Society and Spirituality: A Preface to Reality

Society and serenity: road in Gethsemani, by missouri_gal

Every soul innately yearns for stillness, for a space, a garden where we can till, sow, reap, and rest, and by doing so come to a deeper sense of self and our place in the universe. Silence is not an absence but a presence. Not an emptiness but repletion. A filling up.
  - Anne LeClaire

Devotion to a spiritual life in solitude has an appeal of ascetic enlightenment—if one could move the troubles of the world aside maybe a level of blissful consciousness and peaceful understanding could be achieved.

In general, it can be said that no contemplative life is possible without ascetic self-discipline. One must learn to survive without the habit-forming luxuries which get such a hold on men today. I do not say that to be a contemplative one absolutely has to go without smoking or without alcohol, but certainly one must be able to use these things without being dominated by an uncontrolled need for them.
  - Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

We are limiting our thinking, though, to believe that the world gets in the way of achieving spiritual harmony in our lives. After all, we are—each and all—the world. Each one of us comprises the global society. Individualistically and culturally we are responsible for our actions and reactions, for our divisions and unity. Stress, violence, unease, greed, corruption, gluttony... these are things we tend to explain are out of our control.

Perhaps, though, we do need to add some time to care for ourselves, our peaceful, blissful, spiritual self that is at one inside of us and also part of a greater field of consciousness we all share residence in, that connects us all. It is easy to write, agree with, or bitterly discourage such talk, but taking it seriously could be another, important matter: what if those qualities were nurtured in us as we were children growing up and becoming aware of ourselves and the world, or for a few moments as part of our natural, daily routine? Brush teeth, think peace. Wash dishes, clear your mind. Take a shower, wash away negativity.

Oil lamp from the Abbey of Gethsemani
by Bryan Sherwood

When starting to think, but I'm too busy, I don't have time for ___ , remember that time really is a human construct and you can construct your time. Allowing yourself (and others) the time and space to engage moments of solitude, meditation or reflection clears the the mind and enables it to accept your intentions and open up to new perceptions. Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, and a poet, social activist, scholar and writer, spent time in thought. Whether in seclusion or out in nature, he allowed his thoughts to run onto paper, many of which have been widely published.

His Thoughts in Solitude (Shambhala Pocket Classics) "explores the meaning of interior solitude and its necessary role in bringing every life to joyous fruition", a little book that ends up resting in various places throughout my home, bag or suitcase. Presently it rests in a little spot between my Moleskine diary and Barron's Spanish at a Glance. His explorations come to mind during my contemplations on balancing society and spirituality. Renouncing all societal attachments and ills is one way of escape, but not the way for everyone, and not always the way to an advanced peacefully-attuned society. In one aspect, I have undestood that it is not material items that are negative per se, but our attachment of importance to them above the truths of humanity, spirit and life. In another, greater perspective:

According to the Buddhist point of view, nonattachment is exactly the opposite of separation. You need two things in order to have attachment: the thing you’re attaching to, and the person who’s attaching. In nonattachment, on the other hand, there’s unity. There’s unity because there’s nothing to attach to. If you have unified with the whole universe, there’s nothing outside of you, so the notion of attachment becomes absurd. Who will attach to what?
  - John Daido Loori, "The Whole Earth is Medicine"

As with personal psychology and self help, facing societal dis-ease is one aspect in supporting the nurturing changes we can all make in our lives and those of others. To face truth (real truth, not that which is given in media and political rhetoric) we must look past our excuses and face ourselves, first.

Gethsemani by missouri_gal

In his preface to Thoughts in Solitude, Merton offers a striking and straightforward reflection of the world. Yes, not all of the world is this way, but what is, is too often not questioned or is looked down upon as extreme rhetoric. Those who do so are either engaging in such disturbing practices or only reaffirming the need for surpassing them, albeit ignoring. We tend to often blame others or make excuses for the negative aspects of society, or assume these things are only happening to someone else, somewhere else, thus delegating responsibility to others. What can I do to improve society? is answered within each of us, in what we nurture and devote our intentions to, in our daily thoughts and actions; what we open ourselves up to in our moments of solitude, meditation or reflection.

