I almost apologized for another post on Walt Whitman, but why? My heart asks me Does it fulfill your purpose? Yes, it does. Does it help you express your love to others? It does, so I continue these posts as a love offering.
May I confess something else to you, whoever reads this? I always struggle with my training to speak of literature in the present tense, just like not using the plural they instead of he or she. Stupid. So, I may mix tenses and joyfully make English teachers cringe. I was one! Walt Whitman was a visionary in many ways, and yet he was solidly rooted in his now. I ponder over his life without worrying much about it, because at times, he seemed like he was in favor of the Civil War. He wasn’t, really, but he, like Lincoln, solidly thought that the preservation of the Union of states was crucial. Why? I think that both of them believed like I do, or rather I believe as they did. That belief is founded in what I have termed my Grand Unified Theory of Humanity, something that was embodied, in my opinion, in the Declaration of Independence. It is based on the concept that the essence of our existence is to hear our own hearts, discover core Self, and create our life purpose to express our love to the world and connect with the Spirit of all. When Walt wrote “I Hear America Singing,” he captured what he sensed via the fellowship of his heart with Spirit. When anyone taps into the Spirit of all, they develop an acute, new sense of hearing because the vibrational energies of life emit songs, deep expressions of their essence, to any who will discern. Does anyone need to know this or discern this to live? No, but so much beauty goes undetected, and the ripples of that beauty will spread, when it is perceived, to unknown blessings. How? Well listen to some of what Walt saw with his physical eyes, and when he processed his observations in the fellowship of his heart, he heard these “carols” — celebratory songs — in the poem: “I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, / Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong, / The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,… / The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing…” And so Walt goes through more very common, representative people. The fact that they are common, everyday things says that he saw something more than just their simple efforts. He held their picture in his mind until their very essence was revealed to him, an essence of a song, a melody, that each life sang at a spiritual level. Now, whether people are aware of it or not, for someone in the fellowship of the heart, those songs waft their melodies to the spiritual ears of the Spirit of all, which makes their tunes available to those functioning through their heart rather than ego. It’s like those in the fellowship of the heart belong to a spiritual iTunes. Which makes me ask myself, and you since you are reading this, what kind of music am I writing with my life? What melody does the Spirit hear, do those who care to listen hear? A funeral dirge? An angry chant? A love song? A song of social justice? What is it that you or I compose and play in our daily lives? Our lives, actions, thoughts, words strike the chords, inform the spiritual band, orchestra about how our lives, our beings, resonate with the rest of creation. Pretty cool, huh? But it can be a bit scary, too, if we choose to live through ego. Some might question this idea of each of us being composers with our lives in a spiritual sense, but let Walt answer for himself: “Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else, / The day what belongs to the day — at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, / Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.” Note how personal it is, “each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else.” Again, I must seriously consider this: What does my daily life sound like to those who listen for my song? What does yours? Do we realize that we either add to beautiful harmony or create discord, but whatever we sing, it’s there to be heard, loud and clear: “Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.” For those who know and appreciate life and walk in their hearts of love, they can embrace and accept all. Walt did, even the Civil War and everything associated with it. He had to accept, but he also interpreted and made sense of it. The sense he made was that it happened and it would only lead to an ever-evolving America, not just a superior nation because of military or economic or political dominance, but rather because it was, to him, a nation in which we could each sing our songs through our lives, discover our hearts, live our truths, and still emerge as individuals comprising a grand, majestic, joyful orchestra. What chair have you taken in the orchestra of life? What tone does your soul add to the composition? Have you heard your heart to know who you are, to know the line of melody that you are contributing to the Universe? I hope so, because you and I, well, we really have a great sound!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Questions to consider:How many times have you asked yourself or simply thought about the following questions?
Who am I, really? What is my truth? How do my actions reveal what I really feel and believe? What would I do with my life if I could do anything? What is my passion? Why am I here? How can I discover answers to any of these questions? If you have considered any of these questions, I hope that my experiences and writing will give you some guidance. Please read my blog and comment and share your thoughts. I would love to hear from you! Archives
December 2019
Categories |