Pope John Paul II has offered another set of mysteries to accompany the traditional meditations on the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries in the life of Jesus and Mary. These mysteries are intended to enrich the traditional prayer, not replace any part of it.

What is the focus of the new mysteries?

The new mysteries are centered on Jesus’ public ministry. The Holy Father has called them Mysteria Lucis, or “Mysteries of Light.” They call us to meditate on Jesus’ public ministry: His baptism by John, the wedding at Calla, the proclamation of the kingdom of God, the Transfiguration, and the Last Supper.

Why are they called the “Mysteries of Light”?

Through His signs and miracles, His preaching and the gift of Himself through the Eucharist, Jesus transforms our lives, just as light transforms a darkened room. The Rosary has been a means of bringing light into a darkened world since its use by the Dominican order to combat heresy in the thirteenth century .As the Holy Father noted in his letter, the Rosary, especially with the additional meditations on Jesus’ compassionate and loving work in the world, can bring that same transforming light to a world darkened by “the seductions of the drug culture, the lure of an unbridled hedonism, the temptation to violence, and the manifold expressions of meaninglessness and despair” today (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 42).

How do the new mysteries complement the traditional ones? In his letter announcing these new mysteries, the Holy Father described the Rosary as an expression of the “Gospel message in its entirety” (I). It is a powerful way for us to participate in the “contemplation of the Christian mystery” (5). When we meditate on the Mysteries of Light, we fill the gap between the Joyful and Sorrowful mysteries, giving us a more complete encounter with Jesus, the Light of the World.

When should I pray them?

The Holy Father has suggested that those who incorporate the Mysteries of Light, or Luminous Mysteries, into the praying of the Rosary use the following schedule: the Joyful Mysteries on Mondays and Saturdays, the Mysteries of Light on Thursdays, and the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the Glorious Mysteries on Wednesdays and Sundays.The First Mystery of Light

Our Lord’s Baptism in the Jordan

And when Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on Him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” - Matthew 3:16-17

On the banks of the Jordan River, the prophet John spoke of the coming of the Messiah. And then the Messiah came – to that same river to be baptized by John. No one could have expected it, and John could not see the sense of it. But Jesus insisted, and from heaven, God’s view of things was made clear. Through God’s Son, a world darkened by sin would be newly lit by love. Jesus’ embrace of His humanity means that human nature, once fallen, can be transformed. The ministry of the Word made Flesh, the Light of Darkness, had begun.

We pray for the grace to be open to the transforming power of God in our human hearts.The Second Mystery of Light

Our Lord’s Self-Manifestation At the Wedding of Calla

Jesus and Mary are in Cana, attending a wedding celebration, when the hosts run out of wine. Mary hears this and turns to Jesus with the news. He first tells her that His hour has not yet come, but Mary tells the servants to obey Him nonetheless. At Jesus’ request, the jars used for ritual purification are filled with water. Then the liquid inside is tasted. It is wine – and Jesus has given them the best wine. Our lives are darkened by suffering. Through signs such as these – miracles of nature and healing – Jesus brings light into that darkness and God’s loving presence into our pain, no matter how great or small.

We ask for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary for all our needs.

The Third Mystery of Light

Our Lord Proclaims the Kingdom of God and Calls Us to Conversion

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1:14-15

Jesus walks the roads and shores with the Good News: The moment you have yearned for has arrived. All God’s promises are fulfilled, and His kingdom of love and mercy is here. Jesus calls the apostles by name and invites them to follow Him. They say yes. Through His preaching and miracles, Jesus proclaims the kingdom.

Through His call to repentance, He offers mercy and forgiveness. The call offers the light of hope, even in the darkest moments, for those who say yes.

We pray for a spirit of repentance and a deeper trust in God’s mercy as we seek His kingdom in all our actions.The Fourth Mystery of Light Our Lord’s Transfiguration

Now about eight days after these sayings He took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain

to pray. And as He was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and His raiment became dazzling white. – Luke 9:28-29

On Mount Tabor, the glory of God shines forth through Jesus. The awed apostles want to preserve the moment by building booths for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. But as they are enveloped in the cloud of God’s presence and hear God’s command to listen to Jesus, they fall silent, and the visible light fades.

