1 May 23 HEROES #02 - Muses

Nine of Them

Muses? Heroes? 

Women? Heroes?

Read on . . .

Those who spend their lives creating art and delving into the mysteries of science know exactly what inspiration is. This inspiration is often described as a bolt out of nowhere, a message from a dream, a sign from the mundane world. Yup! The open-minded, creative soul knows inspiration when it comes. Often, artists and scientists who receive such messages and signs credit their good fortune to some guiding spirit or “lord” of the dreaming. In the Greco-Roman time such microwave inspirations were attributed to one or more of the Nine Muses. (More on that below.)

So, back to Muse as Hero. Note that poetry and prose are the only arts that are represented by more than one Muse. Why so? Language is heroic. It changes things, drives wars, anger, and murder. In contrast, language often nurtures love and kindness.

The commonly accepted definition is that the muse is a capricious force of inspiration, an ethereal goddess, that appears – if you're lucky – but only ever on her untameable, unpredictable terms.

Who are these brilliant, saucy suns in the universe of inspirational arts and sciences? Ta-Da! Nine of them, and here they are:

1. Calliope, epic poetry (chief of the muses)
2. Clio, history
3. Erato love poetry
4. Euterpe, music
5. Melpomene, tragedy 
6. Polyhymnia, hymns and the sacred
7. Terpsichore, dance
8. Thalia, comedy and pastoral poetry
9. Urania/Ourania, astronomy

Most of the arts that are connected with muses specialize in language, in particular poetry. You’ve heard the saying, poetry is the language of the soul, right? That poetic language is the highest form of verbal expression. Why? Poetry can move a person to tears and it can make a difference. It appeals to our soft side. It breaks down our walls and lets us feel the impact of the chosen words. It paints us with different colors and makes us feel exposed and vulnerable, open to love and kindness creating greater empathy.

Two things make the Muses stand out:

1. Usually, a hero is one person. Even wherein large numbers of people participate, credit typically goes to the general (Ulysses S. Grant), the explorer (Sir E.H. Shackleton), or the religious leader (Pope Francis). It would seem that humans want one focus, one hero who performs as a leader.
2. To date, heroes are more often than not, male. Can it be true that women don’t measure up to “hero standards"? More likely, the accomplishments of women simply aren’t noticed as often as their male counterparts. Yes, there are the Marie Curie, Joan of Arc, and Jane Goodall; however, the list of widely recognized female heroes is far shorter than the one for men.

Can a mythical entity be a hero? We say, "yes". Inspiration, whatever its source, is the starting point for most of humanity’s grand achievements. Does it really matter whether or not the one who inspires is corporeal or not? The Nine Muses say that sometimes a disembodied guide can be less problematic than a flesh-and-blood creative human or creature (think totems).

Still some actual humans are credited with being muses:

• W. B. Yeats Maude Gonne
• Salvador Dalai Gala Diakonova (also muse to Andre Breton and others)
• Virginia Woolf Vita Sackville-West (a case of mutual muses)
• James Joyce Nora Barnacle
• Frida Kahlo Diego Rivera (a case of a male muse; Frida’s husband)
• Dante Beatrice

. . . and so on.

Missing Muses

As listed above, each of the nine muses oversaw a different field of human creation. However, there was no Muse identified with painting or sculpture; ancient Greek culture held these art forms in low social regard, considering work of this sort to be more along the lines of manual labor. Lots of other labor does not have a muse.

If one googles “muse of the medical,” the result refers to urethral sticks and suppositories as well as a program at Stanford Medical School. Likewise, I googled, What is the Muse of Business? The first entry was, “A muse money-making opportunity is one that is inexpensive to set up yet generates passive income while you kite-board, eat a bowl of cereal, or watch TV.” Need I say more. The Greeks were pretty good at distinguishing what was worth having a goddess. The Romans, not so much, but they were good imitators.

I find it intriguing that all the Muses are women, so we get the feminine perspective, keeping in mind that it was almost always a man who got the glory. There is the obvious – the ancients would have kenned the traditionally feminine competences: fertility, giving birth, the source of love in a traditional home, and so on.

POEMS

Four poems this week for your edification, critique, or panning. Two are from little-known poets, one is from the great William Blake, and finally a long one (as usual) by yours truly. The last takes a light-hearted perspective on “Nine of Them.” I trust you won’t find it sacrilegious.

MUSE

Cackling, smelling of camphor, crumbs of pink icing

Clinging to her lips, her lipstick smeared

Halfway around her neck, her cracked teeth bristling

With bloody splinters, she leans over my shoulder,

Oh, my only hope, my lost dumbfounding baggage,

My gristle-breasted, slack-jawed zealot, kiss me again

David Wagoner

MUSE

No angel speaks to me.

