Another snippet from my upcoming book, "The Circle of Genuine Meaning". This little slice is about Harmony and might be of particular interest to musicians and mathematicians.
Harmony
Harmony on and within Mother Earth
is all around us. We can hear harmonious sounds, taste harmonious flavours and see harmonious colours in everyday
nature which may inspire man-made arts. With man’s constant search for
knowledge and pursuit to explain the unexplained, mathematical law and the
measured representation of beauty was calculated by the ancient Greeks
producing the Golden Ratio. These calculations were the basis for the numerical
representation of infinity, an unreachable approximation which validates the
presence of the possible existence of a supreme number. The Golden Ratio stems
from the Golden Rectangle which is a recurring occurrence in nature in the form
of the Fibonacci Spiral; seen in flowers, snail shells, pinecones, and other
parts of nature. The Golden Rectangle and Fibonacci Spiral are used in the
crafting of musical instruments such as the cello, violin and the eleven or
twelve stringed, pear shaped instrument called the Oud. Due to Australian
multiculturalism I am noticing this instrument more commonly in my community
and it is no wonder. The Oud or similar derivatives are prevalent in Persian,
Arabic, Greek, Turkish, Jewish, Byzantine, Azerbaijani, Armenian, North African
Spanish Andalusian, Somali and Middle Eastern music. Intriguingly, the
development of tones within musical scales are created using these same
mathematical formulas generating the perfect harmonious marriage of instrument
to sound.
divineproportions.png
Another fascinating example of the creativity of Mother Earth from
harmonious, symmetrical, mathematical design is the overwhelming existence of
fractal geometry[1]
in nature. If you were to examine a fern leaf, you may discover that the large
leaf is made up of several smaller leaves with Identical design to its larger mother.
You can continue to examine that part of the leaf to find that it too, is of
the same design as it’s mother each being supportive and complementary to the
next. You may then say that the fern leaf is self-similar. The study of self-similarity opens
up a world of repeating patterns, harmoniously branch out, creating a melodic
existence within our universe from the smallest living thing to the highest
mountains and onwards to our galactic wonderland.
“These wonderfully symmetrical
plants show the fractal nature of math, physics and the universe. Could this be
evidence of sacred geometry? “Look deep into nature, and then you will
understand everything better.” (Albert Einstein)
Fern Leaves
”Koru is
the Maori word for the unfurling fern frond of New Zealand's silver fern. Both
the symbol as the baby fern are characterized by an inward, circular or spiral
shape. This shape, as well as the fresh fern frond, resemble new life, growth,
a fresh start, new beginnings. But koru also, more spiritually, stands for;
nurturing, tranquillity, purity, personal growth, awakening and positive change.”
(Tangient LLC, 2016) The Maori koru symbol isn't only
used frequently in carvings but also in the famous Maori tattoos, the moko. The
koru as a part of the tattoos represents the spiritual power, authority,
prestige called mana of a person.
Golden Ratio: Natural
Geometry of Hurricane Isabel, 14 September, 2003, webecoist.momtastic.com
Nautilus Shell
The
shell of the chambered Nautilus has Golden proportions and is known as a
logarithmic spiral as
the mollusc within matures it carefully builds bigger spaces within its shell
and sealing off the unused chambers. The shell's overall form remains
unaffected as the animal grows. Similar spiral constructions exist in rams'
horns and elephant tusks.
Harmony in the human experience may,
at times, seem to be a little harder to attain than that in perfection of
nature. My idea of living in harmony is each and every person having the
capacity to live with our neighbours from across the street to across Mother
Earth, in a state of equal respect and appreciation for each other’s sameness
and differences, without judgment or a wish to change the other or self in
order to fit into particular socially perceived presentations. Surviving in
particular societies may be toxic to your health, particularly if you feel
forced to spend your energy on attempting to integrate into something that is
not true to your personal, genuine values. “It is no measure of health to be
well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” (Krishnamurti, 2007) Heaven within religious context is said to be
a place of harmony and peace where the animals and humans walk side by side. I
don’t actually believe in heaven after death but I do believe that each of us
experience a little bit of heaven on earth when we experience a positive
relationship to self of other living or universal things, animal, vegetable or
mineral. Who knows, maybe there is a heaven. If I get there it will be a nice
surprise at the end of what I hope will be a long life.
"To
See a World..."
William Blake
(Fragments from "Auguries of Innocence"
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
Reflection
·
Are
you in touch with harmonious energy right now, in this moment?
·
Where
do you experience harmony in your body?
·
Does
it have a shape, colour, texture, taste, weight?
·
Do
you feel in harmony with your world?
·
Are
there other notes that you could play to create a different tone within your
harmony?
·
Is
harmony forced or free flowing?
Comments
Post a Comment