In Jesus, our weak eyes are given the gift of being able to behold God. We also see who we really are in the brightness of that light. The darkness of the world breaks, and we can see that there is more here than meets the eye.

We pray for the grace to let the transforming light of God! s presence illuminate our vision.

The Fifth Mystery of LightOur Lord’s Institution of the Eucharist as the Sacramental Expression of the Paschal Mystery

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” – Matthew 26:26

In the midst of the Passover meal, Jesus takes the ancient symbols of bread and wine in His hands. He holds the signs of God’ s power to free His people from bondage and sheds new, brilliant light on them. Now they are Him, His own body and blood, broken and shed to free us from the most terrible bondage of all: the chains of sin, the dark prison of death.

Jesus shares the gift of Himself in the Eucharist. Joined to Him, our lives are transformed with the light of love, and we are nourished to share that light with a darkened, hungry world.

We pray for a deeper faith in the Real Presence and the great gift we receive in the Eucharist.

Harmonics and Love Vibes

The energies, or Aspects, between planets are based on their degrees of distance from each other. Some Aspects are challenging — like Squares and Oppositions — while others are more positive — like Trines and Sextiles. The concept of planetary Aspects can also be applied to the spatial distance between the Signs on the Zodiac, a branch of Astrology called Harmonics.

For example, if we look at the Signs of Libra and Capricorn, we find that they are 90 degrees, or three Signs, apart, creating an incredibly karmic and challenging Square. A Libra and Capricorn joined in a love bond can expect friction and a big-time need for compromise. Like any two Signs forming a Square to each other, the Scales and the Sea Goat have lessons to teach each other. Then there’s the Trine among Signs of the same Element, such as the one that links Cancers, Scorpios and Pisceans. Since they share a common emotional bond, love matches between like-Elements tend to be respectful and mutually compassionate.

One vibration: when same signs come together. There is usually mutual understanding and empathy. Negative traits of the sign can also be amplified.

Conjunction

A conjunction is easy to spot in a chart: It is two or more planets situated closely together, generally within an orb of eight degrees. It is one of the major Aspects; neither a hard nor soft energy is specifically ascribed to it.

While conjunctions are often found within the same Sign, they can also fall within adjacent Signs. For example, Mars at 27 degrees Gemini is conjunct Venus at 1 degree Cancer. Here we see an orb of influence of 4 degrees. As with all Aspects, the more exact the angular measurement, or specificity of the orb, the more intense the energy. Therefore, a conjunction at 0 or 1 degrees would be much more powerful than one at 4 degrees.

Conjunctions tend to add great emphasis to the planets and Sign(s) involved. There is no mistaking the effects of a conjunction, for they are palpable and often in full view. Pluto conjunct the Sun can give great intensity and power to the individual, while Mars conjunct Venus can point to an assertive lover. The House in which a conjunction rests is also affected by the presence of neighborly planets. Were the Mars/Venus conjunction noted above in the Fourth House of Home, it could presage domestic battle (or even bliss) between a couple.

The energy of a conjunction can be either favorable or unfavorable, depending on the planets involved. What is important to remember when considering a conjunction is that the tenor of the planets will be enhanced, magnified. This is not likely to be subtle energy.

When three or more planets are in conjunction, a stellium is formed. Again, these planets may fall in the same or adjacent Signs. A stellium has an energy all its own and also greatly influences the Sign and House where it resides.

Stellium: Though not an Aspect itself, an explanation of a Stellium is appropriate in this section as Stelliums are made up of Aspects — Conjunctions, to be exact. A Stellium refers to three or more Planets that form a series of Conjunctions in an astrological chart, regardless of whether the Planets span into two Houses or if they are in different Signs or the same Sign. Whatever the combination may be, their combined energies create a particular focus, making a Stellium deserving of attention.

Within a Stellium, the power of the Planets is focused according to the Signs and Houses involved. For example, if a birth chart were to contain a Stellium of Mercury, Venus and Mars in Taurus in the Fourth House, this would create a tremendous focus of the steady, possessive, possession-oriented, sensual energy of Taurus. That heightened energy would manifest itself as related to communication (Mercury), love (Venus) and drive (Mars), as further related to home and family (Fourth House). Sound complicated? It’s really not — just think of it as a focal point of energy.

