HARMONY

 A series of essays....

~ A MALE AND FEMALE CARDINAL ~
HARMONY IN NATURE

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Harmony is the balance we all require to make life, with all of its intriguing parts, sing with notes of joy and togetherness. It is a reverberation requiring years of practice and skill that bounces the animated tones of the sweetest bird songs from tree to tree in the fresh, morning breeze. We slow our heartbeats down in order to listen to their early calls while they pluck an early worm to take back to their little ones for breakfast, mouths wide open in the comfort of their cozy nest. Harmony is found in the music of nature; a natural counterbalance to conflict and discord. Listen. Listen. Listen for the high-pitch note of the cicadas on a hot summer afternoon, the chirp of the nocturnal cricket, their mating call, used to navigate the nighttime dating scene, and the cacophony of tree frog barks as they emerge at dusk to feed on crickets and earthworms after hiding from the heat of the day. 

THE CLOSED COSMOGONY OF UTOPIA
THOMAS MORE'S WILDLY INFLUENTIAL BOOK THAT
WAS PUBLISHED 500 YEARS AGO

Courtesy of Frieze.com

The musical balance we find within the harmonious structure of nature contributes to an orderly and pleasing combination of elements in a whole; the order and harmony of the universe. Nature’s color palette is studied and adapted by great artists while designers breathe life into man-made surroundings by using nature’s harmonious plans of color, arrangement, and textures. What is pleasing to the eye can, in turn, be pleasing to the heart and soul. In matters of the heart, our own relationships characterized by lack of conflict or strife is a harmonious balance worth striving for, but often too complicated to wholly achieve. Given the possibility in which various components could exist together without destroying one another, and a sense of well-being could be reached by the harmonious coexistence between all of mankind, humans would be living in a utopian ideology, brilliantly captured within the imaginations of authors such as Sir Thomas More, Utopia and Margaret Cavendish, The Blazing World. 

A ZEN MOMENT BY
ARTIST AND SCULPTOR: NADINE FOURRE
FROM: EYGALIERES, PROVENCE-ALPILLES, FRANCE

Harmony is the flow of life, a feeling of happiness, acceptance, completeness, and peace, with peace being the highest form of happiness. If we are in harmony with ourselves, we will easily be able to welcome it into our lives while accepting its gifts of balance of mind, body, and soul... Those who sing in harmony are in tune with one another. Like nature’s own song, music can be the natural stabilizer between discord and a true sense of peace. Music consists of three main elements: melody, rhythm, and harmony. It is the third element, harmony, that can elevate a piece from common and predictable to challenging and sophisticated. The harmony of a cappella vocals rises to the occasion in clear and natural tones and, just like the bird songs, amaze and delight our senses with their creative blends of pitches and sounds that mimic everything from musical instruments to nature itself. For purposes of euphony, the pleasant sounds of a favorite poem can evoke a melody that moves our bodies and, as we sway to the rhythm of its tone and arrangement, our mood is elevated to a state of happiness and well-being.

Harmony reaches out to all of us in many ways, touching our life with its dignity and encouraging us to discover personal peace and long-lasting happiness within our very souls, spreading this joy among nature, poetry, music, and all of the lives we touch in one lifetime. If and when we, finally, recognize the importance of harmony, we will know what it’s like to live in an atmosphere of social comity and respect; a lesson those in Washington D.C. must aspire to in the weeks, months, and years to follow...

"Utopia is intentionally flawed. it is an irritant that makes a pearl. It makes you think."    ....Carol Mavor

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

ART, BALANCE AND MEDITATION.....REPOST FROM MARCH, 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. VONNEGUT!!!!!  NOVEMBER 11, 1922. 

THE FOLLOWING IS A 'REPOST' OF MY ORIGINAL STORY DATED MARCH 20, 2014.
BECAUSE OF MY PROFOUND RESPECT FOR THE INTRICATE AND TALENTED MIND OF THIS INTERESTING MAN.....I HONOR HIM ONCE AGAIN....ON THIS, HIS DAY OF BIRTH. 

A series of essays.....




Kurt Vonnegut: The Celestial Teapot Magazine

.....through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


Several days ago I posted a quote by the author and humorist Kurt Vonnegut on my Facebook Page that read, "I believe that reading and writing are the most nourishing forms of meditation anyone has so far found."  I posted it because I believe what it states to be true and insightful.

