People are interested in ancient Roman culture for a number of reasons, but ultimately it's because Western Civilization is largely born out of it's remnants. Some people miss the glory days of ancient Rome and would love to restore the empire. Some insist the European Union essentially is the rebirth of Rome. Others feel that 'pagan Rome' is the embodiment of everything wrong with not only the world but especially the Christian religion. I think I've shared all these sentiments at one point or another, but it's only been since I formally entered into the Roman Catholic Church that I've been able to reconcile myself to Rome and slowly begin the process of restoring trust and to develop a greater appreciation for all things Greco-Roman.
As for mythology, many of the same things that I said for Egypt and Greece applies to Rome as well. I know that I had a little bit of exposure to Greco-Roman mythology and religion when I was in school growing up. It was all incomprehensible to me then and I must admit that it still seems a bit foreign or other-worldly. The glorification of war and multiple deities didn't make sense. The apparent savagery and barbarism certainly didn't appeal to me. The Romans are, after all, the ones who reportedly turned the state execution of criminals into a sort of art form with death-by-crucifixion being one of the more vivid examples.
As for languages, I studied Spanish and a little bit of French in high school. I lived in Puerto Rico for 3 years and my wife is fully bilingual given that she grew up in the country of Panama. Hence, I do have some experience and knowledge of a Latin-based language. I intend on formally studying Latin at some point, but I have thus far been most interested in Greek. Should any of our local parishes ever offer the Mass in Latin, then I'll have more motivation to tackle the language sooner rather than later.
As for this week, I intend on reading the selections from Ovid's Metamorphoses. I have always enjoyed the concept and process of transformation. There's something about the story of Narcissus, who falls in love with his own reflection, that appeals to me. Perhaps it's related to my own fascination with the concept and plausibility of solipsism, panentheism, and other forms of exotic belief systems. If anyone knows anything about me, it's that I honor the mainstream while giving preference to the alternative forms and expressions of life. The more absurd to the common person on the street, the more interested I become... (lol)
Storytelling for Week 5:
Mystical Pythagoras || February 15,
2009 at 9:00am
Image: The School of Athens, by Raffaello Sanzio, 1509, Wikipedia
Many centuries ago, I found myself living among a beastly people that continually consumed the flesh of innocent creatures and committed great tyranny against one another. I did not indulge in such things, but rather I ate only that which our mother Earth provided through her plants, shrubs, and trees. As such, my mind was not weighed down by the cares of this world nor was I subjected to its cruelty. I was able to project my awareness into the celestial realms to perceive things which were not seen by human beings upon the earth. I could investigate every concept just by focusing intently upon it through contemplation.
As I grew in Knowledge and Understanding, I began to instruct others regarding the Mysteries which I perceived within my own Mind and Being. I shared with them information concerning the origins of the world, the laws of causality, the nature of the physical realm, and I revealed the identity of the gods. I even went so far as to explain various meteorological, astronomical, and astrological information, for all these things are related with one another. Everyone marveled at these great insights, but no one would believe me when I told them that my mystical insight came because I refused to eat the flesh of animals.
I would say to them: "Men and women, no longer fill your bodies with the death of rotting animal flesh. There are plenty of grains, fruits, and seeds by which you can satisfy your hunger. There's even milk and honey to satisfy your desire for something sweet. Does not the earth supply all these things? Why, then, do you take the life of another creature and shed it's blood? It's true that some animals satisfy their hunger by consuming another, but observe how beastly their behaviors are. Can you not see how such a dietary standard leads to all the violence, anger, hostility, and lusts that currently consumes you?"
As I said these things, some began to take my words to heart and sought to apply them in their own lives.
I therefore continued: "Do you not remember the former Age of Innocence wherein all creatures were happy and at peace with one another? I realize that many excuses have been given for why so many people now consume the flesh and blood of animals, but how is this behavior defensible? Even if a wild animal attacks and you find it necessary to defend yourself by taking it's life, does this really justify consuming it's flesh? No! This is all the more reason not to consume it, for in taking it's wild and unbridled nature into yourself, you yourself will begin to take on it's traits, mannerisms, and characteristics."
As I said these things, many of my would-be disciples departed as this was too much for them to bear.
For the few that remained, I continued: "You know well that I do not speak on my own accord, but rather that I speak on behalf of a god who has revealed to me my own inner being, the celestial realms, and even the divine mind. I will thus disclose a great Mystery to you which has been hidden for many ages. This is not the first or only life which you have lived. Each one of us has lived before and we shall live again. Everything is in continual state of change and nothing actually perishes. After death, there is a part of you that will live upon the earth as an animal until your next incarnation upon the earth as a human being."
As I said these things, I perceived the bewilderment of my disciples.
