Cosmic Harmony Research Articles

THE CONCEPT SPHERE OF NATURAL WORLD IN VOLODYMYR SAMIILENKO'S LYRICS: SPACE, PLANETARY AND NATIONAL LOCUSES

The article deals with the system of artistic images that makes the concept sphere of natural world in landscape and philosophic lyrics by Volodymyr Samiilenko (1864 – 1925). The term «image-concept» has been chosen for the analysis due to the existing researches in literary studies, linguistics and philosophy. This term is interpreted as polysemantic embodiment in verbal images the author's philosophical and artistic comprehension of being on different structural levels – from cosmic to individual.The formation of ideological and aesthetic bases of Volodymyr Samiilenko's works in the period of his entry into literary circles of populists was studied. It has been shown the influence of authoritative cultural persons on the writer's work, but at the same time this situation did not prevent the formation of his own original artistic conception of natural world.Key elements of the author's concept sphere of nature are analyzed. They are: images of celestial sphere (the sun, the moon, stars, the sky), that embody the author's view about the unity of life existence in the space as well as collective image of nature that is expressed through flora elements and landscape pictures. The most significant in the system is sun image («Spring», «The Eagle», «Regards to Bukovyna», «Evening song»), that symbolizes life energy, the source of inspiration. Its function in the image system of Volodymyr Samiilenko's lyrics is closely connected with spring motifs that are interpreted as spiritual reincarnation of the lyrical hero.We concluded that the writer embodies the idea of cosmic harmony and perfection into nature image (that is due to the original author's «God-universe» conception). He develops the creative principle, that in the concept sphere of Volodymyr Samiilenko's work is opposed to the destructive nature of man («Spring»).It was discovered that the creative imagination of the writer involves him on planetary and space scale. It was pointed out as well that in such works as «Spring songs», «Evening song», «That's a pity» and others the nature image shows a distinct Ukrainian colour, presenting an ethnic marker of the writer's creativity.It was concluded that the concept sphere of the natural world in Volodymyr Samiiylenko's lyrics makes out an original and innovative phenomenon. The images and motifs worked out by the author have been developed further on in the work of writers-modernists (Lesia Ukrainka, Olga Kobylianska, poets-symbolists) and remain relevant in our time as well.

RITUS HODE ILU DALAM MASYARAKAT LEWOINGU: ANTARA TINDAKAN SUPERSTISI DAN REALITAS NUMINUS

The human propensity of openness to the transcendent can be seen as a fundamental predisposition. It is also a need. We encounter such a need in numerous traditions and cultures, including in postmodern societies. In the Hode Ilu ritual, the people of the Lewoingu domain of Eastern Flores (Kabupaten Flores Timur, NTT), express the inseparableness of cosmic reality (humans and their world) with transcendent reality. They experience nature as numinus with supernatural power. This power enables people to submit in awe and act out the heritage of the ancestors in an artistic performance expressing people’s relationship with others, nature, oneself, and with the Divine. This ritual performance is called “artistic” because it is a self expression of the community through ritual that emphasises a fundamental cosmic harmony which is both religious (transcendent) and ethical (in the here and now). When the tradition expresses a form of faith in the transcendent in ritual, then the sharing of human experiences, including relationships of people with the Transcendent, with the cosmos, with others, and with oneself, is not wrong. Also, in such ritual performances, we see a change of perspective and a change in human action regarding oneself, others, nature (with its powers), and with the Divine.