Many of us within the 'Facebook Family' have shared similar messages with FB friends.....even though their subject matter might be entirely different: fast cars, spiritual insights, beauty tips, hot travel spots, military homecomings and (inevitably) seemingly impossible cat poses, just to name a few. 

Welcome To My Library!

Certainly, as a writer, I am obsessively attracted to quotes by authors of no specific genre, location, time or gender....  I am proud to promote libraries, franchised bookstores, Indie bookstores and personal 'book nooks' located in private homes across the world!!  I posted a picture of my very own reading niche just a few days ago.  I do not understand homes without some form of library, whether it be filled with hard bound copies, paperback novels or a combination of the two.  In my estimation, ALL rooms within a given space are eligible and worthy of including bookshelves within their design.  (Yes, even, and perhaps, especially, the bathrooms...)

                                        Kurt Vonnegut's Office

E-books, although less tangible to many, are by no means less important.  Actually, Indie Published authors have designated the Internet as the most popular track for exposure and marketing of some of the very best writing talent to be found today!  With so much technology at our disposal, it would be unreasonable not to consider promoting and circulating your literary creations for others, including publishers, to see at the touch of a few keys!  Personally, I have been following several highly talented e-book authors within the last few months and have marked their overwhelming appeal among readers, along with their steady growth towards the mainstream of book publication.  The hard bound copies of their impressive work can now be found on display at your local Barnes & Noble with book launch, book signings and author forums neatly placed in their future 'schedule of events.' 

However, as the old saying goes....I digress.  Mr. Vonnegut's quote has not been pushed aside; rather, it has been reined back into my thoughts.  Best known as an author, Mr. Vonnegut was, also, a freethinker, a humanist and an atheist.  He once wrote, "I am a humanist, which means, in part, that I have tried to behave decently without expectations of rewards or punishments after I am dead."  I can only imagine that by getting lost in either the act of writing his own books (The Sirens of Titan, Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, to name a few) or, reading books written by others....Mr. Vonnegut was truly able to "...train the mind to be familiar with states that are beneficial: concentration, compassion, correct understanding, patience, humility and perseverance."  I would be safe in stating that 'most' authors today have meditated for years in order to achieve that feeling of being 'one with themselves' and able to provide their readers with the best they have to offer...

Nadine Within Her Elements

After posting this quote, a FB friend of mine and "artiste extraordinaire," Nadine Fourre, who lives and creates in the South of France, commented on my posting.  "Any Art form, isn't it?" she asked me.  Nadine's main area of artistic expression as a sculptor is the uncanny ability to establish an environment based upon Zen ideals utilizing natural elements which include, but are not limited to, sand, driftwood and dry-stacked stones of various shapes and sizes.  Her creations are highly personal, extremely beautiful and always thought provoking.

When I think about Nadine, I am constantly reminded of balance, nature and meditation.  Her work defies gravity while it draws the eye to its innate beauty!




By: Nadine Fourre

The Free Encyclopedia defines Zen as a school of Mahayana Buddhism meditation that originated in India and passed into China during the 6th century.   Zen developed fully in Japan by the 12th century and had a significant following in the West by the later 20th century.   Zen emphasizes the attainment of enlightenment through meditation, self-contemplation and intuition.  Contemplation of one's essential nature, to the exclusion of all else, is the way of achieving pure enlightenment.  Few understand nature as beautifully as Nadine...

Nadine At Work

Her poignant question affected me deeply.  I realized, being an author of words, Mr. Vonnegut's emphasis on reading and writing exclusively created shortcomings that were bound to draw the attention of friends who incorporated many forms of artistic expression into their lives.  I needed to take it several steps further by broadening "the most nourishing forms of meditation" to include all forms of art.  The great American novelist, John Updike, once said, "What art offers is space---a certain breathing room for the spirit."  

Writers, painters, sculptors, dancers, singers, musicians, architects, poets, photographers, actors......and, the list goes on and on.....all require that space, that breathing room that will allow their spirits to soar, their talent to exceed all expectations and, their creative minds the benefit of concentration...perseverance!!

Kurt Vonnegut

Thank you to all my friends who take their work d'art to the highest levels possible...and, beyond!  Michael, Cathy, Eric V. W., you know who you are!  The world is nothing less than blessed by your current achievements.  We patiently (?) wait to see what comes next....


NOTE:  To see more of Nadine's amazing work, this is one Website that exhibits her "Art of Balance":   gallery.knoxox.com/nadine-fourre