    In an age when totalitarianism has striven, in every way, to devaluate and degrade the human person, we hope it is right to demand a hearing for any and every sane reaction in the favor of man's inalienable solitude and his interior freedom. The murderous din of our materialism cannot be allowed to silence the independent voices which will never cease to speak: whether they be the voices of Christian Saints, or the voices of Oriental sages like Lao-Tse or the Zen Masters, or the voices of men like Thoreau or Martin Buber, or Max Picard. It is all very well to insist that man is a "social animal"—the fact is obvious enough. But that is no justification for making him a mere cog in a totalitarian machine—or in a religious one either, for that matter. 

    In actual fact, society depends for its existence on the inviolable personal solitude of its members. Society, to merit its name, must be made up not of numbers, or mechanical units, but of persons. To be a person implies responsibility and freedom, and both these imply a certain interior solitude, a sense of personal integrity, a sense of one's own reality and of one's ability to give himself to society—or to refuse that gift. 

    When men are merely submerged in a mass of impersonal human beings pushed around by automatic forces, they lose their true humanity, their integrity, their ability to love, their capacity for self-determination. When society is made up of men who know no interior solitude it can no longer be held together by love: and consequently it is held together by a violent and abusive authority. But when men are violently deprived of the solitude and freedom which are their due, the society in which they live becomes putrid, it festers with servility, resentment and hate. 

    No amount of technological progress will cure the hatred that eats away the vitals of materialistic society like a spiritual cancer. The only cure is, and must always be, spiritual. There is not much using talking to men about God and love if they are not able to listen. The ears with which one hears the message of the Gospel are hidden in men's heart, and these ears do not hear anything unless they are favored with a certain interior solitude and silence. 

    In other words, since faith is a matter of freedom and self-determination—the free receiving of a freely given gift of grace—man cannot assent to a spiritual message as long as his mind and heart are enslaved by automatism. He will always remain so enslaved as long as he is submerged in a mass of other automatons, without individuality and without their rightful integrity as persons. 

    What is said here about solitude is not just a recipe for hermits. It has a bearing on the whole future of man and of his world: and especially, of course, on the future of his religion.

I recognize at this point some people may get uneasy, put off and possibly distracted into distaste with reference to God and Gospel, especially if opinions toward or against religious belief are filtered through the very societal disruptions aforementioned or other divisions. In a letter to a fellow Catholic writer, Merton commented:

The world is full of great criminals with enormous power, and they are in a death struggle with each other. It is a huge gang battle, using well-meaning lawyers and policemen and clergymen as their front, controlling papers, means of communication, and enrolling everybody in their armies.

Merton observed in his autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, that all religions "lead to God, only in different ways, and every man should go according to his own conscience, and settle things according to his own private way of looking at things." Truly, we all have our own perception, belief, or non belief in God or a higher consciousness and definition thereof. Alain de Botton addresses the question, "What aspects of religion should atheists (respectfully) adopt?" in his Atheism 2.0 TEDtalk. Talk of religious orientation and argument, while stimulating in its own right, is merely an attachment to diversion on the matters addressed in this post: if need be, look past the surface; the essence is important. What awareness and ideas can you carry through life?

Knowing is a start; mindful and aware practice is one step in the right direction. If each one of us could integrate moments of peaceful attention into our lives—whether meditation, yoga, a mind escape during exercise, listening to relaxing or inspiring music, even zoning out on the couch in silence or connecting with nature—as part of our daily routine, allow solitude develop and integrate the positive, maybe we wouldn't need so many excuses for reality. Maybe reality would be a better place. It can, after all, be what we make it to be, individually and cooperatively, harmoniously and vibrantly. Just a thought.

