Matter and Spirit

My little girl asked how you really know God is there. Not "is there a God?" but rather, "how do you know God is there?," a completely different question.  "But I can't see Him or hear Him!" she observed in concrete, developmentally appropriate, seven year old fashion. I struggled for an answer (akin to my feeling when my five year old asked, "but how does the baby get INTO the mommy's tummy?") Horrifying.

So instead of copping out and referring her to the Pastor or even her Sunday School teacher,  like a good mom, I did some reading.

“In the beginning God, (Elohim), created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Breath of God moved upon the face of the waters ... “

Chris Clarke discusses these lines, the start of the Bible and perhaps the most famous lines in it. "Even in English translation they convey something of the awe and mystery that fills the account. The first sentence announces starkly the theme of the coming chapter, nothing less than the totality of all that is. Then the next sentence invites us to imagine, or to fail to imagine, the starting point - a vast formless waste, where there is nothing solid, no bounds, no light, no dark even, just empty, shifting, infinite waters; stirred by an unknowable wind, the breath of God. This vision is the realm both of matter and of Spirit.   In this text there are four words charged with meaning: "Heavens", "Earth", "Breath (or Spirit)" and "Waters". The creation story will  unfold through the interplay of these four archetypal qualities, giving a far richer picture than our "matter and spirit".

Matter is evident in the first phrase of the Bible, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". In the original Hebrew, shamayim  with the "root" "ShM"  is also found in words meaning "hear", "name", "sound" and so on, sharing an underlying idea of a permeating vibration, or a connecting meaning. When you look at the word  translated as earth aretz   has a root indicating "a formed and fixed energy". This distinction clearly has connections with the "spirit/matter" polarity that we are familiar with; (apparently) the Hebrew polarity has many more intricate overtones. Some have drawn a metaphor from modern physics in using the terms "wave" and "particle" as one interpretation of this polarity.

A second theme then makes its appearance in the next verse, in "the spirit of God moved over the face of the waters". Here a new polarity emerges between the words translated as "spirit" and "waters". The first, ruach , like words from other languages more familiar to us, combines the ideas of breath, wind and spirit - the "breath of life" - but also an idea of "expansive power". The second, maim, has connotations identified with flow and generativity, for which he chooses "womb" as one interpretation. Thus at the start of our intellectual history we find not one simple polarity of spirit and matter, but two interlacing polarities: that of wave/particle and that of breath/womb." 

Although we tend to focus on the creation of the physical universe in this passage, it's interesting to note that God also created an invisible spiritual realm at this time. Referred to as "the heavenlies" or "the heavenly places" in the New Testament, it has different characteristics and obeys different laws than the physical world. 

 Man is a creature who was made to live simultaneously in both realms:

Genesis 2:7 "...then the LORD God formed [the physical body of] man
of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath
[spirit] of life; and man became a living being [nephesh = soul]."

But it isn't only in the realm of theology that we see this duality. According to physics, "it seems as though all the most elementary parts of the physical world have two aspects, one of a particle form, distinct, localised (aretz), and the other of a wave form, spreading and connecting (shamayim). The circumstances determine which it is that manifests." (Clarke) Contemporary physics goes into even more mind numbing detail of quantum fields and curved space-time, which addresses maim (waters: flow and generativity).

But now back to my seven year old's question: "how do you know God is there?," As intelligent as she is, a discussion of quantum physics is still a little over her head (and mine- my degrees are in social work for crying out loud).

So I simply answered, "with your heart".

It seemed to suffice.

Spirits To Be Kindled

Like virtually all parents, I have been home educating my children since birth. Since my oldest daughter turned seven, this year marked the first time I am required to declare my intentions to the state, and, in turn, to everyone else that we are officially homeschooling. I attended two homeschool conventions before my daughters were even born, so I have spent a fair amount of time researching methods and programs. For many reasons, I chose classical education with a Charlotte Mason approach. The primary specific program I'm using is called "Tapestry of Grace" (TOG) and was developed by Marcia Somerville, wife of the founder of the Homeschool Legal Defense Association.