SACRAL AND MUSICAL: FROM MYSTERY TO OPERA

Nonlinear diffuse relations of sacred and musical components in the history of European artistic culture are discovered. Attention is focused on the interrelation between theoretical philosophical discourse and artistic practices in different socio-cultural epochs: antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The birth of musical theater in antiquity was directly connected with the realization of cult practices. The consequence of these was the ambivalence of ancient reflections on the nature of the relationship between the sacred and the theatrical in culture. On the one hand, the ultimate basis from which the discourse of the meaning and role of the Musical Arts are begun and maintained as the return to the sacral. On the other hand, references to the sacred in the situation of the unfolding of discourse are turned into some background for reflection on the political (in its ancient sense) such as paideia or civic education, the achievement of a virtuous state, justice. In the medieval Christian culture, with its paradigm of theocentrism, the sacred foundation of musical art appears to be obvious, however, the interrelation between the sacred and the musical is filled with internal collisions and the complex contradictory nature of the relationship. The authors distinguish three semantic changes in the relationship between the sacred and the musical in the Middle Ages – music as a participant in the internal conflict between the secular and the sacred (St. Augustine, St. Pope Gregory the Great), the restoration of the ancient understanding of the correspondence between cosmic harmony and the harmony of human body and soul (Guido d’Arezzo) and the reaction to music as a path that leading to personal meeting with the sacred (Hildegard von Bingen, Perotin the Great). Anthropocentrism of the Renaissance replaced the emphasis on music and the sacred. If in the ancient and medieval discourse there was drawn an immediate connection between the musical and the divine, then in new humanistic culture the relations between them are determined by the presence of new principle component – a human being is not only intelligent but above all sensible and able to appreciate harmony and beauty and enjoy them. The interpenetration of the sacred and musical is interpreted as the basic foundation of the origin of the opera.

Three faces of the classical

The article examines three crucial implications of the term ?classical?. The first meaning is defined as epochal, and it is primarily presented in view of the brief history of the concept of classicus, but also considering the Baudelaire?s idea of ?universal beauty?. The characteristics of the classical art are confronted with Friedrich Schlegel?s criticism of the romanticism, which reminds that the idea of a time-resistant art form is nothing realistic, but rather a mere fantasy or a chimera of abstraction. For a romanticist, being out of touch with the present no longer had a particular merit, but rather was a symptom of the absence of awareness what the crucial sense of the works of art really is. If the classical divulged the cosmic harmony, the integrity of the natural order, the romanticism prefers to be the art of mediation, the dynamic transition, the unstoppable process. In the second part of the article, the author analyzes the motives of anti-classical tendencies in the European art, demonstrating that onslaught on the classical could have primarily been expected in the environment where it was neither too strong nor too weak.

Seblang Ritual Performance of "Using Society"In Banyuwangi Regency

Ritual Seblang derived from pre-Hindu culture, dance form with trance / unconscious synonymous with offering something to disa village. Using public dipercayaoleh Seblang ritual function of sacred and profane. Seblang is the oldest culture in Banyuwangi and is a sacred dance man can communicate with spirits unseen or danyang with the aim of getting cosmic harmony. If the ritual is not implemented, then disharmonies will occur and the ecological balance can be disturbed as crop failures and plague pagebluk.As the village clean ceremonies, rituals Seblang carried out with the aim of cleaning the village of delicate creatures are dangerous, where the existing dish dedicated to disa village. Based on the above description, the problems in this paper, as follows: 1). how the implementation of the performing arts in the District Glagah Seblang Banyuwangi?; 2). how the community functions for the District Seblang show Glagah?. With qualitative methods and methods of history, the results of this study, is a community in the district Glagah Using the geographical conditions that support for an agrarian economy that characterizes their culture. Ritual Performances Seblangan has been a tradition since 17-21 century still held. Tradition has the potential to become a tourist village supporter Using in Banyuwangi. Can be summarized as follows: 1) .Pelaksanaan seblangan ritual performance is supported by the geographical potential suitable for agricultural farming, and public confidence in the customs, traditions and culture handed down by their ancestors still retained by the people in the District Using Glagah; 2). Bakungan Seblang rituals conducted in Dzulhijjah or after the Eid al-Adha is held collectively, becomes a medium between people with supernatural / spirits, remain rooted in the sacred. In the rite of the meaning of reality presented in society (social meaning). Rite instrumental strengthen the collective sense of rootedness. Seblang ritual religious serves as an expression of gratitude, starting reinforcements against any disaster that might happen. Also functioning mechanical and organic solidarity Using community. In addition, profane thus serving the entertainment attractions.

