StoriesandPoems

William Blake's writings come across as highly suspicious of formal religion, but in this poem he clearly shows his belief in Christ and the spiritual world. Indeed its message is similar to when Christ taught Peter about a 'stone' he should build his church upon. This 'stony bed' was the revelation that he was the Christ and only upon this revelation would it withstand the ‘gates of hell.’ (Bible, Matt. 16). When Jesus was betrayed by Judas and the Pharisees came to arrest him with their weapons, Peter drew his sword to cut off the ear of a nearby servant. After healing the wounded servant, Jesus rebuked Peter, “Put up thy sword into thy sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” (Bible, John 18). This should’ve reminded Peter of the stern rebuke he received when Peter was taught of the 'stony bed.' On that occasion, Peter bravely insisted the suffering and death of Jesus 'shall not be unto him.' Jesus upbraided Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan. thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” (Bible, Matt. 16). "The Grey Monk" compares two different ways people flee when they are afraid: some flee to the ‘stony bed’ (taking up the cross of Jesus), while others flee to the worldly security of the ‘purple tyrant’s bed’ (the hand of vengeance). The monk says that after fleeing to the ‘stony bed,’ God told him that the words he commanded the monk to write would prove the ‘bane of all that on earth he loved.’ At 12 midnight, the monk was being called of God to essentially deny himself vengeance and take up his cross, and follow the ‘Word’ that would prove to be the 'bitter pill' he must swallow in order to cure the reoccurring 'sweet fruits' of war. In the second to the last verse of Blake’s poem, he shows the progression of the monk 'taking up his cross' through three important stages. The first stage is for him to shed a 'widow's tear' which Blake compares to an intellectual thing. In the bible, the church is compared to a widow who lost her husband after Christ's crucifixion. Human suffering that evokes tears is unique only to the intelligent human being, and so the first stage of the monk’s journey then is to recognise consciously his helpless state before God. The second stage of 'taking up one's cross' is a deep sigh which Blake says is ‘the sword of an angel king.’ Angels penetrate the monk’s soul with the sword of truth and justice which convicts his mind as it did Peter when he denied his association with Jesus three times. When Peter remembered Jesus foretelling that he would deny him three times, it was as if his heart had been stabbed by a sword, and he bitterly wept (Mark 14: 72). Hearing an 'angel's word' can come as loud as a blaring trumpet until the walls of deception come crashing down. The last stage of 'taking up one's cross' is the ‘bitter moan of a martyr’s woe’ which Blake says is the 'arrow from the Almighty’s bow.’ This is the stage where the monk is fully transformed and converted. It’s the stage where the ‘tyranny of fear’ or the ‘serpent’ is finally crushed for this was the curse God placed upon the serpent after he had deceived Eve in the beginning. While the serpent’s seed would ‘bruise her heel,’ her seed would ‘crush his head’. (Genesis 3:15). Blake, however, observed after the French Revolution that while the ‘merciless tyrant’s’ head was guillotined by the ‘iron hand,', this was futile since his replacement brought in a reign of terror far more hideous. The Revolutionaries’ goals of equality, liberty, and the fellowship of brotherhood and sisterhood (thy father, thy brother, thy children) ended in death, persecution and more violent war. They had merely replaced the ‘purple tyrant’ with an unusually cruel and ‘merciless tyrant.’ The error they made, as Blake pointed out in "The Grey Monk" was like Peter, reacted with the ‘hand of vengeance’ instead of humbly fleeing to the ‘stony bed’ with ‘roots like ancient trees.’ It’s only at the 'stony bed' of forgiveness that Blake claims the world can be ‘free from fear.’