One more complication: A Planetary member of a Stellium is subject to the influence of aspects to other Planets in the same Stellium, even if the Orb is too wide to normally include that Planet. This is called aspect by association.

Two-vibration: There is potential to this relationship; one sign is usually more tolerant of the other. There could also be a karmic link to this relationship.

Semi-sextile

We see a semi-sextile in a chart when two planets are 30 degrees from each other. This is one of a number of minor Aspects and, as a result, an orb of influence of only one to three degrees is acceptable.

With the thirty degree separation between the planets in this formation (they are usually but one Sign apart), the semi-sextile is half of a sextile. Even so, this Aspect is not quite as harmonious in tone as a sextile. Further, there tends to be a fated quality to this Aspect.

Semi-sextiles tend to create minor tension. It’s not the big message or jarring jolt that’s brought forth by an opposition or a square. Rather, there is a niggling sense of something going on underneath the surface which can’t quite be placed. Unease is the result, and a sense that something should be done (or that if it were done, all would be better).

This Aspect also has a karmic tie. When two planets are semi-sextiling each other, we need to know that there is a lesson (albeit a small one) to be dealt with and effectively overcome. This lesson may well come to us from our past. Lastly, with this Aspect, there is always that karmic connection. Something is out there, and while we’re not quite sure what it is, we just can’t seem to break away from it. Is this yet another lesson from the semi-sextile?

Aries-Pisces	Gemini-Cancer
Virgo-Libra	Sagittarius-Capricorn
Aries-Taurus	Cancer-Leo
Libra-Scorpio	Capricorn-Aquarius
Taurus-Gemini	Leo-Virgo
Scorpio-Sagittarius	Aquarius-Pisces

Three-vibration: This relationship is based on friendship and loyalty. There is a strong tie between you and your association will be long-lasting.

Sextile

A sextile occurs in a chart when two planets are 60 degrees from each other. An orb of six degrees is considered acceptable for this aspect. This is one of the major Aspects, and a soft energy is generally ascribed to it.

Since sextiles, by virtue of their sixty-degree separation, are usually two Signs apart, we tend to see positive Signs sextiling each other. By extension, negative Signs sextile each other as well. For example, it should be expected that Fire and Air Signs sextile each other, and that the same relationship will correspond between Earth and Water Signs. These relationships aid in the sympathetic energies between the planets involved.

Sextiles are about the easy and unencumbered flow of energy between two planets. There is a lack of tension inherent in this aspect which translates to the ability of the individual to accomplish much. Attraction is present, and self-expression is enhanced. It’s important to note, however, that while a sextile presents the individual with opportunities, the responsibility is still on them to make things happen. A sextile isn’t the answer to everything, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. Again, a sextile is harmonious and engenders cooperation.

Aries-Gemini	Taurus-Pisces
Leo-Libra	Scorpio-Capricorn
Aries-Aquarius	Gemini-Leo
Virgo-Scorpio	Sagittarius-Aquarius
Taurus-Cancer	Cancer-Virgo
Libra-Sagittarius	Capricorn-Pisces

Four-vibration: There will be friction to this relationship. Compromise is needed to overcome any challenges that may arise.

Square

A square is present in a chart when two planets are 90 degrees from each other. The acceptable orb for a square is eight degrees. Another of the major Aspects, squares are generally considered to possess a hard energy.

Since squares are roughly three Signs apart (thanks to the 90 degree angle being formed), they are usually Cardinal, Fixed or Mutable in nature. Much like the qualities represented here, a Cardinal square denotes fast action, whereas Fixed squares speak to a more ponderous, measured state. Finally, Mutable squares can go either way, depending on other factors in the horoscope.

The essence of a square is friction. Things happen, and they’re no small matter. The energy surrounding a square is forceful, intense and power-laden. It’s effect on the individual will be to spur them to action, to cause decisions to be made. The risk to the individual influenced by a square is to ignore this Aspect’s unmistakable energy. This Aspect will not be managed effectively until its force field and message are addressed. To illustrate the point, an individual with their Sun square Mercury might be expected to have difficulty when speaking. The lesson of this square will be to do the work necessary in order to speak more effectively.