So, I concluded: "Do not harm your brothers and sisters, for you will reap according to what you have sown: both in this life and the ones to come. As you have done unto others, it will be done unto you. Go, preach the good news unto every creature under the heavens above and upon the earth beneath. Make disciples, teach them to observe all that I have revealed unto you."
Original Story: Ovid's Metamorphoses - Pythagoras
Author's Note: I retold this story from the perspective of Pythagoras and emphasized some of his mystical insights. I also summarized some details and added others to help further explain some key points being made in the original story.
Essay for Week 5: Echo
&
Narcissus || February 15, 2009 at
11:00am
Image: John Waterhouse. Echo and Narcissus, c.1903. Weblink
For this essay, I want to consider the story of Echo and Narcissus with this particular image in mind.
On rare occasions, I've been accused of being a bit narcissistic myself but honestly I've been accused of a number of things down through the years. I made mention of my interest in solipsism and panentheism in my assumptions posting, so this essay is a sort of explanation for why I engage the world in the way that I do, terms which are quite different than most others.
In this picture, we have a man named Narcissus who has fallen in love with his own reflection. We also have a woman named Echo who had previously fallen in love with Narcissus only to be rejected by him. The goddess, Juno, had previously punished her by taking away the power of speech, leaving her only the ability to vocalize the last sounds being heard. Narcissus had rejected or turned away from all the women and young men that had sought to win his affection. The goddess Nemesis heard a just request of one of the rejected ones and thus made it so that Narcissus could not love anyone but himself, for in so doing, he could not find fulfillment. Echo and Narcissus later come together in the story and this image is a depiction of that scene.
Now, that's the overall background to the original story and the image.
For my part, I want to briefly offer a few thoughts on how I personally view the image. Adam or man is often pictured in masculine terms such that he is the active one who imposes his will upon another. Eve or woman is often pictured in feminine terms such that she is passive and one who surrenders her will unto another. Thus, man is a representation or personification of Spirit while woman does the same for Matter, for the Spirit imposes it's will upon Matter which yields to it's desires.
Now that's one level of reality, but there's one more thing to consider and that's where the two are united together as one. Where heaven and earth unites together as one, this is called Soul and it is feminine with respect to the masculine spiritual nature above but masculine with respect to the physical nature below. To summarize, consider the following relationships:
Spirit - Male - Heaven
Soul - Union - Heart
Body - Female - Earth
Going back to the picture, Spirit has fallen in love with an image of himself but the image is not one that can be directly interacted with. After all, Soul is the place of union and she is represented in human form by Echo, the one Narcissus had earlier rejected. The water upon which the image appears can be likened unto the living scriptures of creation wherein the Soul is able to unite within herself the heavens above and the earth beneath. In so doing, she is able to facilitate a conversation or dialogue between spirit and body. After all, there can not be a reflection apart from the body that casts it. Nor can there be a dialogue or conversation apart from a soul or memory device that brings former things back to life in one's own mind and being.
Now, I'm not sure if any of that makes sense to anyone but myself.
But if it helps, run with it by discovering your own thoughts through self-discovery.
Famous Last Words for Week
5 || February 16, 2009 at 9:00am
For this week, I enjoyed the stories but honestly the amount of required reading is starting to weary me a bit, especially as other classes are beginning to demand more of my attention. It's not like I don't enjoy reading the assigned stories or anything, it's just that I would prefer the presentation to be a bit different. Maybe it would help if the stories were more printer-friendly for offline reading? Or maybe not, it's not like I can't do that for myself.
For my storybook, I'm still hitting up against a wall of frustration.
Originally, I was going to have Joseph summarize his story in the introduction. Then, I was going to tell 4 stories from the New Testament as examples of how Jesus fulfills Joseph's promise to his brothers. This would have made for a wonderful storybook, but ultimately there was no way to adequately set it up apart from going beyond the maximum word constraints. This is especially true given that I would have to explain a number of things for those who may not have as much familiarity with the biblical stories or any appreciable understanding of how the Church expresses her liturgical life as a communal family.
With that in mind, I decided that I would introduce my storybook as "John" from the New Testament by introducing our liturgical life together. Basically, I would explain how we, as a communal family, performed the liturgical roles of John the Baptist, John the beloved Disciple, John the prophetic Seer, and John the ecclesiastical community. So, I wrote a letter from ancient John to modern man as a way of setting up the story only to then have a number of the same concerns expressed as before.
Ultimately, this means that I am having to go back to the drawing board as I reconsider my expectations of this course. I want to make this storybook into a sort of devotional for myself, but it looks like I will have to treat it as an academic assignment that must be submitted to all the baggage that comes with academia. So, it's likely that I will be scaling back my expectations a bit and refocusing my energy towards "completing the assignment" as required for the purpose of getting a good grade. But who knows? I still have a couple of days left in which I can perhaps pull together a miracle, one that not only allows me to get a good grade but also remain true to my primary motivation, that of doing a devotional that can inspire others as well.