Flower of Gethsemani by Jay Paradis

The Music Not Yet Heard - John Cage and Other Reflections on Frosting

John Cage, Frankfurt 1986 - © Andreas Pohlman

How to pay tribute to a great artist: through the supposed flattery of imitation or the path of inspiration? If the latter then with what approach? Would you carefully plan each step or let improvisation and chance guide your way? I asked myself these questions recently while on the way to an exhibition in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier (Museum Quarter). In its quartier21 freiraum (free space) 60 international artists are paying tribute to John Cage (1912-1992) with Membra Disjecta for John Cage: Wanting to Say Something About John on the centennial of his birth and what happens to be the twentieth anniversary of his death. 

Bracing an icy cold, but architecturally beautiful, walk I wondered what to expect. Always eager to discover different perspectives, I knew there would naturally be many of them on the subject of such a prolific, multifacted individual like John Cage, one of the leading figures of the twentieth century avant-garde and an influential composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of aleatory, or indeterminacy, he employed the element of chance in the composition of music, and often allowed for the same in its performance or interpretation. Cage was also integral in the creation of “happenings”, spontaneous art-actions he established with his students. As an instructor at The New School he was influential in the formation of Fluxus, an interdisciplinary group of artists, composers, writers and designers.

Plans for sound installation in garden shed:
Gardening with John 1.1 - © Alvin Curran

The artists paying homage to Cage are friends and contemporaries including Alvin Curran, Ray Kass and Richard Kostelanetz plus others under the Cagian influence like Tyler Adams, Arturas Bumšteinas and Hassan Khan. The exhibition presents more than a hundred works in an assortment of media with paintings, drawings, collages, prints, texts, musical scores, sound installations, videos, an interactive birthday cake and some books written by Cage himself. The assemblage of sounds and images mingling with each other creates a multimedia environment in the space, a virtual work of art in itself.

This diversity in itself celebrates Cage's philosophy embraced throughout his work. "Membra Disjecta" refers to a Latin phrase for "scattered fragments" (disjecta membra). Usually relating to fragments of ancient literary and cultural objects, the term instead is applied to Cage's method of taking inspiration from a variety of sources.

The subtitle is a paraphrase of his work, Not Wanting to Say Anything About Marcel. In 1969 Cage was asked to partake in a tribute to the Dadaist and Surrealist artist Marcel Duchamp, who died the previous year. His contribution was two lithographs and a series of eight "plexigrams": Plexiglas panels with silk screened, randomly chosen letters positioned on a wooden base. The contemporary artist Jasper Johns was also asked to express something about Duchamp, but refused with the statement, "I don't want to say anything about Marcel”. Cage used Johns’ statement as inspiration for the title of his work. A rare treat of the exhibition was the opportunity to see Cage's two lithographs and his plexigram piece VII, here on loan from the John Cage Trust and Margarete Roeder Gallery in New York.

Not Wanting to Say Anything About Marcel - Lithograph A - © John Cage
John Cage Trust/Margarete Roeder Gallery

Cage was born in Los Angeles, California to a journalist-socialite mother, Lucretia Harvey, and an often idealistic inventor father, John Milton Cage, Sr. This aspect—and possible influence—of Cage’s life was not overlooked in Membra Disjecta: posted on a staircase leading up to contributions of haikus and musical scores is the fascinating and hypnotic Cage About the Polywave (2011) by American artist GX Jupitter-Larsen, an underground interdisciplinary artist and former sound designer for the performances of Survival Research Laboratories. Containing an image with the words, “Electrostatic Field Theory by John Milton Cage Sr (1886 - 1964)” Jupitter-Larsen’s print is an apparent reference to Cage, Sr.’s theory of the universe.

From Sakshat Virtual Labs under the subheading “Electrostatic Field”:

Electric field is defined as the electric force per unit charge. The direction of the field is taken to be the direction of the force it would exert on a positive test charge. The electric field is radially outward from a positive charge and radially in toward a negative point charge.