A T-square is formed in the heavens when two or more planets are opposing each other and they square a third planet. In this formation, you have two squares present. Drawing a letter ‘T’ in the Zodiac is the easiest way to grasp this planetary formation. It is the third planet in this formation (the one not in an opposition) which is the focal point and the creator of the greatest tension (and by extension, the greatest opportunities). Lastly, a Grand Cross is formed when two pairs of planets are opposing each other. Think of a big plus sign dividing the Zodiac into four quadrants. In this formation, you see four squares. The tension created by a Grand Cross is quite strong and will surely challenge the individual. If it can be harnessed effectively, strength and success will be the result.

Aries-Cancer	Taurus-Aquarius
Cancer-Libra	Libra-Capricorn
Aries-Capricorn	Gemini-Virgo
Leo-Scorpio	Scorpio-Aquarius
Taurus-Leo	Gemini-Pisces
Virgo-Sagittarius	Sagittarius-Pisces

Five-vibration: There is great respect and understanding to this relationship. You will understand each other and share similar motivations.

Trine

We see a trine in a chart when two planets are 120 degrees from each other. As with the other major Aspects, the acceptable orb for a trine is eight degrees. This Aspect possesses a soft energy.

Trines are approximately four Signs apart by virtue of their 120 angle. As a result, we can expect the planets involved to usually be of the same Element, be it Fire, Air, Earth or Water.

A trine allows for the easy flow of energy between two planets. This Aspect is generally favorable, and light and joyous in nature. Translated to the individual, trines are indicative of fun, creativity, an easy spirit and bounteous talent. Pleasure is the byword here, coupled with a sense of idealism and ease in doing things. If there is a shadow side to a trine (or to the presence of several trines in a horoscope), it is a willingness to do little, to accept gifts already bestowed and leave it at that. The beauty of a trine’s energy is that it doesn’t require much action to be activated. One is often blessed with minimal effort. The presence of trines in a horoscope also serve to balance out other less-favorable Aspects.

A Grand Trine is present when three planets, all in the same element, are approximately 120 degrees from each other. This formation signals great creativity and largesse. A Grand Trine takes on the characteristics of the element it represents. For example, a Grand Fire Trine carries with it considerable drive, while a Grand Air Trine is more intellectual in spirit and a Grand Water Trine is more intuitive.

Aries-Leo	Taurus-Capricorn
Cancer-Scorpio	Virgo-Capricorn
Aries-Sagittarius	Gemini-Libra
Cancer-Pisces	Libra-Aquarius
Taurus-Virgo	Gemini-Aquarius
Leo-Sagittarius	Scorpio-Pisces

Six-vibration: There is a karmic pull to this relationship. One of you will feel a need to please the other. There is an imbalance to this association.

Quincunx

A quincunx is present in a chart when two planets are 150 degrees from each other. Since this is one of the minor Aspects (there are nearly ten of them), an orb of influence of only one to three degrees is considered acceptable. This Aspect is also referred to as the inconjunct.

The planets involved in a quincunx do not share the same quality or element, as is the case with squares and trines. Rather, these are two planets with very little in common, and their celestial meeting can be uneasy as a result.

This Aspect, above all, demands that adjustments be made. Things will appear muted or unclear and one must resolve to gain some focus on the matters at hand. A reorganization of priorities, as well as a change in the way things are done, is wanting. A change in attitude, outlook and perspective can also be indicated. The individual must take a further cue from the planets and Houses involved in this Aspect to understand its energy fully.

Quincunxes often influence health and financial matters. It is also believed that this Aspect has karmic lessons to teach us. Along those lines, an extension of the quincunx is the Yod, also referred to as the ‘Finger of God.’ In this little-known configuration, considered the most fated in Astrology, two planets which are sextiling (a sixty-degree Aspect) each other are in communion with a third planet which rests opposite the midpoint of the sextile. These three planets would then form the letter ‘Y’ in the heavens (draw it for yourself and you’ll see). The third planet, effectively at the bottom of the ‘Y’ figure, is the trigger point of the Yod. This very fated configuration adds great emphasis to the quincunx and speaks to significant lessons and issues to be overcome. Further, whenever a planet is transiting through the midpoint of the sextile segment of the Yod, the entire configuration is essentially on red alert. The burden is upon us to listen closely at this time, and to learn.

