Today I was reminded of an incident that happened while at a
friend’s home while we were playing a board game and I was summoned by the game
to sing “The Star Spangled Banner.” (it was an incident to my memory, but maybe
not to the others)
…I failed miserably; my recall memory is quite atrocious to
begin with and then to have everyone stare at me while trying to sing of all
things, made every word that much more difficult to recall. I couldn’t make it past the first two lines.
Now, I don’t consider the fact that I couldn’t recall the
song on fly an “incident”, but the way that everyone looked at me while it
happened, definitely matched my definition of incident. They all looked at me like I was some
communist traitor. The whole ambience of
the room changed. I felt this sickening
pull of emotions from everyone. Just because
I didn’t know the words to our country’s national anthem in no way predicates
that I have any malevolent feelings toward our country. I may not totally agree with what’s going on
and do not participate in all aspects of government, but I’m not a
traitor.
Anyways, back to what I was writing about…
This song popped into my head after my shower and I can’t
stop singing it…well more like humming it, because I still don’t know all of
the words, but I was going to write today about how I like to follow paths that
show themselves to me. For as long as I
can remember I have done this, but never really verbalized the action to anyone
in fear of coming across loony, although, I may come across as loony without
adding this crazy tidbit to the mix.
By path I am talking about if I was looking at an article on
the internet and some word or phrase sort of jumped out at me and caught my
attention, I would follow it, be it a link, or looking up the word or phrase on
google. This action then may lead to
another interesting subject that I look into, so before long I have gained
insight into seemingly disconnected subjects which have now been strung
together by my perception and have been given significant meaning.
This doesn’t sound so crazy, that is until I go to pick up something
from the grocery store and see one of the subjects from my path printed in a
magazine displayed at the checkout, or the person standing in from of me talks
to the cashier about the subject of my interest. This path thing really starts to tingle my
senses when on my return home the radio host also speaks about what I have just
learned, and then when I go and pick up the book on my nightstand the very next
chapter reads like it knew what I was going to find out about today on the
internet.
There is no way that coincidence can be the explanation. (In my mind anyways) and recently I have
found out that I am not the only one that lives this way. This life of following the subtle nuances of
experience and letting the universe guide them…nope I am not crazy in the sense
that only I see this matrix. Others see
it too and some call it synchronicity, which reminds me of serendipity; the
finding of things while not looking for them.
So, this song is stuck in my head while I read one of my new
favorite blogs The Sync Whole. I get
this notion about finding other anagrams for horse other than shore which was
being used on this particular post, and I go to http://wordsmith.org/anagram/
and put in horse. I write down the words Shore = Horse = Heroes on my note pad and then notice on the right
hand side of the screen there is a Thought of the Moment. (Never notice that little gem before on this
site) it read:
Thought of the Moment
Pleasure is very seldom found where it is sought; our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks. -Samuel Johnson, lexicographer (1709-1784)
Pleasure is very seldom found where it is sought; our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks. -Samuel Johnson, lexicographer (1709-1784)
A bit serendipitous I would say…which puts me here; because I
had the spark of reflection that I needed to just write about that tune stuck
in my head instead of looking for some other significant reason to post.
So let me give this syncing a go.
The Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key
and my thought of the moment was by Samuel Johnson…look at this journal entry I
found from a quick search on google. The
year is 1904 and it appears on page 27.
And this issue (64) of American Printer and Lithographer from
January 5, 1917 where is mentions Samuel Johnson while speaking about Francis
Scott Key. The bit begins on page 17 and
the two names are mentioned at the bottom of page 18 where you can see the 19th
page number. I somehow feel as though 9
and 7 may be significant. The numbers 1,
2 and 4 resonate here also, but not at prominent.
John Stafford Smith is mentioned as the writer of the music
used for the Star Spangled Banner. The
music was originally for the song “To Anacreon in Heaven,” the Anacreontic
Society’s constitutional song of which Samuel Johnson(not the same one) was a
member. The society was named after the Greek
court poet Anacreon. In the song the
phrase “The Myrtle of VENUS with BACCHUS'S Vine” is repeated in each
verse.
The following is what I found on the Myrtle of Venus from
Wikipedia:
And Bacchus actually speaks of Dionysus the greek god of the
grape harvest. Here is what I found on
him from Wikipedia:
[Dionysus] was also known as Bacchus (
/ˈbækəs/ or /ˈbɑːkəs/; Greek:
Βάκχος,
Bakkhos), the name adopted by the Romans[10] and the frenzy
he induces, bakkheia. His thyrsus is sometimes wound with ivy and
dripping with honey. It is a beneficent wand but also a weapon, and can be used
to destroy those who oppose his cult and the freedoms he represents. He is also
the Liberator (Eleutherios), whose wine, music and ecstatic dance frees
his followers from self-conscious fear and care, and subverts the oppressive
restraints of the powerful. Those who partake in his mysteries are possessed
and empowered by the god himself.[11] His cult is
also a "cult of the souls"; his maenads feed the dead through
blood-offerings, and he acts as a divine communicant between the living and the
dead.[12]
/ˈbækəs/ or /ˈbɑːkəs/; Greek:
Βάκχος,
Bakkhos), the name adopted by the Romans[10] and the frenzy
he induces, bakkheia. His thyrsus is sometimes wound with ivy and
dripping with honey. It is a beneficent wand but also a weapon, and can be used
to destroy those who oppose his cult and the freedoms he represents. He is also
the Liberator (Eleutherios), whose wine, music and ecstatic dance frees
his followers from self-conscious fear and care, and subverts the oppressive
restraints of the powerful. Those who partake in his mysteries are possessed
and empowered by the god himself.[11] His cult is
also a "cult of the souls"; his maenads feed the dead through
blood-offerings, and he acts as a divine communicant between the living and the
dead.[12]
The last line of the verses that reads beginning “the myrtle”
is replaced in the Star Spangled Banner with
“O'er
the land of the free and the home of the brave!”
That is just ironic, something that rings is the fact that Bacchus resonates
with the home of the brave with Bacchus having a weapon that can be used to
destroy those who oppose his freedoms, just as Americans use war to destroy
anyone who they believe opposes their democracy. Just like America is the only country to
actually utilize the H-bomb on another country, yet we are the ones who try to
regulate everyone else’s nuclear caches.
I'm an now not so sure about this Star Spangled Banner incident being so bad after all.
I must
go for the day, but I will return as more syncs come together with this...
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