And though the wind

plucks the dry leaves

as if they were so many notes

of music, I can hear no words

Still I listen. I search

the feathery shapes of clouds

hoping to find the curve of a wing.

And sometimes when the static

Of the world clears just a moment

A small voice comes through,

Chastening, Music

is its own language, it says

Along the indifferent corridors

of space, angels could be hiding

Linda Pastan

To the Muses

Whether on Ida's shady brow,

         Or in the chambers of the East,

The chambers of the sun, that now

         From ancient melody have ceas'd;

Whether in Heav'n ye wander fair,

         Or the green corners of the earth,

Or the blue regions of the air,

         Where the melodious winds have birth;

Whether on crystal rocks ye rove,

         Beneath the bosom of the sea

Wand'ring in many a coral grove,

         Fair Nine, forsaking Poetry!

How have you left the ancient love

         That bards of old enjoy'd in you!

The languid strings do scarcely move!

         The sound is forc'd, the notes are few!

William Blake

Muses Musing

What is it muses muse upon?

Artists plead for their preferential inspiration

but what if the muses’ muse or even snooze

and care less than a pot of ink for artists’ wishes

Why do muses always hover above the floundering artist?

god or goddess-like dispensing stingy favors

Scrooge-like in their lack of generosity

and always garbed in debutant gossamer

Scarlet prancing for Rhett, but neither would know

a muse if one rested on their heads 

Muses, no flights of angels, to be sure

too busy musing on their own bright wings

while the poet slouches, pen in drooping hand

But wait – muses musing must have an object holding their attention

Aha! Muses muse with one another while

the musician’s fingers halt upon the keys or strings

the painter’s brushes turn color-hardened

the actor forgets lines memorized

the dancer trips on nothing and goes down

Interpret as you will. The muses’ favorite topic is each other

and particular humans born smelling of artistic musk

But to dispense great prose is another thing entirely

yet sparkling verses gifted here and there

but rarely grace the poet with a poem’s entirety  

“Why just look at that one,” Melinda Muse points a long, thin finger

She directs the muse-ish circle drinking vaporous tea

pinkies wagging above their cups

“She actually believes she has a phrase or two. How amusing!”

“Poor dear,” sympathizes Mabel Muse. “So sad and so mistaken.”

“Someone should disabuse her of that notion,” Maynard Muse* suggests.

“Well, it won’t be me does that deed!” sniffs Melinda 

as her nose ascends toward the ceiling

“Why ever not?” parries Maynard. “Of all of us, you are 

the least likely to go a-musing.”

“I beg your pardon,” Melinda snorts as her nose retreats toward her clavicle

“Now, now, you two,” tsks Mabel. “We all need our breaks now and then.”

“Now and then!” Mindy Muse chimes in. “While you are jawing, I’m out there

with a workload of hundreds groveling in their muesli for inspiration crumbs.”

“Then what are you doing here?” Melinda queries knowingly

“I’m on my way to my next gig, thank you very much, you skinny bitch.”

Mindy bristles, not amused

“Now, now ladies,” Maynard gently cautions. “This is why we boys get a bad rap.

Every artist thinks we’re in league with you withholding spider widows. 

Not one of you has artistic muscle sitting in your musty muslin

“Speak for yourself, you mustachioed lethargic know-it-all.!” Mabel sniffs.

“I’m out there with a caseload that rivals an underpaid social worker.”

Blah. Blah. Blah. And Ho-hum,” Melinda pats her yawning mouth.

“Some of us choose to only take on guaranteed talent.”

“Even so, I think one of us should help,” says Mabel hopefully.

“Then you go, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes,” challenges Melinda

“Oh, to purgatory with all this. I’ll go,” Maynard musters his gallantry.

“Here, hold this cup of tea for me. I’ll be back in a flash.”

(Maynard gathers his height and exits through the reeds)

The three remaining muses calm down, exhausted from their conversations

that fail to inspire even themselves

. . . See how they prattle. See how they run on.

Not a fragment of their discourse discerns the artists’ plight

Note the shiny navel-gazing and paucity of empathy

The plot predictable. The characters set in their ways.

The muses abide in the lower case and have no creative capital to give

We poets, singers, dancers, actors are on our own

Muses may muse on us, but not our dances nor on our poems.

Catherine Stenzel

Background:

The concept of Muses, the ambivalent (dis)belief in them, and the fantasy(?) of having one is ancient. Initially, the Muses were created to celebrate the victory of the gods over the Titans, in the so-called Titanomachy. Considered deities of spring, over time their importance increased until they became goddesses – and responsible for human inspiration.

In ancient times (aka, the Greeks) it was considered de rigueur to make an invocation to one of the Muses before beginning a creative endeavor. The artist or scientist asks for inspiration, skill, knowledge, and often, the right emotion to finish a work worthy of his subject matter.