It is absurd to hold that a man should be ashamed of an inability to defend himself with his limbs, but not ashamed of an inability to defend himself with speech and reason; for the use of rational speech is more distinctive of a human being than the use of his limbs. -Aristotle, Rhetoric

To summarize, classical education is an ancient approach to learning that is based on the trivium, a three-part process of training the mind. The first stage is called the "grammar stage" (approximately kindergarten through fourth grade)- which is not to imply that only English grammar is studied, but rather that the building blocks for learning are laid during these years. Facts are easily absorbed during this time. TOG has updated this concept to reflect more current research which emphasizes that, in addition, children at this level can also begin to analyze, which was previously reserved for the next stage: the "logic" or "dialectic" stage (approximately fifth through eighth grade). During these years, cause and effect is stressed and fitting information into a logical framework. The last stage, the "rhetoric stage" (high school), focuses on critical thinking and the ability to express ideas.

All things from eternity are of like forms and come round in a circle. -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations II.14

During each four year stage, human history is taught in it's entirety. Generally, the first year the ancients are studied, then the medieval period, followed by the late Renaissance and finally modern times. During a twelve year course of study, history is taught a total of three times. Corresponding literature, science, art, music, philosophy, theology, etc. of the time period being studied are covered, giving the student a context for learning. Timelines are an important component for older children. True classical education also includes the study of Latin, which is usually started in the third grade. Most homeschoolers using this method also use one of the many math programs available and a strong phonics based approach to teach reading. Classical education is considered primarily language focused and, whenever possible, uses whole books and first-hand sources as opposed to textbooks.

...children are thinking, feeling, human beings, as spirits to be kindled and not as vessels to be filled. -Charlotte Mason, Home Education

Charlotte Mason was a 19th century educator in England whose book, Home Education was revolotionary in it's educational perspective. The approach is complimentary to classical education in that it stresses the importance of "living books" and the inherent enthusiasm children have to discover, self education and to learn in context. Narration, which is simply having the student tell a story back to the teacher in her own words, is the method of assessing reading comprehension. Lectures and homework are not stressed in this approach, although free time is often spent reading quality books. Copy work of meaningful passages is used to practice writing skills. Nature walks and sketchbooks, character development, finding real life "teachable moments" and religious education are also prominent features. Education is seen as a science of relations: to God, others, the universe and self (in terms of self-examination as opposed to simply introspection). There are scheduled times of structured learning balanced with space for children to explore and reflect. Children are to have something/someone to love, something to do and something to think about.

We just completed Unit 1 in the TOG program, which consisted of studying the ancient peoples of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Among other things we: Made a salt map of the Nile River and discussed the importance of rivers to civilizations (the children had a lot of fun studying the pharaohs, pyramids, and mummies); made a sarcophagus, a death mask and a ziggurat; made snakes out of wooden spoons and played an ancient Egyptian children's game; learned the importance of the invention of writing to civilization and wrote our names in hieroglyphics; and learned the importance of rivers in the development of the first civilizations. The unit concluded with the study of Old Testament accounts of the children of Israel and their escape from bondage in Egypt. During these weeks made a High Priest breastplate and learned about the various festivals and feasts of Israel. TOG has a unique product called a "lapbook" which contains various activities for the student to display their new found knowledge. TOG also offers a CDs with a "Pop Quiz" for each unit that gives dads a quick overview of the week's learning as well as dinnertime discussion topics that we enjoyed. The next unit we will study the Indus Valley, ancient China, the Mayans and the early Greeks.

No wonder I'm tired!

Reading to the mind is what exercise is to the body. -Richard Steele, The Tatler

Various books are used on a daily basis to add variety. Our favorites were an adaptation of Gilgamesh, The True Story of Noah's Ark, The Hardest Word (about the Day of Atonement) and Tirzah (a fictional account of the life of a young Hebrew girl living during the Exodus from Egypt). The Illustrated Children's Bible and the Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedia of the Ancient World are other very helpful books. There were many other quality books too numerous to list here that were recommended by TOG. We also found other resources such as a 3-D Bible in which we could actually "walk through" Noah's ark and the Tabernacle- virtually speaking! We embrace the use of technology in our homeschool!

Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern. -A.N. Whitehead

Homeschooling gives children freedom choose topics of interest. Abby has had a fascination with Amelia Earhart (she even keeps her framed picture in her room and continues to be interested in books about her). We also use a math program called "On the Level" (emphazises ongoing practice of concepts versus quantity of problems) and are continuing to work through "Phonics Pathways". We studied some foreign language last year, but due to schedule issues regarding my husband who has been very ill, we hope to resume study next semester. Abby also takes violin, ballet and has appeared in three musical theater productions. My younger daughter, Sarah, learns differently than Abby, and homeschooling has offered her the opportunity through her learning style to use more manipulatives like blocks, toys and art. We also spend time outside, and the children have been learning a lot from taking care of our chickens! Living in Maine also affords us many educational resources such as Acadia National Park.

Homeschooling is a great choice for our family. We have had to adapt to our particular family and situation. For instance, Karen Andreola in A Charlotte Mason Companion describes a wonderful concept called "Mother Culture" which encourages mothers (typically the primary homeschool teachers) to continue their own quest for knowledge and personal growth. She might not have envisioned a homeschool mom like myself who plays jazz for recuperation, but it works for me! My children are exposed (whether they like it sometimes or not!) to my practice routine to study jazz improvisation and write/arrange music. We turn on the amp and plug in the microphones and sing and dance- we have a blast!

They say a man is mighty,
He governs land and sea,
He wields a mighty sceptor
O'er lesser powers that be;
But a mightier power and stronger
Man from his throne is hurled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

-William Ross Wallace

We find homeschooling to be very efficient since one to one tutoring occurs daily. My daughters are developing unique relationships with me, their dad and each other that are, frankly, priceless. We're avoiding a lot of negative issues such as having the right clothes and shoes to "fit in" with peers. When we hang out with other children (almost daily), it's always with different ages so the girls learn to interact with people of different levels. It's always kind of funny when people ask, "what about socialization?"- implying they're not being socialized in a homeschool environment (kind of like feral children I guess??) One regret I have is not incorporating more service to others into our homeschool. Due to my husband's illness, this has been difficult, but we hope to remedy this in the future. I don't want to idealize it too much- my house isn't as clean as I'd like, I'm very busy, and I need a little more time to myself. Integral to our homeschool is the freedom to include matters of faith, prayer, patriotism and other topics of our choice. Despite the challenges and hard work, our family is truly blessed by this lifestyle and are so thankful we have the freedom to homeschool.

My husband traveled the globe for over twenty years while serving in the military and I coveted many of the places he was able to visit (when he wasn't getting shot at, that is). But I've realized that with books and a little imagination, you can have an adventure right from your own kitchen table.

Cymbals

Walk into your local music store and pick up the biggest, most obnoxious looking pair of cymbals you can find. Then, start clanging them together for all you're worth. Observe those around you. Are they annoyed, irritated... HORRIFIED? To this scripture likens professed believers who don't love others. I have been around many different drummers over the years and they always strive to make their drums and cymbals sound a certain way, especially in recording situations. Words such as "crisp", "clean", "deep", "resonant" and "clear" come to mind. "Clangy" is decidedly not the sound they're going for. During this journey of dealing with serious illness in my own family, the love others have shown has been invaluable. Conversely, I have been perplexed at some who would, as the passage in I Corinthians 13 says, be willing to literally burn for their faith but lack simple human compassion. Francis Bacon seems to almost paraphrase the passage politely, "For a crowd is not company; and faces are but a gallery of pictures; and talk but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love."

Before percussionists start feeling they're getting a bad rap, there are many, many positive verses about cymbals such as, "Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals" (Psalm 150:5). Orchestral percussionists are amazing in their technique to manipulate the sound of cymbals. The layman might assume that playing the cymbals is less rigorous than other instruments. To the contrary, playing them correctly requires great skill. While playing traditional cymbals, "in preparation for a stroke they are held parallel a few inches apart, with the surfaces vertical, one at waist height and the other some distance above it. They are struck together by bringing the upper cymbal down while the lower freely catches the upper motion. Depending on the type of crash desired, the cymbals should be brought together with either a very quick or longer "fa-lam" (flam) If only a single crash is to be played, the sounding cymbals are then both raised in a follow through and held vertical but no longer parallel, but instead in roughly the same plane with their concave surfaces facing the conductor and held head high on either side of the player. This allows the maximum effect to reach the conductor and audience. Alternatively, if another stroke is to follow, the cymbals are allowed to follow through only until they have reached the same heights as they started (but now vertically reversed), and are then ready in position for the next stroke. For softer strokes, in preparation the cymbals are held not quite vertically but at a slight angle, but still parallel, and the upper cymbal is then allowed to fall towards the lower. The follow through is reduced or even omitted after softer strokes. Other common techniques are to choke the sounding cymbals by bringing them together and holding them with their entire rims touching, thus quickly damping their vibration, or to damp one or both against the body, and there are many more advanced techniques. A skilled player can produce elaborate rhythms by combining these techniques, and with fine cymbals can exercise precise control over both the loudness and the decay and apparent duration of each crash." (from Drum Solo Artist).

