Silence: Golden or Broken?

Ever hear of the phrase, "Silence is Golden"?  Yeah, I have too.  There is so much meaning in silence.  I often quote a line from Bambi when my children go flying off at the mouth on what they observe.  "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."  They are so familiar with the saying, they often say it with me.  In this case, if you don't have anything positive to say about a person - whether it’s true or not - it's best to just be pleasant by not saying anything.  Is this the golden silence?

According to The Phrase Finder, this is what is meant.  In fact, they go into the history of that saying that can be dated back to Ancient Egypt.  Even that civilization knew to keep some things to themselves to keep the peace.  Once a word is spoken, it can't be taken back.  Even the Apostle Paul berated the women for gossiping and indicated it best they remain silent in the church; he knew what stirring the pot with gossip could do to undermine the workings of the church, even in its infancy.

I often default (well, let’s not say default, how about frequently) to silence in order to collect my thoughts, judge my emotional response to something, judge my responses as appropriate for the time and people hearing them, or simply to just collect the general ambiance of a place and the people in it to mull over later.  Our experience in this life is abundant with scenes that affect us.  Do we ever stop to contemplate what in our environment is driving us?  Maybe some quiet reflection is all that is necessary to help us to develop our own thoughts and responses outside of what we believe is “norm”.  We are so driven by society’s norm, that maybe just a little cerebral workout is necessary to change the “norm”.

But, society often dictates for us what is normal.  Silence can be construed as rude, or hiding something.  It can be considered a manipulative tactic.  And it can push labels off on individuals: snob, dumb, weak.  And those labels are stuck on there with this amazing adhesive called “words”.  Someone said it, someone heard it; therefore it must then be true.  Once a word is spoken, it can’t be taken back.

There are so many forms of silence.  There is the silence of nature.  Ever just sit back and listen to the silence of a sunset?  It’s wonderful beyond words. 

I love the silence that ensues after my children have gone to sleep and all the electronics are off in the house.

I enjoy the silence of prayer and meditation; it seems like I can hear my own thoughts more clearly in those times, but I also feel like I can hear the universe in those moments.  When the two don’t match, time to shut down the mind and slip into the universal quiet to reconnect. 

There is also the unfortunate silence of death.  We will miss those who have slipped into this silence.  But their laughter and voices live on in our memories.  In silence, we can hear them more clearly.

I try to write in silence, but I find that I just can’t.  Music inspires my rhythm and generates sparks of electrical current from brain cell to brain cell until they all connect and I’m into the flow of writing practically nonstop.  One-way flight to 1,000 words, please, and thank you.  And I have to admit, sometimes I can’t get to sleep in silence.  I have the TV on with the timer set so it won’t go all night, or I have my guided meditation CD in my computer going as I listen to Esther Hicks soft, melodious voice as she delivers Abraham’s message of the Laws of Attraction.  That’s a positive-thought process of creating your own destiny.  It has nothing to do with come-hither looks to brawny men.

What do you do in silence?

Happy Reading!

What's so Fun about Music?

To the Muse Euterpe

Those of you following me on Twitter or Facebook will have noticed that I have been on a treadmill regime.  The Muse of Euterpe is the Muse of Song.  I'm going to list the songs in my playlist that keep me motivated and give you some thoughts about each as to why I selected it.

The Playlist on my Cloud Player is called "Move it Move it":

1.  Funkytown by Lipps, Inc.  (For some reason this is on every Just Dance game we have at home for the Wii and it has just the right sound to keep me going.) 

2.  Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5.  (Ok, just more motivational dance-like music here.)

3.  Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega (I know it sounds like a strange choice, but it's like Swing music to me and I adore Swing music.  Has nothing to do with the sexism. Nada.)

4.  Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F) by Katy Perry (Don't be so surprised.  This one cracks me up.  You'll find a lot of Katy Perry in this list.)

5.  Firework by Katy Perry (See!  I told you!  This was another one I took from our Wii Just Dance game.)

6.  Brick House by Commodores (It's from the Muppets, and I adore the Muppets.  Specifically its from "Muppets in Space".  "She's mighty, mighty; letting it all hang out" says it all.)

7.  Hot N Cold by Katy Perry (I imagine she's talking to a guy in this one, which makes me think I would love to say this to a few men in my past too; plus another steal from Wii game.)

8.  Play that Funky Music by Wild Cherry (I am!  Can't you tell by my list so far?)

9.  Dynamite by Taio Cruz (I'm celebrating my life by working off my butt on the treadmill, duh!)

10.  Closer by Nine Inch Nails (Ok, it's just  raw and sexy as hell, ok?  Wild, passionate, crazy and I love to slow my pace to it.)