An example, Homer’s invocation to the Muse of epic poetry (e.g., The Odyssey) asks the Muse to help the poet to recite the epic poem in a way that pleases the gods and provides the best recitation for the listeners.

Though contemporary professional writers might not open with a formal invocation, the process of summoning an inner muse, breaking through writer’s block, and finding artistic inspiration in our daily lives is just as important as ever.

Explorations:

1. Have you ever encountered a muse? If so, what was it like? How long did it last?
2. If you haven’t encountered a muse, and you could choose which one to meet, which one would that be? (See list of the nine above)
3. Is the sentiment of “Muses Musing” realistic, sarcastic, amusing, insulting, blasphemy, some of the above, or something else? Considering your answer, do you think the poet should have been more respectful, regardless of whether or not she has a muse?

Special Feature: Are You a Poet? Do you have a Muse? Is the Muse You?

Many people, even people who never think of themselves as artists or poets, have met and been inspired by a muse. The muse can come into the life of anyone who is attuned to their presence, anyone who is aware, compassionate, empathetic, and in pursuit of understanding and knowledge. I call this the “poet’s soul.”

You have a poet’s soul…

• if you look for the truth behind reality.
• if you are never satisfied with easy explanations.
• if you recognize that your path is yours to walk alone.
• if you notice things that others do not.
• if you look for the meaning of dreams.
• if you seek the real meaning behind words.

You have a poet’s soul if you fall deeply in love… so deep that you need to find new ways to express it.

So much of what we do as creatives and artists—whether you’re dancing, painting, writing songs, poetry, or journaling— is driven by love and the intense feelings it brings. Love can turn any of us into a muse-inspired poet. That’s why I believe that all of us can write inspired songs and poetry. And we should. It’s an expression and acknowledgment of our deepest emotions.

The experience of the muse is universal; you will find references to her/him in the poetry and songs of all languages. In India her hair is black, in Africa her skin is dark. The muse is not always female, either. There are poems, paintings, songs, and novels inspired by male muses, too.

Finding Your Muse and Creating Muse-Driven Art

Whatever you do in life, if you have a poet’s soul, embrace your muse. Reach for it, reach beyond yourself, write with the knowledge that the beauty you see is not separate from you but a part of you. The best, most beautiful part. May your songs and stories and paintings and dances flow on.

Robin Frederick

Poets, songwriters, painters, artists of all kinds recognize it for what it is: a way in, a doorway into the deep underground of the psyche. It may happen more than once—Picasso had several muses—but for many it is a unique and singularly memorable experience, one that can transform a life.

Why is this meeting so profound? Why does it leave such a lasting and vivid impression? What’s going on here? Well, if you were paying attention at the moment you met your muse, you might have felt something fly out of you and into them – I can’t describe it any other way – it’s that piece of you that Jung calls the anima in a man, animus in a woman.

In an instant, you projected an essential part of your own psyche onto another. What you are seeing when you look at them is the reflection of your own poet-soul. It is frighteningly beautiful, awesome and silent. You want desperately to speak to it but ordinary speech seems inadequate. The only language you can think of to use is art which is the true language of the soul. 

We reach out and connect with the muse through art. By representing the muse’s presence in painting, writing, dancing, sculpting, or drawing, we can begin to reunite with the piece of us the muse represents.

Journaling is an excellent first step in connecting with the projected psyche. What do you want to or need to tell your muse? What would you like to show your muse about your life? How do your feel about your life? What would make you happy, give you a sense of completion? Talk to your muse in your journal. Draw pictures. Record a melody idea that haunts you. You can use this material as a basis for creating poems, songs, and drawings.

Always keep your journal honest. Express what you really feel. The muse doesn’t demand flowery sentiment and will turn and run at the slightest hint of an untruth. Sometimes you’ll throw caution to the winds. Other times you’ll tiptoe carefully around what you need to say. The muse is only interested in hearing your authentic voice.

For more on finding your authentic voice, read my post Being Authentic.

As you write or draw, notice the luminous quality of the muse you are addressing—the bright, translucent light of the image in your mind. This the key to understanding that you are calling home a piece of yourself. This is the intense beauty and power of your own soul. Keep working and, little by little, you’ll begin to feel the muse beginning to return to you.

Remember that you’re not writing about or imagining a specific individual, someone you may have met or not. They actually have no real connection to your muse. For some unexplained reason, they’re image became attached to a piece of you that you need to reclaim. Keep that in the back of your mind as you work.

This is what makes muses so extraordinarily desirable, the urge to unite with them so irresistible. The muse is a part of your Self, your own soul you are seeing reflected in the Other. That which has been separated yearns to be reunited… but there’s a catch. Like a mirage, the image of the muse dissolves as you approach.

The muse inspires not just artists, but scientists, philosophers, teachers, anyone who aspires to achieve something that is beyond their reach. And because of our longing for the muse, we become more, better… deeper, wider.