So clanging the cymbals indiscriminately is a misuse of an instrument that's primary Biblical purpose is to praise God. Hmmm...

Jesus Christ said to the Church of Laodicea, "I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:15,16) The opposite of love has been described not as hate, but as indifference, to which it appears Jesus referred in this passage. This indifference in the context of perceived piety greatly distressed Jesus. I was recently involved in a Christian mother's group that was very indifferent to my situation. There are few things that confound me more than believers being apathetic toward hurting people because they are so involved with their own concerns. Such was the case with the Laodiceans. I have a friend who had fourth stage ovarian cancer. She called a woman from her church after a particularly difficult chemotherapy treatment and asked her to bring a meal over for her husband and four children. The woman said she'd love to, but couldn't- she was hurrying out the door for a Bible study! Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees! CLANG CLANG CLANG!

Love isn't just a part of the life of a believer or group of believers. It's not just a side issue. A Christian cannot neglect loving others and be pleasing to God, no matter what they do. Rather, love DEFINES such person or group. Are the CYMBALS in the I Corinthians passage a SYMBOL for the heart of man? Is the heart either strangely warmed by the love of God, such as a sensitivity of the skilled percussionist, or coldly and recklessly clamorous? I bought a t-shirt in a resale shop the other day that has a tattoo inspired graphic design akin to the "Hell's Angels" tattoos of old, only this one reads "Dare to Love". Is it the rebellious, non-conformists among us who love others?

If so, I guess I'm for the ones who "march to a different drummer" -so to speak.

My Invisible Objects

Yesterday I drove an hour to a house on Frenchman's Bay. Rae's house has a beautiful view, her baby grand Steinway is honored with it's own room. The small jazz group chooses not to have a drummer, which is disconcerting to me, but musically kind of interesting(certainly a challenge when playing Latin tunes). The players are piano, acoustic bass, vocal, trombone and I play flute and alto. In order to partake in this musical buffet, I first drove my husband to Old Town, then took my kids to a friend's house, then made the hour and fifteen minute drive out to Lamoine. As I was driving I was thinking, "am I crazy? All the time and money my "hobby" has cost over the years." As the mother of two small children and the wife of a seriously ill husband, I have been completely overwhelmed by the everyday tasks of life for the last couple of years. Music seems to fall way down my "to do" list.

I was reading about the view the Greeks had of music in an address given by Karl Paulnack, a director at Boston Conservatory:. "...music and astronomy were two sides of the same coin. Astronomy was seen as the study of relationships between observable, permanent, external objects, and music was seen as the study of relationships between invisible, internal, hidden objects. Music has a way of finding the big, invisible moving pieces inside our hearts and souls and helping us figure out the position of things inside us.

One of the most profound musical compositions of all time is the Quartet for the End of Time written by French composer Olivier Messiaen in 1940. Messiaen was 31 years old when France entered the war against Nazi Germany. He was captured by the Germans in June of 1940, sent across Germany in a cattle car and imprisoned in a concentration camp.

He was fortunate to find a sympathetic prison guard who gave him paper and a place to compose. There were three other musicians in the camp, a cellist, a violinist, and a clarinetist, and Messiaen wrote his quartet with these specific players in mind. It was performed in January 1941 for four thousand prisoners and guards in the prison camp. Today it is one of the most famous masterworks in the repertoire.

