I cherish how the teachings of Christian Science help us in our studies and mastery of the arts and sciences. A former music critic for the Christian Science Monitor was Harold Rogers. Here is one of his inspired articles: Fulfillment Through Artistic Expression. After you read this, listen to this beautiful performance of the Bach/Busconi Chaconne. You will love having both of these in your treasure trove......... https://youtube/watch?v=pZ82pECqiUg FULFILLMENT THROUGH ARTISTIC EXPRESSION Harold Rogers --- From the April 1968 issue of The Christian Science Journal We can take part in the arts three ways: by creating, performing, or appreciating, or, in varying degrees, by making some combination of them all. In the human order the arts run a gamut from the temporal effusions of the carnal mind to the eternal inspirations of the divine Mind, or God Himself. To fulfill means to realize or manifest completely. We cannot gain true fulfillment in our human experience by expressing elements of the carnal mind, however attractive such elements may momentarily seem. Any art based on the carnal mind, being temporal, brings no lasting sense of fulfillment, either to the artist or to the beholder of his art. True fulfillment is achieved when we manifest, to the fullest possible degree, Gods qualities. Thus we cannot achieve complete fulfillment by neglecting the artistic qualities that are included in Gods being, those characteristics that generally group themselves around the deific synonym of Soul. Soul may be thought of as the art aspect of God. Soul gives us a correct sense of mans identity—indeed, of the true identity of every beautiful and useful thing. If we are seeking a deeper understanding of the arts, whether in a creative function, or as performers, or as appreciators, it is obvious that we cannot recognize or express qualities that we are not consciously aware of. Since our heavenly Father is also our infinite Mind, we can find everything necessary in our God-given consciousness for artistic expression at its best. The true man, the true you and the true me, is already manifesting the infinite nature of Souls artistic attributes. Humanly, however, we express the attributes of Soul to the degree that we become consciously aware of them. In our search for artistic excellence we must learn at the outset to distinguish between sense and Soul, between the falsities put forth by the carnal mind or the physical senses and the truths expressed by the divine Mind and apprehended by man through spiritual sense. In Unity of Good Mrs. Eddy gives us an insight into the beguiling nature of art that reflects none of Souls attributes and yet appears beautiful: The senses, not God, Soul, form the condition of beautiful evil, and the supposed modes of self-conscious matter, which make a beautiful lie. 1 As we progress in our voyage from sense to Soul in the apprehension and expression of Gods qualities, we shall find that we are less interested in the conditions of beautiful evil and more interested in the eternal beauties of God, or good. Our study of Christian Science will bring these Soul qualities to light in our thinking. There is no quicker or better way of learning more about Souls attributes than by using the Concordances to the writings of Mrs. Eddy. Many divine attributes—qualities embodied in all great art—come to light as we search out what Christian Science has to say about Soul. Among terms used by Mrs. Eddy, or other words related to them found helpful by the writer in such study, are the following: Form: quality, identity, shape, symmetry; heroic. Substance: quantity, weight, mass, soundness, wholeness, tangible character; enduring. Outline: delineation, grace, comeliness, description, phrase. Color: spectrum, hue, tint or shade, contrast or blend, glow, coolness, warmth. Rhythm: impulse, regular repetition, accent. Harmony: combination of notes or colors; the relations of shapes and masses in painting, architecture, music, dance; musical foundation. Melody: musical line or voice, some times appearing visually as in ballet or dancing; the superstructure of music. Expression: action, freedom, spontaneity, improvisation, movement, eloquence, accuracy; dynamic, winning. Inspiration: fervor, bliss, glory, radiance, sublimity, wonder, joy. Beauty: exaltation of mind or spirit, attraction, charm, grandeur, springtide, newbirth, evergreen, sunlight, freshness, taste; winsome. Equipoise: equilibrium, balance, stability, dignity, elegance; statuesque. Purity: sinlessness, moral freedom, peace, essence, holiness, perfection. The adventurous student may lengthen this list by several times as he seeks to amplify his understanding of Souls artistic attributes. Most of the terms in this list relate to the spiritual and eternal. They represent qualities that endure. Artistic creations that embody spiritual qualities are enduring works of art. They are not shortlived, fading within their own period, but rise above and persist beyond the era in which they are created. The level of the inspiration determines the greatness of the art. Great works of art embody the eternal qualities of Soul to a greater degree than do lesser works of art. But no work of art can exceed the level of inspiration demonstrated by the artist. The artist who would be divinely inspired, therefore, will seek his artistic fulfillment through reflecting and manifesting the qualities of Soul that are included in his true consciousness. What is true about expression and fulfillment in any one of the arts is true about all the arts, of which there are seven: painting (or drawing), sculpture, architecture, poetry (or literature), music, dancing, and drama (on stage or on film) . Whether we are creating, performing, or appreciating, our participation will be enhanced as we consciously manifest the qualities of Soul. Since there are diversities of gifts, 2 as Paul points out, not all of us are called upon to be creative artists. Yet we can still manifest our Soul qualities as collectors or appreciators. Taste is a quality of Soul; indeed, it is one of the senses of Soul. Taste, humanly speaking, means selectivity; and our taste in art will improve as we gain improved concepts of the beauty of Soul. Mrs. Eddy sums this up in one simple statement, As our ideas of Deity become more spiritual, we express them by objects more beautiful. 