Aries-Virgo	Taurus-Sagittarius
Cancer-Sagittarius	Leo-Pisces
Aries-Scorpio	Gemini-Scorpio
Cancer-Aquarius	Pisces-Libra
Taurus-Libra	Gemini-Capricorn
Leo-Capricorn	Virgo-Aquarius

Seven-vibration: The sign opposite your own sign. This relationship will either be all or nothing. When it is good it’s great and when it’s bad it’s worse!

Opposition

An opposition occurs in a chart when two planets are 180 degrees apart, or in direct opposition to each other (the circular horoscope is made up of 360 degrees). The acceptable orb of influence for an opposition is eight degrees. This is one of the major Aspects, and a hard energy is generally ascribed to it.

This Aspect is the widest one to be found in a horoscope. We also tend to see polarities in an opposition, such as Aries to Libra or Virgo to Pisces. The planets in an opposition may be from different yet complementary Elements (say Gemini’s Air to Sagittarius’ Fire), and they may also be from the same Quality, be it Fixed, Cardinal or Mutable. These traits, when present, make for some common ground between the planets in an opposition.

More often than not, however, an opposition is a poster child for conflict resolution. This Aspect, as its name would indicate, presents opposing forces. Mars’ energy may find itself at war with Venus’ golden glow, for example. The key here is for the individual to see the conflict, the challenge at hand, and to find a way to act upon it. For that reason, many people prefer to view an opposition with an eye to the opportunities it can bring. With a heightened awareness of conflict, we can take the steps necessary to achieve balance and harmony.

The key to conquering an opposition is to bridge the great divide. The opposing energies are far apart only until we have brought them together.

Aries-Libra	Taurus-Scorpio	Gemini-Sagittarius
Cancer-Capricorn	Leo-Aquarius	Virgo-Pisces

by Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad

Morning Edition, March 9, 2009 · A 2-year-old, it turns out, knows the difference between right and wrong. According to psychologist Judi Smetana, the sense of morality begins to develop early in humans. And by the time children are 3 to 4 years old, they recognize certain behaviors — such as hitting — as wrong, even when no one is watching, says Smetana, a professor at the University of Rochester.

Children are also capable of distinguishing between social rules and moral rules.

For instance, kids tend to know that raising your hand before speaking in class is a social rule, while head-butting another kid is breaking a moral rule.

By asking questions such as, "Would it be OK to hit if there were no rule about it at your school?" Smetana is able to probe the inner workings of the minds of preschoolers, gaining valuable insight into the development of moral decision-making.

Nature Or Nurture?

Smetana believes that children know more about morality than they’re able to articulate, especially when they’re toddlers. "We are born with some very rudimentary sense of empathy hard-wired in," she says.

A study published last month bolsters the theory that empathy is coded into human genes. A team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Oregon Health and Science University found that a highly social strain of mice could learn to connect a tone played in a specific cage to something negative, merely by hearing the distressed squeak of a mouse who received a shock in the cage when the tone was played. When a mouse who had observed the distress was then placed in the cage and played the same tone, it exhibited signs of stress even though it did not experience a shock.

If a highly social mouse can relate another mouse’s stress to itself, does this suggest that there’s an evolutionary advantage to empathy? And if humans have inherited this advantage and are in fact genetically hard-wired to be empathetic, how does empathy relate to the moral development of children?

The Golden Rule

Smetana knows from her work with preschoolers that even though young kids can tell what’s wrong — like hitting or taking another’s toys — they still hit each other and take toys. This is due, in part at least, to what some researchers call the "happy victimizer effect." In other words, it feels good to get your way. Yet thanks to empathy, kids realize that the reverse is also true: When someone bullies you, it doesn’t feel so good. This push and pull helps forge a child’s moral universe.

"The task of a young child’s development," Smetana explains, is to coordinate the perspectives of the victim and the transgressor, and weight it to the way the victim feels.

The golden rule, it seems, still very much applies.

 

God’s Wings

A little something to put things in perspective…
After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park , forest rangers
began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno’s damage.

One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched
statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat
sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick.

