MUSIC OF THE SPHERES

My attention was drawn to the hymn This Is My Father's World by remembering that it includes the words 'Music of the Spheres.' The concept is an ancient one, explored by Pythagoras and contradicted by Aristotle. The astronomer Kepler took it very seriously; he concluded that "the Solar System was composed of two basses (Saturn and Jupiter), a tenor (Mars), two altos (Venus and Earth), and a soprano (Mercury), which had sung in “perfect concord,” at the beginning of time, and could potentially arrange themselves to do so again."

The imaginations of contemporary musicians and scientists are stimulated by considering relationships among the vibrations of notes which produce music and the arrangement of planets in various solar systems.

This video lets us listen to music which would be produced by The Harmonic Series Played By Planets.

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An Astronomer who is also a musician has produced a Ted Talk on this subject. Matt Russo introduces a way to hear with our ears what we thought was only visible to our eyes.

What does the universe sound like? He gives a musical tour of what the universe sounds like.

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Since sound does not travel through a vacuum whatever sound our earth makes would not be audible from space. However our planet does emit electromagnetic waves which can be translated to audible sound wave just like radio waves become sound waves from our radios. This video lets us listen to waves Earth produces.

Electromagnetic waves as sound

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Returning to our original hymn, This Is My Father's World, we can listen to a recording which is arranged to emphasize that the world is the vehicle through which spiritual music is being played.

 This Is My Father's World

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The Dawn of a new day

 

As the sun peak 

Over the horizon

Many are awakening 

Many are rising.

The dawn of a new day,

Approaching the light

As the Great Spirit 

approach all the living.

Ending the fight of night, 

Awakening the bulk 

of humanity’s slumber

Into their comforting rise.

As the sun is the glory of the day, 

So is the Ever-Present the light of all lights,

The Great Spirit, the glory of the universe.

And so the celestial light shines, 

Awakening all to see clearly.

The new era, the dawn of light, 

Shinning in the midst of a a dark night,

Which must fade again

Into day.

A brand new day dawns today,

Wake up from the pleasant dream

Which seems to never end.

Cycles come and cycles go,

But today is the day to awaken to new possibilities.

The birds are chirping a new song 

of life, of harmony.

Above all things the song reminds me of my own wings,

And that it is no longer night.

It is a new day

We approach the new day in a new way.

Humanity is reaching ripeness today.

It is a time of love.

A time of peace is approaching,

It is a time of knowing.

We must face the east,

The stars are glowing in the sky and within.

It is time to throw away

 all burdens and sing,

The song you have found within,

It is the dawn of a new day.

DIVINE ECONOMY

A number of years ago, before I was heavily involved in studying Blake, I recorded some short thoughts which had come to me. I can't say exactly where they had come from. I can say that I had studied science in high school and college. I had married a man who was both intelligent and good. I got to work raising three children to be as intelligent and as good as their father. As a family we enjoyed nature through camping, hiking and visiting places of natural beauty. We participated in the Methodist Churches until we moved to Washington DC to become a part of the Church of the Savior, an alternative church heavily involved in social programs. We spent our seven years in the structured program of the Church of the Savior, and went on to the Quakers where structure is unnecessary. Among the gifts we received from the Church of the Savior was an interest in esoteric literature and the mythopoeic in general.

So at some point I began to write down the lessons I had learned along my journey in concise statements. To this little collection I gave the name the Divine Economy.

This all happened before I had seen many of the pictures William Blake created, or realized that he was attempting to convey spiritual and psychological truth through opening the minds of men to spiritual perception. Larry, my husband, had begun studying Blake in the 1980's, but he focused on the poetry and not the pictures. No one had much opportunity to see Blake's pictures before computers made it possible for institutions to digitize their material and display it on websites. Because of the availability of the images for viewing when I began my study, my interest was drawn in that direction. Knowing that many images were rarely seen even with the internet, I decided to create a blog attaching my words from the Divine Economy to Blake pictures which could illustrate the truth I aimed to present.

E-BOOK

Thanks to the efforts of Ian Vincent Mulder of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, the content of Divine Economy blog is now available as an e-book. It is our hope that you will download the pdf file to your computer or book reader to contemplate at your leisure.