Cage About the Polywave - © GX Jupitter-Larsen

In California Cage studied music at USC, UCLA and privately under the renowned Austrian composer and painter Arnold Schoenberg. Schoenberg gave lessons to Cage gratis after Cage promised to devote his life to music. This promise propelled Cage throughout his life, even at times when he became discouraged with the medium. Cage thought very highly of Schoenberg although he never received a compliment from his esteemed instructor. Later on, whilst recollecting upon his pupils, Schoenberg spoke of Cage not as a composer, but “an inventor of genius".

Cage did not continue his formal collegiate studies, but did retain a relationship with universities and colleges throughout his life, lecturing on experimental music and working with modern dancers. His compositional and performance methods incorporated unorthodox instruments like metal, conch shells and household items. For those willing to brace the chilly Vienna air for a bit, a small, unnassuming television set awaits at an entrance to the exhibition with a performance by a younger Cage on an early black and white TV show. Cage performed music by banging, rubbing and using various items such as a blender and a pot releasing steaming water (Cage would lift the lid to release the sound of the steam). When he was informed that the radios he brought could not be turned on, Cage eagerly improvised by tossing them off their table so they would crash onto the floor. Each action was timed with a stop watch; all the while he intermittently made a cocktail, which he enjoyed at the end with a satisfied smile. 

While Cage composed for conventional instruments such as piano and percussion, he approached them in his innovative manner, as well. In 1940 he earned recognition during a West Coast tour with a percussion ensemble where he made another noted improvisational choice. Upon encountering a performance space too small for his percussion ensemble, Cage invented the “prepared piano”, whose sound was altered by objects placed in contact with the strings. Unfortunately I didn’t encounter a prepared piano at the exhibition. It could be something to play around with when tiring of my Hanon exercises.

Get Out of Whatever CAGE - © Peter Graham

At times he did not actually specify what instrument should be used for a certain piece. In 1940 he composed “Living Room Music” for percussion and speech quartet, wherein no traditional percussion instruments are used. Cage instead notes that “any household objects or architectural elements may be used as instruments”. In the third movement of the piece, a player performs the melody on “any suitable instrument”. Cage used this type of open instruction upon occasion. The piece “Five” (1988) allows for the performance “by any five voices or instruments or mixture thereof, so long as they can play tones in the proper ranges.”

His innovative musical style inspired modern dancers, who were among the earliest to express interest in Cage’s work. Through this interaction he met his lifelong partner, the American dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham. The couple are celebrated in a piece from Ray Kass, Professor Emeritus of Art at Virginia Tech, and founder and director of the Mountain Lake Workshop, a collaborative, community-based art project. It was there, in 1989, that John Cage performed the art-action piece STEPS. Kass presented Cage with a five-foot wide brush, which Cage used to complete his work of art, 60 x 208 inches (about 152 x 528 cm) on special paper. From Kass’ own recollection:

This work features the isolated imprints of Cage’s shoes and, like 12th century Chinese Sung paintings of lonely travelers among remote mountains and streams, it raises the timeless image of a solitary figure walking in nature. This effect was achieved when, before applying the watercolor wash to the paper, Cage stepped in basins of water-based paint. As he walked across the paper pulling the large brush, his shoes left their imprints, and they were immediately toned and blurred under a layer of wash.

In Membra Disjecta, Kass presents a realization of STEPS in tribute to Cage and Cunningham with For Merce Cunningham - a performance of John Cage’s STEPS: A Composition for A Painting To Be Performed by Individuals and Groups, performed on July 27, 2009 (ink and watercolor on nylon fabric). The piece was performed at Mountain Lake with Merce Cunningham, where Cunningham choreographed a trio of modern dancers—painting the canvas with their bare feet—and then participates himself with the inked wheels of his wheelchair. Looking at his piece one can feel as Kass did in describing the original STEPS as resembling “a giant Zen ink-wash painting of footprints in a riverbed (water/river is a recurrent thime in Cage’s Mountain Lake paintings)”. The footprints and lines as traces of fleeting spirits in a ghostly dance with the elements.