Einstein contra Aristotle: The sound from the heavens

In "On the Heavens" Aristotle criticizes the Pythagorean point of view which claims the existence of a cosmic music and a cosmic sound. According to the Pythagorean argument, there exists a cosmic music produced by stars and planets. These celestial bodies generate sound in its movements, and the music appears due to the cosmic harmony. For Aristotle, there is no sound produced by celestial bodies. Then, there is no music as well. However, recently, LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Waves Observatory) has detected the gravitational waves predicted by Einstein. In some sense, a sound originated from black holes has been heard. That is, Einstein or the General Relativity and LIGO appear to be with the Pythagoreanism and against the master of the Lyceum.

Musical Harmony in the Xunzi and the Lüshi Chunqiu: Different Implications of Musical Harmony Resulting from Their Dissimilar Approaches to the Concept of Resonance between Sound and Qi

This article discusses two interpretations of musical harmony around the 3rd century BCE based on the Xunzi 荀子 and the Lushi Chunqiu 呂氏春秋 (Annals of Mr. Lu), comparing the concepts of resonance between sound and qi 氣 in each interpretation. The Xunzi supports the moral influence of the sage kings’ music where ethical resonance between sound and bodily qi serves as firm ground for musical harmony begetting social harmony. In contrast, the Lushi Chunqiu advocates the idea of physical resonance between sound and cosmic qi whereby musical harmony acts as a contributor to cosmic harmony. In discussing resonance between sound and qi, the Xunzi restricts its scope to the human realm while the Lushi Chunqiu extends it more broadly to the cosmic realm, which indicates that humans foster cosmic harmony. This broader perspective is an adequate reflection of the germinating idea of a resonant correlation between the human and cosmic realms.

„Bóg stworzył wszystko dla człowieka”? Zderzenie kosmocentryzmu z antropocentryzmem w późnoantycznej wizji świata stworzonego

Spojrzenie na chrześcijańskie podejście do przyrody wymaga zanalizowania wzajemnych relacji pomiędzy koncepcjami antropocentryzmu i kosmocentryzmu. Obie te wizje rzeczywistości wydają się być kluczem do całościowego ujęcia relacji człowiek – natura. Chrześcijański antropocentryzm często jest obwiniany o to, że stał się przyczyną obecnego kryzysu ekologicznego. Wyznawcy Chrystusa są oskarżeni o niszczenie harmonii świata i jego zasobów. Jednak chrześcijański antropocentryzm nie był najwyższą i niezależną zasadą. Chrześcijaństwo musiało skonfrontować się z wizją natury i człowieka propagowaną przez filozofię grecką i rzymski realizm. Pisarzom Kościoła nasza cywilizacja zawdzięcza niezwykle cenne rozważania o dobroci i pięknie stworzenia. Według perspektywy patrystycznej człowiek zajmuje najważniejsze miejsce w świecie przyrody, lecz nie jest to pozycja despoty, który ma nieograniczone prawo do eksploatowania zasobów naturalnych. Istota ludzka, należąca do porządku stworzenia, ma specyficzną misję i obowiązki wobec widzialnego świata. Człowiek stanowi jakby pomost pomiędzy stworzeniami a Bogiem, jest jakby kapłanem liturgii kosmicznej. U Ojców Kościoła można było zauważyć odnośniki biblijne, przede wszystkim do Rdz i Rz 8,18-22. W przypadku perykopy pawłowej ma się do czynienia z podwójną tendencją interpretacyjną: antropologiczną i kosmologiczną. Ojcowie Wschodu, nawiązując do podziwu okazywanego siłom natury w cywilizacji greckiej, preferowali interpretację kosmologiczną. Z kolei na łacińskim Zachodzie na plan pierwszy wysuwała się kwestia podporządkowania ziemskiego istnienia wyższym zasadom, jakimi były teocentryzm i chrystocentryzm. W ten sposób cała rzeczywistość widzialna została przez chrześcijaństwo przemyślana i głęboko ubogacona.