Since Ian has more technical skills than most, he has also put together instructions for making a high quality book from the file. Although the book cannot be sold because of restrictions of the institutions which generously provided the images, it can be printed by individuals who prefer to hold a book in their hands and turn the pages with their fingers.

In an email from Ian dated March 13, 2014 he states:
"It will not escape you that we are following In Blake's footsteps, self-publishing and in some way inventing new ways of reaching out. There is a wonderful freedom in this. In some strange way I feel also that when giving something away one has a greater responsibility to oneself and one's readers than when it's done for money. One comes within the ambit of Divine Economy, wherein everything of real value cannot be paid for. There seems to be a corollary that because (it's been decided that) it cannot be paid for, I must make sure it is of real value! Or perhaps simply it's a matter of being recruited into that Divine Economy wherein one serves." 

Larry and I have tried to live according to the principles incorporated in the Divine Economy which most fundamentally originate in the New Testament. They were taught by Jesus: forgiveness, inclusiveness, compassion, gratitude and awareness of the Presence of the Divine Benevolence. That this e-book is available freely to anyone is testimony to Ian's intuitive sense of what Blake was saying through his art, and I in my words.

Blake calls us to Awake from the emptiness of isolation to the fullness of mutual love between God and man, and between man and man.  

Jerusalem, Plate 4, (E 146)
"Chap: I
Of the Sleep of Ulro! and of the passage through
Eternal Death! and of the awaking to Eternal Life.

This theme calls me in sleep night after night, & ev'ry morn
Awakes me at sun-rise, then I see the Saviour over me
Spreading his beams of love, & dictating the words of this mild song.  

Awake! awake O sleeper of the land of shadows, wake! expand!
I am in you and you in me, mutual in love divine:
Fibres of love from man to man thro Albions pleasant land.
In all the dark Atlantic vale down from the hills of Surrey
A black water accumulates, return Albion! return!                
Thy brethren call thee, and thy fathers, and thy sons,
Thy nurses and thy mothers, thy sisters and thy daughters
Weep at thy souls disease, and the Divine Vision is darkend:
Thy Emanation that was wont to play before thy face,
Beaming forth with her daughters into the Divine bosom
Where hast thou hidden thy Emanation lovely Jerusalem
From the vision and fruition of the Holy-one?
I am not a God afar off, I am a brother and friend;
Within your bosoms I reside, and you reside in me:
Lo! we are One; forgiving all Evil; Not seeking recompense!      
Ye are my members O ye sleepers of Beulah, land of shades!

But the perturbed Man away turns down the valleys dark;"

The Psalmist tells us why it is possible for us to speak and write the truth which is beyond our limited abilities to encompass. 

Psalms 139
[1] O LORD, thou hast searched me and known me!
[2] Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up;
thou discernest my thoughts from afar.
[3] Thou searchest out my path and my lying down,
and art acquainted with all my ways.
[4] Even before a word is on my tongue,
lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

 

If there are statements which you would like to add to the Divine Economy out of your experience, please add your insights as a comment to this post. 

  

WINGS OF EAGLES

J.R.R.Tolkien
Bilbo Carried by Eagle

David played the music of this hymn as the prelude to our worship today. 

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This Hymn was mentioned in Biden's victory speech on November 7, 2020.

On Eagle's Wings

You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
who abide in his shadow for life,
say to the Lord: "My refuge, my rock in whom I trust!"

And he will raise you up on eagle's wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm of his hand.

The snare of the fowler will never capture you,
and famine will bring you no fear:
under his wings your refuge,
his faithfulness your shield.

And he will raise you up on eagle's wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm of his hand.

You need not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day;
though thousands fall about you,
near you it shall not come.

And he will raise you up on eagle's wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm of his hand.

For to his angels he's given a command
to guard you in all of your ways;
upon their hands they will bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.

And he will raise you up on eagle's wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm of his hand.

This is not a traditional hymn. It was composed in 1976 and came into usage first in Catholic churches. But is not based on new ideas. It goes back much further to Psalm 91 in the Old Testament. This Psalm is referred to in the New Testament in the temptation of Jesus. The devil quoted scripture by using words from Psalm 91 in tempting Jesus to cast himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. Jesus refuted the devil by quoting additional scripture from Deuteronomy .  