(Given)life in the concentration camps, why would anyone in his right mind waste time and energy writing or playing music? There was barely enough energy on a good day to find food and water, to avoid a beating, to stay warm, to escape torture-why would anyone bother with music? And yet-from the camps, we have poetry, we have music, we have visual art; it wasn't just this one fanatic Messiaen; many, many people created art. Why? Well, in a place where people are only focused on survival, on the bare necessities, the obvious conclusion is that art must be, somehow, essential for life. The camps were without money, without hope, without commerce, without recreation, without basic respect, but they were not without art. Art is part of survival; art is part of the human spirit, an unquenchable expression of who we are. Art is one of the ways in which we say, "I am alive, and my life has meaning."

Mr. Paulnack talked about a gig at a nursing home with a violinist. They began as they often did, with Aaron Copland's Sonata, which was written during World War II and dedicated to a young friend of Copland's, a young pilot who was shot down during the war. "Midway through the piece, an elderly man seated in a wheelchair near the front of the concert hall began to weep. This man... was clearly a soldier-even in his 70's, it was clear from his buzz-cut hair, square jaw and general demeanor that he had spent a good deal of his life in the military...

(They then discussed) both the first and second pieces, and described the circumstances in which the Copland piece was written and mentioned its dedication to a downed pilot. The man in the front of the audience became so disturbed that he had to leave the auditorium...he (later came) backstage, tears and all, to explain himself."

He told them: "During World War II, I was a pilot, and I was in an aerial combat situation where one of my team's planes was hit. I watched my friend bail out, and watched his parachute open, but the Japanese planes which had engaged us returned and machine gunned across the parachute chords so as to separate the parachute from the pilot, and I watched my friend drop away into the ocean, realizing that he was lost. I have not thought about this for many years, but during that first piece of music you played, this memory returned to me so vividly that it was as though I was reliving it. I didn't understand why this was happening, why now, but then when you came out to explain that this piece of music was written to commemorate a lost pilot, it was a little more than I could handle. How does the music do that? How did it find those feelings and those memories in me?" Remember the Greeks: music is the study of invisible relationships between internal objects.

The Judeo-Christian scriptures offer examples of God using music to help find the big, invisible moving pieces inside our hearts and souls and help us figure out the position of things inside us. David was the chief musician for King Saul's court. According to I Samuel 16: 23, “it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.” Saul was ‘refreshed’ by the beautiful melodies flowing from the harp’s strings. Psalm 147: 3 and 7 read, “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds…. Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God.”

So Maslow's hierarchy might not be quite accurate. I think I'll go play some blues.

Invoking the Tenth Muse

How can my Muse want subject to invent,
While thou dost breathe, that pour’st into my verse
Thine own sweet argument, too excellent
For every vulgar paper to rehearse? -William Shakespeare

I recently had a very meaningful conversation with friend who is a breast cancer survivor. We were discussing the unfortunate things people say to suffering people. Just as she started to give an example that perfectly suited my situation, we ran out of time. "No worries!" she said, as she promptly printed out her blog on the topic and handed it to me as I rushed out the door. The blog was so apropros- just what I needed to hear. A cherished friend from high school also started a fascinating blog. It's been such a treat to read his thoughts on different topics. It's so rare to have the time to talk at length with others. I recently wrote in his blog, “...(certain) topics banned from polite conversation are the only ones that really matter, and they determine how we should treat every living person, animal and thing on this planet (the planet itself for that matter)- not to mention consider the substance of every other possible dimension! These (discussions) lead to true intimacy with other people and critical thought, both no-nos in our culture...”

I've worked in the field of mental health for over fifteen years. Some of the most profound sentiments I've ever heard have come from very unlikely people. Even opinions with which I did not agree, when spoken with conviction, can be magnificent in their daring. How can human beings come to well considered conclusions without conversation? Hearing passionate discourse of significance is like poetry to my ears. Poetry I seldom hear.

I hope to do my part to contribute to a revolution of people striving for connection, which leads to significance. Sonnet 38 helps ground my efforts. Shakespeare names the muses of artistic inspiration the “old nine” who “rhymers invocate.” There is no comparison with the “tenth Muse,” whose “sweet argument” is “too excellent” and beyond the reach of the commonplace. The sonnet acknowledges the true Source of inspiration: the Ultimate Poet, “the tenth muse,” Truth and Perfect Expression.

Here's to sweet arguments.