Thursday, January 19, 2012

the earliest enthusiasm-your muse


I attended a course today, the first of one of 6 weeks' lectures on Muses.Kayleen (our lecturer), in a clear entertaining presentation, brought to light or life the “role of love and inspiration” in Dante’s Beatrice, as she discussed the Theory of Anima. The other two muses she touched on were Theano, wife of Pythagoras, the discoverer of the Golden Mean and Hypatia, the last librarian of Alexandria, the muse of Raphael.
Dante and Beatrice met for the first time when he was nine years old and she was eight. At that very young age he already knew he loved her. He met her again 9 years later. Dante composed La Vita Nuova for her. He promised to bestow on Beatrice the greatest honor  and wrote the Divine Comedy. 

From Purgatorio Canto 30:
“a Lady came in view; an olive crown
   wreathed her immaculate veil, her cloak was       green,
   the colors of live flame played on her gown.
My soul-such years had passed since last it saw
   that Lady and stood trembling in her presence
   stupefied by the power of holy awe-”
Beatrice died at the age of 24.
Kayleen gave us an inspiring suggestion. “Think back from your memory, your earliest memory, start with the smallest enthusiasm or spark that moved you to write a poem , or sang a song; when you experienced one of your happiest moments, that rare feeling of joy,” she said. "Write it in your journal.”
Next week will be the medieval Muses-Heloise, muse of Peter Abelard,  and St. Claire and Lady Jaqueline  Settisole Frangipani, the muses of St. Francis.
I never thought of a Muse not until after I read the blog of Jeanne: 

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