Review of Quiring, Bjôrn. 2014. Shakespeare’s Curse. The Aporias of Ritual Exclusion in Early Modern Royal Drama. London / New York, NY: Routledge. 266 pages. ISBN: 978–0– 415–51756–0

Review of Quiring, Bjorn. 2014. Shakespeare's Curse. The Aporias of Ritual Exclusion in Early Modern Royal Drama. London / New York, NY: Routledge. 266 pages. ISBN: 978-0- 415-51756-0.The book by Bjorn Quiring, Shakespeare's Curse. The Aporias of Ritual Exclusion in Early Modern Royal Drama, sets itself within the by-now flourishing critical production on Shakespeare and the law. It starts by trying to define and circumscribe the several meanings of 'curse', a term that basically indicates a reaction to a transgression. Dating back to the Bible, the curse indicated either an act of punishment by God or an appeal to God's justice. It implies a juridical order which has in some way been violated and which must be restored through the curse. In this perspective, the curse has a transcendental value: it is established as strictly connected to law, which it presupposes and determines at the same time.As the avenger, the curser appears to act in God's name: he acts as God's mouthpiece to reaffirm the law but, at the same time, he becomes blemished by the utterance. The curser shows his power in the utterance but is endangered by it: power and impotence are mixed in the act of cursing because the curse follows a ritual, but it also marks a of exception. Therefore, the curse is an ambiguous act that is an on the one hand, but is ritualized on the other hand, thus becoming a political act. Correctly, Quiring asserts that the curse can be set as a borderline: it is an individual act that operates onto a body politic.I agree with Quiring's connecting the curse to Schmitt's idea of the state of exception (1985; see also Agamben 2008) because it stems from a disruption of the law and aims at reinstituting the law itself. If equity acts as a supplement of the law, in the same way the curse represents the inside/outside of the law, because it codifies a transgression as a transgression, thus re-inscribing it into the legal system.These remarks can be connected to the theories concerning 'revenge' that come to the forefront in Elizabethan revenge plays. The revenger acts as God's arm, as he recreates the law that has somehow been violated by a murder, so the revenger must be considered as part of the juridical system. Microcosm and macrocosm can be reunited by the restoration of cosmic harmony through the punishment of the culprit. However, the revenger falls back into the sin of murder: he once again commits a crime, which blemishes his conscience. This is one of Hamlet's many doubts that prevent him from acting out the ghost's requests till the very last moment. This marks the liminal situation of the Elizabethan age, stressed by Quiring himself in the course of the volume. The age sets itself between two historical epochs and two juridical systems: the medieval one, which accepts private revenge, the revenge that marks the protection of one's family or clan; and the modern one, where justice is left in the hands of political authority. A patent example is Romeo and Juliet, where Romeo does not want to revenge Mercutio so as not to trigger a family feud, while Mercutio expects Romeo to revenge the insult to his family. The Prince in the text feels his authority baffled by this juridical 'mutiny' that is committed by his citizens, who do not respect political authority.The curse falls into a similar paradigm: the person who curses violates the Christological commandment to pardon offences or crimes, and to leave punishment in the hands of God (the supreme authority who should punish the culprit). Hence, from a transcendental perspective, the curser is blemished; but from a worldly perspective the curser helps carry out punishment, thus contributing to worldly justice. Quiring speaks of the paradoxical nature of the curse.What is particularly interesting is Quiring's connection of the curse to Schmitt's (1985) and Agamben's (2008) of exception, but the curse can also be an instrument of power in the hands of authority. …

The Confucian Vision of an Ideal Society Arising out of Moral Emotions, with a Focus on the Sishu Daquan

The ideal world of Confucianism is a kind of ‘moral community’ the members of which control their desires in an appropriate way according to their innate moral emotions, so that their behavior follows public order autonomously to realize the common good. It is also a kind of ‘life community’ in which not only humans but every creature between heaven and earth is able to give full expression to its nature and can strive to reach the cosmic harmony. The principal mechanism to obtain this world relies upon the universal moral emotions of humanity: ‘human minds loving good and abhorring evil’ and ‘the mind that cannot bear to see life lost.’ Thus, the ruler should set a good example by restraining his own selfish desires, and should help people cultivate their innate moral emotions; people thus educated become capable of and responsible for building the morally ideal world. The Confucian ideal world is therefore simultaneously a ‘moral community,’ a ‘life-community,’ and an ‘educational community.’ The ideal politics of Confucianism can be called a ‘policy of non-action’ in that it depends upon the autonomy of its members for its essential implementation. But this Confucian non-action, which is based on moral mechanisms such as ‘virtue and ritual propriety,’ is distinct from Taoist political thought, which criticizes moral regulations as a whole. Moreover, since Confucianism opposes such coercive measures as strict prohibition and punishment, Confucian theories also clash with those of the Legalists. Although today it might seem to be a drawback that the moral emotions of the people are actuated only by their ruler or their social superiors, the Confucian vision of an ideal society offers many suggestions which can usefully complement the modern rule of law; by taking a stand against political violence and environmental destruction, they can help us grope toward an alternative social framework that can meet all our aspirations.