11.  I Like to Move It from Madagascar (I picture that goofy lemur dancing around, that's why!  I try channeling the crazy creature into my limbs to keep moving, moving.)

12.  Pump up the Jam by Technotronic ("Make my day, make my day!"  Good music to walk to. ~shrug~  I know, nothing funny about that.)

13.  Eye of the Tiger by Survivor (This happens to be one of my twin's favorite from the Wii.  It also makes me feel like the sweat is worth it.  If you check out my profile here, you'll see I adore tigers, especially white ones.)

14.  Hips Don't Lie by Shakira (Because by the time this one begins playing my hips are screaming!)

15.  Baby Boy by Beyonce (To go with the yummy photo on the left that I have printed and sitting on my treadmill to remind me of a good reason to keep going.) 

16.  I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred (Ok, this sounds crazy, but I like this one because I am imagining Vin Diesel strutting his stuff down a catwalk to this song.  Love yah, Vin!  ~wolf whistles~  Shake that boo-tay!)

17.  American Idiot by Green Day (Good angry music.  Sometimes it takes getting anger or laughter to keep you moving.  Ok, to keep me moving!  Picky, picky PC language.  ~huff~)

18.  Enter Sandman by Metallica (Because every workout playlist should have Metallica?)

19.  Jump in Line by The Hit Crew (I've been crazy about this one since hearing it on Beetlejuice.  But, it would totally freak me out if I just rose up in the air like Winona Ryder while listening to it.)

20.  Rock your Body by Justin Timberlake (~facepalm~  You would think I wouldn't want a reminder of the 2004 Super Bowl, but I try to think about how I am rocking my body so it will look good enough for pasties?  ~blinks~  Did I just type that?  That is so not me.  Who was typing that?  Cat! Don't act so innocent in that bag.  I know what you were doing when I was putting the laundry in the dryer.)

Happy Reading!

Musings on Muses - Terpsichore

Warning: Photo below is not for viewers under the age of 17.

When I think of Terpsichore I think of my children's favorite past time: dancing with their little pink Wii remotes to the game Just Dance for Kids. It was one of the best investments I ever made, and I even enjoy joining in once in awhile. It's a healthy past time and I love that they sleep so good at night because their little bodies have been moving for an hour or more during the day to the music.

There are so many forms of dance, all suited to the genres of accompanying music. Ballet is best done to classical music. Sensual dance is best done to music that will illicit thoughts of love or sex. Head-banging almost always is associated with heavy metal. Each form supports and expands the music into a physical manifestation of the rhythm. The beats are a staccato of non-movement, separating out the flow of the rhythmic movements. The body interprets the dots on the paper from which the music is played in its own unique way.

I recall my first time at a dance club. Everyone anticipated feeling the music course through their veins to increase their heart rate. They wanted to feel excited to be there and ready to move their bodies. I remember the feel of the vibrations within the music pounding in my ears, chest, and feet. It was exhilarating. I felt like my body was expanding to absorb the music in order to fully realize its potential to interpret it.

It is this power I am getting at. Music has the power to open up your physical bodies to move in a new way, to recreate the music with your limbs, torso, and head. To become music incarnate. As a writer, I know it also opens up the mind. It pushes new paths through formerly unknown territory. It's a mathematical equation as both the mystery and the solution. It asks: "What if?" It says: "You can." It can be dark. It can be light. It can be universal. It can be finite. Whatever it inspires in you, will be.

And I will leave you with those thoughts. Happy reading!

Musings about Muses - Polyhymnia

I sat in church today, mulling over an article about music during writing as a topic, mostly reviewing my research about the muses. In Greek mythology, Polyhymnia was (or is) the muse of hymns. I sing hymns every Sunday morning when I attend church. I wondered about the Christian church and how it would view a Greek demigoddess as the source of their music. Then, I realized, she would be the source of all religious music regardless of religion because that was what a hymn was - the musical embodiment of faith.

Imagine. A Greek demigoddess just embodied a concept that crosses ancient belief structures that have been in contention for nearly as long as they existed. Well, mainly among a few, anyway. Every church, synagogue, temple, mosque, etc. that has any music of any form would have the spirit of Polyhymnia within their walls. I know Muslims don't necessarily have singing in their mosques, but I have heard the Call to Prayer before. The way it is intoned it vibrates similarly to song. Hindu, Native American, Pagan, and other religious faiths have some form of music involved in their worship. "Hymn" does not strictly apply to a book of songs one finds in a church. It is wherever musical vibrations are used to gain closeness, acceptance, even the attention of one's own chosen deity.