Friday, January 9, 2009

"A Few Sketches"
9:34pm

I made many attempts to capture this emotive man, and the first was the best.

Julia offered to pose for me. My first result of her wasn't so pleasing. Then she got the idea that we'd sketch each other simultaneously: Her results are rather luminous... I caught her mental concentration... Saturday, January 10, 2009 "Intriguing Pursuits and Drawing of Colin Wilson" 6:33pm As is our usual custom, we went to the library this morning to load up on interesting stuff. I usually just aim for the DVDs, not intrigued by what Julia brings home in books. It's usually mostly science fiction. But today, she got one that enticed me, and I had a brief look at _From Atlantis to the Sphinx: Recovering the Lost Wisdom of the Ancient World_ by Colin Wilson before we'd even left the library, while she was hunting more books. This evening, after reading a couple of the main articles in the latest KMT, (lovely article and photos of Yuya's and Thuya's tomb stuff and another on fascinating fakes), I grabbed the Wilson book. I didn't get far before I spied something I just had to write down: "One implication, according to Schwaller, is that there must be some method of accelerating the pace of human evolution. The reason this statement excited me so much was because it has been the underlying theme of all my own work. I had noticed, as a child, that at Christmas the whole world seems to be a far richer and more wonderful place than we normally recognise. But of course, what I meant was that consciousness itself can be far more intense than the everyday consciousness we accept as 'normal'. This 'intenser' form of consciousness often appears accidently, in moments of relaxation or relief when a crisis disappears, yet when we experience it, we recognise that it is somehow 'normal', merely a different way of seeing things and responding to them. One of the basic characteristics of this state of 'heightened consciousness' is that it seems to involve the proper use of our mental energy, instead of wasting it. Normal consciousness is like a leaky bucket, or a tyre with a slow puncture. In certain moods we seem to get the 'trick' of closing the leaks, and when that happens, living ceases to be hard work, and turns into a continual glow of satisfaction and anticipation, like the feeling we get when setting out on holiday. I sometimes call this 'duo-consciousness', because it depends on being conscious of two realities at once, like a child sitting in front of a warm fire and listening to the patter of rain on the windows, or the feeling we get lying in bed on a freezing winter morning, when we have to get up in five minutes, and the bed has never seemed so warm and comfortable. Our personal development depends upon what might be called 'intensity experiences'. Such experiences may be pleasant or unpleasant, like the experiences of Paris in Helen's arms, or the experiences of a soldier under fire; but they certainly have the effect of causing some kind of minor yet permanent transformation of awareness. Yet it seems a pity that our development depends upon the chance of having such experiences, when consciousness is a state, not a mere product of what happens to us. A cook can make jellies and cakes; a carpenter can make tables and cupboards; a pharmacist can make sleeping draughts or pick-me-ups. Why should we not be able to make our states of consciousness by understanding how they come about?" (From _From Atlantis to the Sphinx: Recovering the Lost Wisdom of the Ancient World_ by Colin Wilson, page 13) When I looked up more about this author, I learned that Wilson has a book available later this year called _Super Consciousness: The Quest for the Peak Experience_, which is certain to be a most rewarding read. Finding photos of Wilson, I decided to give him a try. With a large size photo at Wiki and a tiny size photo at the New York Times, I went for the 11x14 bristol board, after first finding the 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper too confining: The New York Times article writer interviewed Wilson, giving him a chance to say: "One of my main problems as far as the public is concerned is that I've always been interested in too many things," Mr. Wilson said, "and if they can't typecast you as a writer on this or that, then I'm afraid you tend not to be understood at all." Well, maybe he might not be widely understood and as popular as some other type of writer who just sticks to one genre, but he certainly has those who can follow him here and there. Meanwhile, I relate to what he's saying, in my not-so-humble way. I can't imagine having just one narrow interest, I must follow my curiousity whereever it leads. Sunday, January 11, 2009 "Power and Comfort of Music" 9:20pm We saw a movie tonight which I'll never forget. Paradise Road is at times horrifying with the truths of war, the torture, the inhumane treatment. But it is also a story of how the human spirit triumphs above that. A group of women prisoners in Sumatra (during war of Japanese on Singapore), were at first quite divisive. They fought over soap, etc. One woman was burned alive for doing black market trading to get quinine to help heal malaria from which so many suffered. But a couple of women got the idea to have a vocal orchestra, and they persuaded many of the others to do so.The music gave them strength, and it even softened the hearts of their captors somewhat. I sobbed during this movie. I sobbed more when I learned it was based on a true story. I won't forget this movie. After reading some of the true stories of the women upon whom the movie was based (and showing that to Julia, so she could read it), I had to sing my little song (the 'Thaxted' Holst tune with the Brightman lyrics). (The movie even featured a brief bit of the Holst melody in the soundtrack at the beginning.) The chorus, which is quite different, I didn't try singing that. I don't know, maybe I didn't transcribe it right, for earlier I couldn't sing my words to the recorded song. One commenter on a musical site said they didn't think the chorus fit with the rest. I tried to fix that with better lyrics, but maybe it is more than just lyrics, maybe its tune doesn't fit the stately elegance and deep inward feelings of the Holst tune. (After all, Holst is (was) a master composer.) I did buy the "Symphony" CD, so I could get the liner notes. The commenter says: Track 13 Running Composer F. Peterson Lyrics. S. Brightman / K. Hirschburger publishing Omen Music Publishing But not Holst? Dang...." Yes, no credit to Holst! The commenter continues: "The Holst track... Oi.... 1.5 minutes of it. Love it. Then it goes into this pop style. Kind of bland, and a jolt from the Holst. Then it goes back to the Holst . Yeh! ABA Holst-pop-Holst. Doesn't quite work for me, except I like the Holst. : So just those two tracks I like, and the Holst one I wish they hadn't "arranged" B pop section into it." Here's another commenter, Thom Jurek: ""Running," is a virtual multi-part suite disguised as a single song. There is an operatic intro that becomes fist-in-the-air uplifting rock & roll bombast in the first half -- it even includes an electric guitar solo, enormous drums, and a choir hammering home the refrain with Brightman before it moves back toward opera, then silence, then more orchestral and vocal drama. This track reeks of Steinman -- and his lyrics would have been far better than what is here." I don't know who 'Steinman' is. But I suspect Jurek's comment about lyrics is regarding the chorus lyrics which seem out of place with the verses. Which, of course, is why I attempted my own. Anyway, my chorus words didn't work, and I can't sing it without music too well. (If I sing Brightman's lyrics, I can sing along with the CD or mp3 just fine.) So perhaps there's something with the pacing that doesn't fit my words, that is these lines: Lessons giving clue. Pride is ours if we choose Beauty's truth so fair. And we are holding Power to change, Growing wiser each day. The syllable counts match, but somehow... The intro 'this is here and now' and 'Gods are waking, magic's making' is okay. Maybe I should try changing the melody to feel smoother and not as jagged? However, just one plink of the digital piano on 'D' above middle C and I'm off and 'running' on the verses part... So at least I have that much. And I still love her rendition of it.

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