Muzyczny wymiar dzieła stworzenia w perspektywie harmonia mundi

Harmonia mundi is an ancient philosophical concept that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies as a form of music. In Greek philosophy, since music is an expression of order and harmony, it is analogous with the harmony of nature, and is sympathetic with it. For Christians, the harmony of creation mirrors the Creator. For St. Augustine concordance and harmony, both in music and in creation, are icons of the perfect concord realized in divine life. In the Middle Ages a special mention is reserved for St. Hildegard von Bingen, for whom the creation’s accomplishment is the resonance of the harmony of human praise in God. The connection between the order of creation, the order of numbers and that of musical composition, which is to be found throughout Western thought for centuries, was developed in the Baroque era by important theorists, among whom was Johannes Kepler. It was the form of music itself, with its internal order, which made it part of the cosmic harmony, and, therefore, a mirror of divine wisdom. Western music traditions has indeed displayed that “cosmic character” which Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger considers appropriate for celebration of the Liturgy. He expounded a cosmological vision of worship. The music of the Church is the divine praise of the Logos in the cosmos. As a recent historian of the relation between music, theology and cosmology he has shown the Pythagorean account of music, as a revelation of divine order of creation. Thus the Classical merge into the Christian world is not dismantled.

Kami in šintoistična kozmogonija<br>Kami and Shintoist Cosmogony</br>

The paper discusses the notion of kami, which reflects the basic Japanese way of considering nature, the land, deities and the people. The Japanese cosmogonic myths and the cosmic harmony of myriads of kami are presented as a contrast to the one absolute God in the monotheistic religions.

Concordia Doctrinarum or the Concept of Cosmic Harmony in Gerard of Cenad

Concordia Doctrinarum or the Concept of Cosmic Harmony in Gerard of Cenad

(Neo)Pythagorean Vision in Thomas More’s Utopia

The inherent utopian tension between the ideal pattern and the earthly reality will be examined here in the context of the Pythagorean tradition, which Utopia shares with Plato’s Republic and Cicero’s De Republica, taken in its widest sense as the vision holding cosmic harmony as a model for organization of human affairs. The article aims to show how this tradition, by means of modification by the Renaissance Neo-Platonists, manifests itself in Utopia, putting to test Thomas More’s moral convictions as well as his faith in Neo-Platonist speculative philosophy.

Anthony Welch The Renaissance Epic and the Oral PastThe Renaissance Epic and the Oral Past. Anthony Welch. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012. Pp. v+260.

<i>Anthony Welch</i> The Renaissance Epic and the Oral Past<i>The Renaissance Epic and the Oral Past</i>. Anthony Welch. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012. Pp. v+260.

Frozen Music: Music and Architecture in Vitruvius’ De Architectura

AbstractThis paper explores the convergence of musical and architectural theory in Vitruvius’De Architectura.Section 1 describes Vitruvius’ architectural lexicon, borrowed from Aristoxenus (I.2), and explores his description of the laws of harmony, modeled onElementa Harmonica(V.4). Section 2 explores how Vitruvius proposes using music theory in practical architectural design, including construction of columns using architectural orders analogous to Aristoxeniangenera(I.2.6; IV.1); acoustical designs for theatres (V.5); and the development of machines, including siege engines ‘tuned’ like musical instruments (X.12) and water-organs [hydrauli] constructed to execute all the different varieties of tuning (X.8). Section 3 reflects on Vitruvius’ use of analogies with a musical instrument, thesambuca, to explain his understanding of cosmic harmony and architectural form, and his possible sources (VI.1). Finally, Section 4 discusses Vitruvius’ ideas about the importance of a liberal arts education that includes study of music theory. The best architects, Vitruvius explains, can discover in music the secrets to forms they both encounter in nature and create themselves.