This poem depicts an old ‘grizzly’ astronomer speaking to his son (which he also calls his pupil and his observer) upon the closing hours of his life. It starts with a reference to the past work of Tycho Brahe the last astronomer to study the stars prior to the telescope. His precision in mapping out the stars led to his discovery of a bright misplaced star or what astronomers call today a supernova. It was his discovery that the stars reached beyond the moon, later verified by the telescope, that led to the scientific revolution. He reminds his son of this theory’s truth, but its originality ‘may fall bitterly’ on him. Even so he calls his attention to what he has taught him in regards to the shallow ‘worth of scorn.’ What for him he regards as a mere distraction for either ‘men’s fellowship and wiles’ or the ‘goddess pleasure with her meretricious smiles.’ The astronomer assures his son “Although my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light. I have loved the stars too fondly, to be fearful of the night.” This ‘perfect light’ is a reference to when ‘he may know the law of all things’ as Tycho Brahe. He then admonishes his son not to wallow in pity, but use his eyes for sight. He says, “You will need them yet for many another night.” While he also expresses some regrets for his own calm ‘coldness,’ he’s excited that his son’s tears of humanity are still alive to continue the service of science. If his son is not drawn away by ‘fame’ he embodies the future reaping of his father and Brahe’s work. The last verse is the old astronomer’s farewell as he passes through the threshold of death. As his mortal speech is silenced and vision is darkened, Venus appears as nearly red as Mars. This being symbolic of the bright beauty of youth being swallowed up by the blood and suffering of the ‘grizzly savant’s’ fate. His last words, “God will mercifully guide me on way amongst the stars,” is a declaration to his son that he will no longer require the use of scientific instruments in search of the truth, but will be guided mercifully by God.

The fifth day of creation introduces water and air creatures. There is a great difference between these creatures as you would expect living in such different habitats. The biggest difference is the way in which these creatures identify themselves. The fish and mollusks identify themselves as a vessel of water. They identify with their solid outer forms although those forms are somewhat relative to the environment they live. The birds, however, consider their bones and feathers as extraneous luggage. They are more aware of their true spiritual identity. This story can teach us that we too are not just made of water and mineral but also air and light. It can also teach us that by withdrawing into ourselves like a snail, our understanding is limited to the world, but by reaching outward and upward like Condor, our minds open up to who we really are inside. We need both kinds of awareness.

Truth is as wide and broad as the sea and skies. Tagore implores for us in this poem for our minds to be led into ever widening thought and action "by Thee" his Heavenly Father. He's not saying truth is relative without important distinctions. He's saying instead that if we are unafraid to be led so that our 'striving stretches toward perfection,' knowledge is free. The 'narrow domestic walls' he refers to in this poem are those prejudices, biases and fears that self-censor us from the endless sea of truth that otherwise would be available to us. Along with being narrowly constricted in thought by 'my-truth relativism', modern society's knowledge is also unfortunately limited by the natural sciences which defines reality as material things that our measurable. Instead of asking us to hold our head high into the free ever widening blue sky, keeping 'the clear stream of reason' alive from 'the depths of truth,' they have directed our heads to be buried under the weights and scales of 'dead habit.' To help you see the heavenly freedom Tagore refers and asks his country to discover, listen to the poem 'There are Two Kinds of Intelligences.' I have the link at the end of this video for you to view.

This poem was inspired by a flying eagle I witnessed as I clamoured and fought my way through the thick brush along a stream on January 1 as the poem indicates. As we gazed upon each other, it became apparent of our radically different perspectives. The eagle lifted me up and showed me where I was standing. It motivated me with courage to begin to live words and deeds out of the long heritage of the wisdom of the past. Sometimes going forward with a fresh start means to also discover our connections to the past. Music: Farewell by MaxKoMusic | https://maxkomusic.com/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

The eagle is the inversion of the cow. It's the least materialistic animal. It hardly touches the earth but to kill its prey and that's only out of necessity. Its greatest joy comes from soaring through the wind in the sun glittering air. It takes more joy in the colours of its plumage than its occasional meal. Quite the opposite of the cow whose singular pleasure comes from digesting its food. It's no accident that the Egyptian sun god Ra was made to have the head of a falcon. Music: Powerful by MaxKoMusic | https://maxkomusic.com/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

There are those who seem to walk their life pilgrimage in peace even while in dark and perilous times, yet there are also those who can be in the comforts of security, but be overcome with despair and hopelessness. Winter is the darkest and coldest time of the year. It can be ruthlessly cruel and difficult. How can we at this perilous time find a ‘pathway of hope and light’? How can we retain this always whether we are living through good or bad times? This traditional Christmas poem depicts the pathway as a guiding star.