Psalms 91
[1] He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
[2] I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
[3] Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
[4] He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
[5] Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
[6] Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
[7] A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
[8] Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
[9] Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
[10] There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
[11] For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
[12] They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
[13] Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
[14] Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
[15] He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
[16] With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

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Deuteronomy 6
[16] Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
[17] Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.
[18] And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,

Matthew 4
[5] Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
[6] And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
[7] Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

 

A QUAKER POEM

 I AM A QUAKER

BY DIANE FAISON MCKINZIE

It is loud, the silence that I hear, 

I am a Quaker and in my silence, I draw God near.

 

Respect for other religions is always in my sight, 

I am a Quaker and know the different paths to God are alright.

 

Bear witness to the humanity of all people, no matter if they are White Black, Tan, or Brown. 

I am a Quaker, and I know and respect that all the different people make the world go round.

 

Plain in our dress is no more, I am a Quaker and wear clothes of today 

but this modern attire does not steer me from my “Quaker Way”.

 

A gun, a sword, a lynching rope of death, a vile of poison to end a life these are all venues that I cannot use or understand. 

I am a Quaker, and using these tools of violence is not what I want to hold in my hand.

 

My meditation and my “still” minutes in my every day, 

help me to hear what God has to say. 

I am a Quaker, and we are just that way.

 

Some say our faith is strange. Some say “We are not Christians”. Some say our meeting houses are too plain.

I say “Yes, we are Christians”, and say “I’m sorry you didn’t know”. If
our faith seems strange, it’s because their search for Quaker facts truly
lacks.

 

Meeting houses stand in beautiful “plain” sites so the spiritual mind won't stray, 

so we can keep focus, and pray.

 

  I am a human, I am a woman, I am a Christian, and all of these are me.

THAT MAKES ME A QUAKER YOU SEE.

 

I and the Dragonfly

I and the Dragonfly

Indian-style, I sit by the lake,                                                                                                                                                            with no more movement than the tall grass that barely stirs in the breeze.                                                 The trees shade my still form on the path,                                                                                                    but on the lake, the reflected sun shimmers unchecked.

The water is almost still on the surface                                                                                                        and from its depth, earth colors mirror land and sky and clouds precisely.                                                     I look closely and see small circles all across the skin of the water;                                                                                     tiny water insects gliding noiselessly.

Across, on the far shore, the sun runs yellow down the hill between the tall pines,                                 spilling into the water just where the red earth joins it.                                                                                      As I sit longer, an. audible splash to my left signals the feeding one of the fish on the surface riders; another on my right signals the quick return of a frog into the water from whence he came.  

Time slips slowly away, and I become part of this natural world,  an interlude in life that does not often occur.                                                                                                                                                                 Then a fairy comes to light in front of me on a long, pale green frond.                                                       Not a real fairy, lest you think I have sat too long in that enchanted spot, but it might have been, the beautiful dragonfly that sways there.                                                                                                            His body is long and slender, and his double wings are iridescent, catching all of the sun's warmth and radiating the blues, pinks, greens, and silver of the sky as he sways.

He stayed only a short time, sharing his world with me, before he moved quickly away to other grasses on the far edges of the lake.  I remain behind him, unable to move as gracefully or as fast, but with a renewed spirit in the magic of the moment. 

       

ACTS OF KINDNESS

“AOK”

By Diane Faison-Mckinzie / 2023

Have you ever seen someone at the checkout counter that needed that extra penny to pay their bill? Did you offer to give that person that penny? If you did, that was an AOK.

In a moment of sadness, a person is in tears beside you, did you offer that person a handkerchief or a tissue? If you did, that was an AOK.

It’s raining, and you see someone that is trying to get to their car but doesn’t have an umbrella, and you do. Do you offer the protection of your umbrella to walk with that person to their car, so they won’t get wet? If you did, that was an AOK.

Galatians 6:9

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

 

Is there a person in your neighborhood or family who is having difficulty with transportation to get to needed appointments? If you can offer transportation for that person, that is an AOK.

Handing just a dollar to that person on the street that is asking for help, is an act that may help that person eat for the day. That is an AOK.

AOK stands for “acts of Kindness” Acts of kindness don’t have to be large, they can be as small as giving away a smile to a person, and that small jester won’t cost you anything.

See what ACTS OF KINDNESS you can do today, and experience the joy of showing love to your fellow man.