Eryximachus’ Speech and Presocratic Thought: Love as Cosmic Harmony

Eryximachus’ Speech and Presocratic Thought: Love as Cosmic Harmony

Murder in Judaism: A Theological Perspective

Abstract This article provides a theological account of murder, that is, its significance within the broader context of God’s plan for creation. It argues that God’s prohibition of murder, understood as abuse of the powerless, is due to God’s broader concern with the maintenance of cosmic justice (cosmic harmony), which is required for the preservation of creation. Murder detracts from God’s cosmic justice in that it damages an aspect of justice that is related to human beings: social justice. Social justice is achieved through protection of the weak. In short, murder, as the ultimate act of oppression of the weak, constitutes social injustice and results in the disruption of God’s cosmic harmony.

The Concept of Cosmic Harmony of Music in Lüshi chunqiu and “Yueji” of Liji

The Concept of Cosmic Harmony of Music in Lüshi chunqiu and “Yueji” of Liji

Desiring Angels: The Angelic Body in &lt;i&gt;Paradise Lost&lt;/i&gt;

What man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.-Psalm 8:4-5 (AV)As the psalm's rhetorical question illustrates, humanity has often sought to understand its own nature through comparison with angels. Milton's angelology in Paradise Lost places him within a long scriptural and exegetical tradition in which angelic being elucidates human being. As God's only other rational creations, angels are essential for understanding the nature and potential of embodied being in Milton's monist materialist universe. Michael Schoenfeldt has examined the poem's model of digestion as a capacity shared by humans and angels alike, finding in Paradise Lost an alimental vision that legitimates matter in part by legitimating human appetite.1 This critical framework emphasizes the substantial similarity and only accidental difference between humans and angels where monism and appetite intersect.2 Digestion undoubtedly the model for matter's potential for becoming in the cosmos, but as Raphael reminds Adam, is the scale / By which to heavenly love humans may ascend (8.591- 92).3 The natural expression of this erotic activity, but where monist materialism and erotic desire intersect, we find complications that a focus on digestion tends to obscure.Eros a foundational principle in the cosmos ?? Paradise Lost but also a troubled one, as erotic desire and the problems of sex and gender are, like appetite and food, closely connected to both Satan's and humanity's falls. Despite the putative heteroerotic ideal in Eden, sexed bodies in the poem are often both a sign and a result of internal division, of ambisexual vitalist matter responding to lack or signaling a lapse in cosmic harmony.4 As most of the trouble accumulates around the female body, several contradictions emerge. Problematic sex consistently heterosexualized (if not always precisely heterosexual), Edenic conjugality both a lost ideal and clearly inferior to angelic sexual activity, the homoerotic desire circulating in the poem at once superlative and foreclosed, and eros both abundance and superfluity, the stuff of a self-generating monist materialist cosmos and a threat to divine hierarchy. Milton has placed these contradictions at the center of his epic poem not to resolve them but instead to highlight the imperfect, unfinished nature of paradisiacal existence and thus the importance of temperance for all rational, sensitive creation, angelic as well as human.Milton's a radical theology of recovered eros, although critics have not always agreed on precisely how it envisaged as working or on what operative terms. Richard Rambuss has delineated the importance of the corporeal in early modern devotional in which the body of Christ so often the object of longing and the center of affective piety in an emphatically incarnational Christianity.5 This early modern Christ descended into the flesh and can be imagined as flesh in human terms at once erotic and salvific. Rambuss finds that compared to the intense and visceral displays of devotional affect in the Christ-focused poems of John Donne, George Herbert, and Richard Crashaw, Milton's Christ appears hardly to have a body at all.6 Kent Lehnhof, who charges Rambuss with dismissing] Milton's poetry (rather than his Christ) as decorporealized,7 has recently argued for Milton's interest in the corporeal. Lehnhof insists that the somatic central to Milton's mature poetry, identifying the scatological activities of both the divine and the demonic in Paradise Lost. Like many critics treating Milton's monist materialism, Lehnhof tends to focus on the model of digestion; he does not look for and thus does not find the erotic.8 Readers accustomed to finding eros accumulating around the body of Christ will find it curiously absent in Milton's canon. …