The plant cannot move, produce its own energy and heat, or its own food. The plant, as well as the bird, are formed by solar and airy forces from without. The cow, however, can not only produce milk for its young, it can also generate energy and heat for its own movement. It has the creative ability to shape the spiritual using deep physical will forces from within. When humans use earth materials to transform them and make them into a world of art, tools, and buildings, they are using the powers of the cow. It is this power to transform the earth, and it’s minerals into a world outside of yourself, that the cow calls us to do. The power of the oxen is what builds our temples, great cities, and your own home. What a marvellous power they can generate and bless us with when coupled with humility. Music: Bedhead by Purrple Cat | https://purrplecat.com/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

A Christmas Poem. Music: https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

This poem was written in the winter of 2017, the morning after I watched each of my students walk a labyrinth as part of a traditional ceremony in Steiner schools. Each of my students held a candle in an apple that they had dipped for themselves. In silent darkness each one of them spiralled inward until they reached a middle candle. From it they lit their candle. Upon exiting the spiral they set their own lit candle along the spiral. After all the students completed the walk, a beautiful labyrinth of candles performed like a galaxy of stars. That night I dreamed of all my previous students that I’ve ever taught over the course of many years. In the early morning, the most prominent thing I remember from the dream was the feeling of joy I had at witnessing all their candles burning. I woke up and quickly jotted down this poem. It still gives me chills to think of it today. I’ve never shared this poem before except with a few colleagues of mine in San Francisco because I hold it close to my heart. Carol Of The Bells Celtic Version by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

All intelligence is light whether from the outside or inside. It's helpful, however, to distinguish between different sources of intelligence unless we ignore and neglect one or both of them. For many it's tempting to plug the 'fountain' of intelligence flowing from within us because it doesn't seem to align with what's streaming from the outside either because of deception or because it effects our 'ranking.' If, however, that which flows through the 'conduits of plumbing-learning' isn't spiritualised from within, what flows out of us will be robotic and controlled. Some people, however, become so reliant upon only the 'fountain' inside them that they lose touch with reality. What is inside them remains inside. Nothing can materialise. It's important to recognise both sources of knowledge and how they interact with each other. The striving is in having the courage to let the 'fountain' flow while facing what streams through the 'conduits of plumbing-learning' with humility. This is wisdom.

The human being consists of three forms: the spherical head, the radial arms and legs, and the crescent trunk. When we compare the head to the limbs, we see they are quite the inversion of each other. The head is a receptacle for light, sound, smells, feeling and tastes to be inwardly received. The limbs, to the contrary, acts and serves outwardly for ourselves and the world. The first is passively acted upon by the world, and the second actively acts upon the world. The first receives impressions during the day and the other digests thoughts during the night. They are bridged by the inner dwelling of home. Its shape, the rib cage, is an upside down bowl showing it is both being filled and emptied at the same time. Its main organ, the heart, is its central feature that branches out like a tree to every part of the body. From it, is the source of eternal life for it never exhausts itself. The animal kingdom can be viewed as specialising in one of these three systems: the nerve sense system, circulatory system, the metabolic limb system. The eagle represents best the nerve sense system with it's keen eyes flying over the misty mountain forests. The cow or cloven hoofed animals are but an inversion of the eagle and other birds. Intuitions and inspirations are felt and digested from within and work outward through their limbs. The felines and canines cycle perfectly between night and day as the circulatory system. Their feelings are expressed on their face whether purring or growling giving them a beautiful representation of the heart. All the animals in creation teach us important things about how our own body functions giving us control over it. Music: Silent Wood by Purrple Cat | https://purrplecat.com/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

This verse by Rudolph Steiner recognises the four spiritual beings that help us develop soul. We do not create ourselves alone out of nothing. These small beings ever work covertly with us for our body, our life, our thoughts, and our will. Music: Fluidscape by Kevin MacLeod | https://incompetech.com/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The fourth day of creation is the middle period of creation. There were three days before it and three days after it. It's a pivotal point in creation. A transition from forms being acted upon to forms that will be more and more capable of their own will. Beings that can act and move. The opening up of the night and day skies and earthly seasons and climates was critical for life development. Without the colour of the seasons or the starry constellations, life would remain 'frozen in ice' unable to move. Hence, humans and animals must be, as is the universe, ruled by two masters, one of the day and the other of the night. Each has their jurisdiction. Each has an important mission in order for life to materialise. Life's day consciousness is such that we are able to move about, judge, and use our will to act. Night consciousness, on the other hand, shapes our personality, fosters creativity, and sparks emotion and enthusiasm. Day is susceptible to suffering, pain, and growing weary. Night is susceptible to envy and pride. Nevertheless, the fourth day of creation prepares the conditions for animal life. The human being's two masters can be found is thought and feeling which correlates to sun and moon. Also, man is composed of spirit(light & air), body (earth and water), and soul (moon & stars). Music: Infinitely by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Music for Video: A drift Among Infinite Stars by Scott Buckley | www.scottbuckley.com.au Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/