalia was the protector of comedy; she discovered comedy, geometry, architectural science and agriculture. She was also protector of Symposiums. She was always depicted holding a theatrical – comedy mask.

4. Melpomene: Opposite from Thalia, Muse Melpomene was the protector of Tragedy; she invented tragedy, rhetoric speech and Melos. She was depicted holding a tragedy mask and usually bearing a bat.

5. Terpsichore: Terpsichore was the protector of dance; she invented dances, the harp and education. She was called Terpsichore because she was enjoying and having fun with dancing ( “Terpo” in Greek refers to be amused). She was depicted wearing laurels on her head, holding a harp and dancing.

6. Erato: Muse Erato was the protector of Love and Love Poetry – as well as wedding. Her name comes from the Greek word “Eros” that refers to the feeling of falling in love. She was depicted holding a lyre and love arrows and bows.

7. Polymnia: Muse Polymnia was the protector of the divine hymns and mimic art; she invented geometry and grammar. She was depicted looking up to the Sky, holding a lyre.

8. Ourania: Muse Ourania was the protector of the celestial objects and stars; she invented astronomy. She was always depicted bearing stars, a celestial sphere and a bow compass.

9. Calliope: Muse Calliope was the superior Muse. She was accompanying kings and princes in order to impose justice and serenity. She was the protector of heroic poems and rhetoric art. According to the myth, Homer asks from Calliope to inspire him while writing Iliad and Odyssey, and, thus, Calliope is depicted holding laurels in one hand and the two Homeric poems in the other hand.”

Forgotten Muses

How can we draw on them now to turn the tide? 

Melpomene was clearly in Paris (tragedy)…

To understand, we might choose Clio for relevant history brought to us by The Nation:

Muslims Have Been Living in America Since Before the Revolutionary War

Donald Trump’s proposals to shutter mosques and surveil Muslims are not about public safety—they’re about heinous stereotyping rooted in ignorance and cruelty.

http://www.thenation.com/article/trump-is-so-very-wrong-to-target-mosques-they-are-part-of-the-fabric-of-america/

Sometimes the problem may be we trust our senses too much and thus miss the truth so let us turn to Thalia and her gift of science as blended with Polymnia  (mimic) (video):

http://www.videobash.com/video_show/the-incredible-mimic-octopus-399991

To help us think out of the box and be inspired, we’ll end with a combined effort from E Erato (wedding) and Terpsichore (dance) (video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbiedQdlbhk

Inspired?

 

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  9 Responses to “Monday Morning Musings November 23, 2015”

  1. Trump really does need some history.  There were also Muslims who fought in the Revolutionary War.  Some may still have living descendants who are entitled to membership in the SAR and DAR.  Also of course the Treaty of Tripoli was pretty early.

    I'm not sure it's so much our senses as out interpretation of sensory information, which is so limited by previous experience, that trips us up.  I can sometimes even perceive that happening to me – getting confused as to how to interpret.

    Glad you didn't use a flute yet, as the best scholarship suggests the term aulos covered a wide range of wind intruments, but by far the commonest was more like an oboe.  Which certainly helps explain Plato – who found the flute (aulos) immoderate, non-harmonic, and disproportionate.  This doesn't sound at all like a modern flute or even a recorder.  It does sound like an oboe, which has been (unfairly I admit) joked about as "an ill wind that nobody blows good."  But this is really too big a subject to get tangled up in here.

  2. Well done.  Rushing!

  3. Always a hoot to learn something that's totally new to me.

    I only knew about calliope from those circus steam-driven instruments.  So, thanks!

  4. Thanks, JL for this post.

    Still discovering/reading.

     

  5. Thanks for the information on the muses, very interesting.

    The Nation:  I shared this one and signed the petition.  We have a mosque in our little town, and there have never been any problems.   It is just another place to worship.

    Videobash: I loved this one.

    You tube, cute but cannot imagine doing that

     

  6. Though it turned out Wednesday afternoon musing for me, I appreciate this little refresher course on the Muses. I did a year of old Greek in high school, and the Muses fled by top inspire us briefly. but I'm terrible at names and it's 55 years ago, so they've faded from my memory a long time ago, except for Thalia because a little (movie) theater near us was named after her.

    The Nation: So glad to see that there are people out there who stick up for Muslims after Trump's vile Nazi speech.

    Videobash: You're right, sometimes we're right on top of it and still can't see it for what it is. Though how anyone could not see Trump's statements for what they are, boggles my mind.

    Youtube: funny and out of the box indeed.

     

     

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