“Cavatina already feels like music that gets to the places other works could never reach. Beethoven was fully deaf by now and seems to be pushing at the boundaries of what can be expressed through music - what can be heard.”
Silence can leave some feeling rather uncomfortable. We speak in terms of pregnant pause when a silence is prolonged. So used to sound and language, we expect spaces to be filled in ways that activate “thinking.” Listening to music can be a very different experience, I can feel enveloped, transported, swept away.
Day 5 within Burton-Hill’s year of classical musical introduced me to Beethoven’s Cavatini which she described as pushing at the boundaries of what can be expressed or heard. This idea of “beyond” reminds me of Henri Corbin’s mundus imaginalis - the imaginal realm, a realm of imagination, inspiration and creativity. Some posit that from artists’ experiences within this transcendent imaginal realm, they bring back images, words, and music that the world needs to hear.
Our capacity to experience transcendence is related to our ability to still our mind - be still, being still. Changing behaviors isn’t about knowing, it’s about being. I ‘ve read many diet and exercise books - I understand the science so my challenges with consistency and discipline aren’t related to knowledge, it’s something deeper. Today, I’m reflecting on what it means to transform behavior into a habit, a way of being. How is intention around and the practice of stilling our mind facilitative of transformation? I have far more questions than answers except that I firmly believe creativity is generative - the world is changed through creative practice. I am changed through creative practice.
Image Source: Photo by Martin Adams on Unsplash
Quote source: link to amazon.com. Playlist to accompany Year of Wonder available on Spotify