For Merce Cunningham - a performance of John Cage’s STEPS - © Ray Kass

Some of Cage’s greatest influences came from Eastern cultures in Zen Buddhism, Indian philosophy and the Taoist I Ching. One result of his studies on the subjects is in his use of the I Ching, given to him by his pupil, experimental composer Christian Wolff in early 1951. Often called The Book of Changes, the I Ching is considered one of the oldest Chinese texts and (in an unfortunate short definition; it is a profoundly beautiful book) addresses the balance of opposites and the inevitability of change. The text is highly regarded by many as a treasury of ancient cosmic principles with chapters denoted by 64 distinct hexagrams. 

This classic book also contains a system of divination wherein a hexagram is randomly determined and then its subsequent chapter is read. Cage began using the I Ching system of divination allowing oracular chance to guide the composition of music and artwork. This opened up new possibilities to explore chance-controlled music. In the same year Cage completed his first instrumental piece based on this method, "Music of Changes" for solo piano.

An homage to John Cage's embrace of chance operations is shown in Membra Disjecta through Belgian artist Kris Vleeschouwer's interactive installation Beautiful Day. Although this is not an interaction any visitor can engage. Situated on one side of a large exhibition room is an intriguing presentation of a stand supporting a case with a transparent cover. The display contains three dice in one corner and a mechanical, metal lever in the other, set upon a green base. Upon occasion, the corner of this green base slants upward rolling the dice toward the lever. After the base settles down the lever then returns the dice to their original side of the case.

On the other side of the room is a seemingly unrelated item, one that kept meditatively drawing my attention as I was waiting for this mechanical process to start again: an aquarium containing three goldfish and two green plants at either end. Looking around the exhibition space, I was repeatedly drawn back to these graceful and mesmerizing creatures. I kept wondering to myself, But what’s with the fish? It turns out that set up on the wall of the aquarium in the open space between the plants is an electronic sensor. A goldfish swimming past the sensor sets the mechanism in motion across the room for the green base to rise. The whimsical movements of fish determining when the dice will roll.

Harvard Anechoic Chamber, 1945

It was a year after Cage's introduction to the I Ching when he made his most controversial composition, "4'33"". The title denotes the length of the piece, composed of three movements in which the performer is instructed not to play a single note for the entire duration. Instead of the perceived silence, the listeners are meant to pay attention to the sounds of the environment instead, thereby providing a different experience for each audience depending upon the location of the performance.

In his "Autobiographical Statement" of 1990, Cage recollected upon his visit to an anechoic chamber—an echo-free room insulated from outside noises—at Harvard University, where he realized that silence was not merely the absence of sound but the unintended operation of his nervous system and the circulation of his blood. This experience influenced Cage to compose “4'33"”, along with having viewed artist Robert Rauschenberg's White Paintings series. Upon first glance appear they appear to be blank, white canvases, but John Cage was attuned to the intention of the artist and instead of only seeing nothing he observed that subtle changes in the lighting and ambient conditions of the room could be detected on the canvas.

Images from Performing Silence
- © Tyler Adams

Performing Silence from American artist Tyler Adams is a testament to “4'33"”, and one that can answer the question for the inquiring musician, How do you perform silence? That question alone could be the topic for a foray into the philosophies of interpretation. Here, found footage is compiled in a video wall showing various performances of the piece, wherein each musician dutifully refrains from playing his or her instrument. Instead we hear the sounds of our surrounding space.

Contributing to this aleatoric atmosphere is the contribution from artist and composer Christian Marclay. Posted in various locations on the walls of the gallery is a white piece of paper printed with a message from Marclay suggesting a "participatory piece" wherein, "A sign would instruct visitors to play the ring tones programed on their mobile phone. These alarm sounds would create a random soundtrack throughout the exhibition."

