The Muses
“Relentlessly
the muses call forward our authenticity and our gifts and talents.
All nine of these mythical creatures inspire us to create our futures
and to meet our destines; compel us to take up our own soul tasks;
and require us to bring our authentic natures to earth—which are
all functions of the feminine principle found within men and women.
What the muses tell us is that the beauty of the human spirit is not
an eternal decoration or frivolous expensive adjunct to serious
matters like knowledge, work, justice or social responsibility.
Rather our inherent beauty lies in trusting our deepest natures and
authentically expressing who we are in the world in wise and
life-affirming ways.”
Angeles
Arrien (The Nine Muses: A Mythological Path to Creativity)
In case you've forgotten
as I had, the nine muses are Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history),
Euterpe (music & lyric poetry), Thalia (comedy & pastoral
poetry), Melpomene (tragedy) Terpsichore (dance) Polyhymnia (sacred
poetry), Erato (love poetry), and Urania (astronomy). We don't think
about them these days because we don't give much credence to ancient
stories; we're too busy having lofty thoughts. The myths, however, are
stories about active principles operating within human beings. These
principles were depicted as gods or goddesses for lack of a better
term for observable human aspects that manifest differently person to
person. All nine muses were goddesses, which lumps them squarely into
the feminine principle category, even though they manifest equally in
men and women.
All of that is to say
that each of us has a muse within, because the urge to create is
built into the human DNA. We may not write poetry, but we each have a
unique voice. We may not play an instrument, but some of us express
ourselves most clearly in our choice of music. We may not study
astronomy, but we may be most at home in the natural world. We likely don't write love poems; but we best express love with our hands,
to soothe and to heal.
Yesterday, a woman at
church was whistling a hymn as she poured herself a cup of coffee. I
asked, “Are you a whistler, too?” and she told me a
story of the uncle who had taught her to whistle. Another person
chimed in about her father who had been a great whistler. My own
grandfather could whistle entire songs while shaving—with a
straight razor! I can't sing in tune at all, but I daily entertain
myself by whistling. Many of us have music in us, just expressed
in different ways.
Whatever your muse may
be, listen to her, honor her. She will lead you to your heart of
hearts, to your soul work. She will reveal what is most authentic
about your true nature. It is she who will guide you in bringing your
gifts and talents to the world.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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