3 Style is an artists individual way of expressing his art. His style, in a sense, is his trademark. Most great artists can be instantly recognized by their style. Many artists, however, go through years of searching, imitation, or trial and error before discovering their own style. In Christian Science this period can be shortened when the creative artist understands more about his true nature as an individual expression of the one Mind. Since the one infinite Soul expresses itself in infinite individuality, each of Gods children has a unique character that is his alone—a style, if you will, that will-never be duplicated. An artist who seeks divine inspiration in the expression of his unique character can cut through years of human experimentation and quickly bring forth the style that is right for him. Learning processes, too, can be shortened when an artist realizes that the one infinite Mind, the only true Mind of man, already knows all there is truly to be known about art. Christ Jesus certainly shortened the learning processes and achieved the expression of his true individuality within a short span of years. As the people once said of him, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? 4 Walt Whitman once made an arresting statement about Christ Jesus. He said in an interview, Jesus expressed his own individuality perhaps more than any man we know of, and so he wields a wider influence than any other. 5 The creative artist who is a Christian Scientist need not turn away from or try to avoid what is known in art as the dramatic conflict—the opposition of internal or external forces that gives the work its particular theme or character. As a general rule the dramatic conflict represents the forces of good against evil, the moral against the immoral, the spiritual against the animal or material. Sustained attempts to avoid the dramatic conflict would tend to rob an artists work of its moral and spiritual power, of its ability to inform and uplift human consciousness. He should be willing to describe the various phases or foibles of the human mind while at the same time expressing a moral or spiritual ascendancy over them, thus leaving the reader, spectator, or listener instructed, elevated, and inspired. All great art is an expression of the human and divine coincidence in which divinity embraces humanity. There is much evidence in the lives of truly great composers—men like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms—that they considered God Himself to be the source of inspiration. They did not make the mistake of making their art their religion, as many artists have done and are doing. Some artists have achieved considerable success by embracing their art as one would embrace religion; but in the degree that they have ignored the First Commandment, Thou shalt have no other gods before me, 6 they have weakened their art, infusing it more with temporal than with eternal qualities. And if they consider themselves personal authors or independent creators, they risk cutting themselves off completely from the divine source of inspiration. A Christian Scientist who is a creative artist should never forget that he is primarily a Christian Scientist. As he feels the intimate relationship between himself and the Father, he will learn that he can never be separated from the inspiration that continuously flows from the infinite Father, Mind, to himself. He can work from the same standpoint on which Christ Jesus stood when he declared, The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 7 Today more and more students of Christian Science are achieving notable success in the arts. Three times a young pianist entered the most important competition offered in the United States and failed. Most of his friends advised him not to enter a fourth time, saying that another loss might permanently damage his career. He prayed for guidance and was led to proceed. As he worked in Christian Science just before the final audition with orchestra, this thought came to him: God is the great performer and man Gods great performance. This helped him to walk on the stage without thinking of himself as a human performer and to play with freedom and authority. He won first place and soon went abroad where he again placed first in the most important piano competition offered in western Europe. His career was launched, and continues to develop successfully. Serge Prokofiev, the greatest Soviet composer of this century, made use of some of the truths he learned in Christian Science when seeking guidance and inspiration for his creative endeavors. Among many statements written in his own hand, found in some of his papers in Paris in 1959, are these: As I am the effect of the one great Cause, I ignore everything which does not proceed from this Cause. ... I am the image of Mind; this keeps me busy to express inspired thoughts. . . . Whereas I am the expression of Soul, I feel the necessity to express beauty. 8 The creative or performing artist who is achieving fulfillment through his embodiment of the Soul qualities will heal by his art. This should be his prime desire. On several occasions I have been healed of physical sickness while attending song recitals that were given at the highest level known to the art. Mrs. Eddy points the way for all of us when she writes: The truest art of Christian Science is to be a Christian Scientist; and it demands more than a Raphael to delineate this art. 9 1 Un,, p. 52;↑ 2 I Cor. 12:4;↑ 3 The Peoples Idea of God, p. 14;↑ 4 John 7:15;↑ 5 Complete Writings of Elbert Hubbard, Vol. I, pp. 271, 272;↑ 6 Ex. 20:3;↑ 7 John 14:10;↑ 8 Prokofiev by Claude Samuel, Edition du Seuil, Paris, France, p. 128;↑ 9 Miscellaneous Writings, p. 375.↑
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 06:31:44 +0000
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