At last! A place indoors where we don't have to be concerned about quieting our cellphones. Instead are encouraged to let them sound out and in doing so become part of a symphony of chance for John Cage. 

There is so much more to add to this symphony, to an experience that is just the frosting on the cake, or really, reflections on the idea of frosting. I’m sure art and music theorists can disect and divide on the many aspect of Cage’s thoughts, ideas, motivations and actions. I pretend to be no expert, only a curious appreciator. I’ve just found that exhibitions are more fulfilling with a little research done beforehand. We will near a stopping point here, then, with a statement from Cage, direct from the horse’s mouth (so much better than from the other end).

Two years before his death in his "Autobiographical Statement" Cage wrote about his later compositions, a series collectively referred to as the Number Pieces, written with flexible time brackets and variable structures. In his musing he poetically states the philosophy behind his musical explorations:

...I look for something I haven't yet found. My favorite music is the music I haven't yet heard. I don't hear the music I write. I write in order to hear the music I haven't yet heard.

Whether intentionally created or accidentally encountered, music surrounds us wherever we are, even if we have to listen beyond the silence.

Of further interest:
Transcript: Oral history interview with John Cage, 1974 May 2, from the Archives of American Art
Video: John Cage about silence
Video: 27 sounds manufactured in a kitchen - John Cage

Reflections on Anselm Kiefer

Detail from TBC (Hödur), with exhibition reflections

Glimpse of a visit to an inspiring and thought-provoking exhibition at the Essl Museum near Vienna, Anselm Kiefer: Works from the Essl Collection (on display thru 29 May 2012).

Prowling the Cabaret Voltaire

A recent trip to Switzerland provided me with the opportunity to accompany Tav Falco and the Panther Burns as they prowled around the old city district of Zurich to arrive at the historic Cabaret Voltaire (see "Swiss Tour Photo Highlights"). Opening in 1916, the cabaret featured art, music, spoken word and performances in varying degrees of racousness and excitement. The Cabaret Voltaire is also known as the founding location of the Dada art and cultural movement, spearheaded by Hugo Ball and friends, and was a magnet for artists from across the avant-garde. Stopping in for a few drinks and a look around on a quiet afternoon, we virtually had the place to ourselves to soak in the art, absinthe and atmosphere.

"In this house on 5 February 1916 the Cabaret Voltaire opened and Dadaism was founded."    

Tav Falco at the side entrance

Window display at the front entrance

Guitarist Grégoire Garrigues and Tav

Left-right: die Bardame, Grégoire Garrigues, Laurent Lanouzière, Tav Falco,
Giovanna Pizzorno and Raffaele Santoro.

Tav Falco at the Dada coffee table

Grégoire Garrigues next to an image of Hugo Ball reciting in the Cabaret, 1917.

Self portrait in ceiling

Art by Marcel Duchamp, highlighted

Finally, as recommended by our host, Andreas, we visited the Cabaret loo

Swiss Tour Photo Highlights

Just returned from a cozy train ride through the Austrian countryside to Switzerland, accompanying Tav Falco and the Panther Burns for a little tango during their song "Drop Your Mask" for a trio of performances:

St. Gallen:

Live at the Palace St. Gallen

Dinner at Restaurant Marktplatz, with Grégoire Garrigues, Laurent Lanouzière and un amigo Luis.

Basel:

Giovanna Pizzorno, Tav Falco and Laurent Lanouzère at the Kaserne

Pretzels, breads, whiskey chocolates, tortes and more at Krebs Konditorei

Zurich:

A walk around the Old City district, die Altstadt.

The Panthers move fast...

Raffaele Santoro and Giovanna Pizzorno breeze past a boutique

I arrive with the Panther troupe—Tav Falco, Grégoire Garrigues, Raffaele
Santoro, Giovanna PIzzorno and Laurent Lanouzière—at the historic
Cabaret Voltaire

Next: Enter the Cabaret!