To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran
And much it grieved my heart to think
What Man has made of Man.
---William Wordsworth
With a nod to Plato and Aristotle, William Wordsworth observed in the 1790's what we must acknowledge today - we can create a greater Goodness (in quality and in quantity). From Wordsworth I stumbled into the 9 Muses of Greek mythology and after a 'little' research (Muse scholars, forgive me) I decided this week to explore each one and Her present-day potential to inspire us toward this Greater Goodness.
Euterpe: Traditionally She inspired and protected lyric poetry or song and was presented with a flute in her hand and other musical instruments nearby. Today she offers a path to enjoyment in the moment, be that in the form of actual music or simply areas of interest or entertainment. If we listen carefully, she can lead us to a depth of Happiness found only through hard work (again) in the moment. We have an opportunity with each new moment to consciously choose to make a difference. As I said 'last week' my evolving conception of free will is the conscious output of work / effort that can be quantified and has impact. I look upon Euterpe to inspire and guide these choices in a direction that will create and expand Exoteric Goodness.
Erato: Traditionally She inspired and protected love poetry and was presented holding a lyre and love arrows and bows. Today she offers an opportunity to practice compassion on a larger scale. As technology has shrunk our world, it has enlarged our sensorial perception of global suffering which in turn places each of us somewhere along a spectrum from hardened senses to greater compassion. If we listen carefully, she can lead us to a communal realization that global compassion is the next step in our evolution. I look upon Erato to inspire a rational, compassionate common ground large enough for us all.
Clio: Traditionally She inspired and protected history and was presented with a clarion in her right arm and a book in her left hand. Today she offers an opportunity to learn from the past, encouraging focus on history's great thinkers and on one's personal history. If we listen carefully, she can lead us to a maturity that enables learning from our past glories and failings without the human inclinations to (respectively) gloat or regret, and she can encourage learning from those thinkers with whom we (think we) disagree; this latter can only be accomplished through the humility of acknowledged ignorance and a conscious decision to work hard at understanding. I look upon Clio to inspire openness to change (based on a historical perspective), and to encourage a keen ear able to pick up the echoes of long past clarion calls.
Terpsichore: Traditionally She inspired and protected dance and was presented with laurels on her head, and holding a harp, while dancing. Today she offers the same enjoyment and entertainment as Euterpe, but instead of strictly 'in the moment' she offers hope and a positive outlook for the future; and to this end, she encourages education. If we listen carefully, she can lead us to a modicum of stability and some sense of control; though this latter must be tempered by reality. I look upon Terpsichore to inspire an active hope and the courage to get through my day.
Ourania: Traditionally She inspired and protected astronomy and was presented bearing stars, a celestial sphere, and a bow compass. Today she offers a methodical interpretation of the world around us, utilizing factual observation and experience. She encourages us to keep our feet planted firmly as our eyes, hands, ears, nose, and tongue provide empirical feedback. If we listen carefully, she can lead us to an appreciation of nature's harmony and a curiosity about unanswered questions; the latter to discourage rigid inflexibility and condescending lectures of fact, and to encourage one to fill the gaps. I look upon Ourania to inspire complexity in thought, and in turn simplify the practice of Goodness.
Polyhymnia: Traditionally She inspired and protected sacred song and harmony, and was presented looking up to the sky, holding a lyre. Today she offers traditional, faith-based religion, as well as many alternative expressions of spirituality. She encourages us to reach upward and inward in search of unknowable answers. If we listen carefully, she can lead us to a transcendental yearning that will enable an occasional, fleeting glimpse of Truth and Wisdom; made even more possible if grounded by Ourania. I look upon Polyhymnia to inspire a meditative solitude and a communal peace.
Thalia: Traditionally She inspired and protected comedy and was presented holding a comic mask, a shepherd's crook, and a wreath of ivy. Today she offers that same active hope found with Terpsichore, but in story form. A comedy (in the traditional sense) is a feel-good story with a happy ending, typically involving ordinary people who have some degree of good fortune. In a larger sense Thalia offers Light amongst shadows. If we listen carefully, she can lead us to a port in the storm. She can lead our thoughts to such a desire for Goodness that our actions have no choice but to follow. She can lead our inner poet to positively influence others seeking guidance, and encourage them to positively influence still others, thus creating an exponential increase of Goodness - Light amongst the shadows. I look upon Thalia to inspire communal story-telling.
Melpomenee: Traditionally She inspired and protected tragedy and was presented holding a tragic mask, the club of Hercules, and a wreath or vine leaves. Today she offers pain and adversity to help us learn and grow. This suffering may be our own or that of others. This suffering is always nearby. A tragedy (in the traditional sense) is a story of suffering, often due to an error in judgment, that creates pity and fear in the surrounding characters and the audience. The resulting downfall of a typically good person (or at least one with some redeeming qualities) is meant to offer insight. In a larger sense Melpomenee offers shadows so we are not blinded by Light. If we listen carefully, she can lead us to an insightful compassion beyond the pity and the fear; made even more possible if we are all operating from the common ground inspired by Erato. I look upon Melpomenee to inspire journeys into the Shadows in order to seek out and know the suffering of others. I look upon Melpomenee to inspire a depth of insight into my personal suffering that will result in the pain of Wisdom and an ineffable sense of Truth.
Calliope: Traditionally She inspired and protected epic poetry and rhetoric, and she was presented holding laurels in one hand and two Homeric poems in the other hand. Traditionally She was considered the superior Muse. Today she offers a coming together of Humanity through a depth and complexity of varying arenas and qualities. From the bureaucracy of business, law, and politics to an ordered sense of fairness and justice to the basic tenet 'Do No Harm' to an ethical sense of fairness and justice beyond mere laws of man to a true synergy of the whole of Humanity to an inner peace satisfied by the surrounding global Goodness; Calliope takes us from base instincts of power and control to an ideal (unattainable) harmony of the whole. If we listen carefully, she can lead us to each of the other Muses which helps us to see that the sum of the whole is (and/or has the potential to be) much greater than the sum of its individual parts. This is as true for the whole of Humanity as it is for each person's inner Muses. I look upon Calliope to inspire an epic vision of a Greater Goodness that can be shared by all. And when I am challenged by disagreement, I look upon Calliope to inspire the humility of acknowledged ignorance and the Wisdom of patient perseverance based on a transcendent sense of fairness and justice.
Inspired by the 9 Muses, below is an alternative, actively-hopeful take on Wordsworth's grievous, relevant observation:
To work today in Love's sweet sweat
And for tomorrow plan
From yesterday we pirouette
Into a brand new span.
A ground that covers Light and Dark
And holds our global clan
In peace, from here we must embark
From where we once began.
Acknowledging the facts unknown
Horizons still we scan
A synergy, undone alone;
What Man can make of Man