When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under
their dead mother’s wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of
impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the
tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing
that the toxic smoke would rise.

She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her
babies. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her
small body, the mother had remained steadfast …because she had
been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live.

‘He will cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you will find refuge.’
(Psalm 91:4)

Being loved this much should make a difference in your life.
Remember the One who loves you, and then be different because of it.
Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have. You will
treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special.
To realize the value of a friend…lose one.

Alexander Joe

Graca Machel, activist and wife of Nelson Mandela (right) speaks at a Nov. 24 joint news conference in Johannesburg addressing the growing power-sharing and cholera crisis in Zimbabwe. She is joined by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. AFP

NPR.org, December 9, 2008

The Elders, a group founded in 2007, is made up of a dozen former world leaders working behind the scenes and in plain sight to stem the spread of conflicts, poverty and human rights issues. The organization started as an idea by musician Peter Gabriel.

Gabriel shared his idea with entrepreneur Richard Branson back in 1999 with the thought of forming a group that could work in much the same way as respected elders of an African village, sharing wisdom and solutions with a community that could be moved to positive outcomes.

The founding roster for "The Elders" includes:

• Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa

• Graca Machel, former first lady of Mozambique, activist for women’s and children’s rights, and Mandela’s wife

• Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa

• Jimmy Carter, former U.S. president responsible for the 1978 Camp David peace accords between Israel and Egypt

• Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights

• Lakhdar Brahimi, former Algerian diplomat

• Muhammad Yunus, economist and founder of the Grameen Bank

• Fernando Cardoso, former president of Brazil

• Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the United Nations

• Aung San Suu Kyi, pro-democracy activist and the prime minister-elect of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), unrecognized winner of the 1990 Burma election

• Ela Bhatt, founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association, a trade union with more than 1 million members in India

• Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway and former director general of the World Health Organization

Members of the Elders have traveled to Kenya, Sudan, Cyprus and most recently to South Africa to evaluate the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe and attempt to reach resolution through unconventional means.

Several of the founding members of the Elders are recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dancing All the Dances as Long as I Can

by Robert Fulghum

Miro Svolik

Robert Fulghum has written seven bestsellers including All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. A native of Waco, Texas, he was a Unitarian minister for 22 years and taught painting and philosophy. Fulghum lives in Seattle and Crete.

“My passion for tango disguises a fearfulness. I fear the shrinking of life that goes with aging.”

 

Weekend Edition Sunday, October 28, 2007 · I believe in dancing.

I believe it is in my nature to dance by virtue of the beat of my heart, the pulse of my blood and the music in my mind. So I dance daily.

The seldom-used dining room of my house is now an often-used ballroom — an open space with a hardwood floor, stereo and a disco ball. The CD-changer has six discs at the ready: waltz, swing, country, rock ‘n’ roll, salsa and tango.

Each morning when I walk through the house on the way to make coffee, I turn on the music, hit the "shuffle" button and it’s Dance Time! I dance alone to whatever is playing. It’s a form of existential aerobics, a moving meditation.

Tango is a recent enthusiasm. It’s a complex and difficult dance, so I’m up to three lessons a week, three nights out dancing, and I’m off to Buenos Aires for three months of immersion in tango culture.

The first time I went tango dancing I was too intimidated to get out on the floor. I remembered another time I had stayed on the sidelines, when the dancing began after a village wedding on the Greek island of Crete. The fancy footwork confused me. "Don’t make a fool of yourself," I thought. "Just watch."

Reading my mind, an older woman dropped out of the dance, sat down beside me, and said, "If you join the dancing, you will feel foolish. If you do not, you will also feel foolish. So, why not dance?"

And, she said she had a secret for me. She whispered, "If you do not dance, we will know you are a fool. But if you dance, we will think well of you for trying."

Recalling her wise words, I took up the challenge of tango.

A friend asked me if my tango-mania wasn’t a little ambitious. "Tango? At your age? You must be out of your mind!"

On the contrary: It’s a deeply pondered decision. My passion for tango disguises a fearfulness. I fear the shrinking of life that goes with aging. I fear the boredom that comes with not learning and not taking chances. I fear the dying that goes on inside you when you leave the game of life to wait in the final checkout line.

I seek the sharp, scary pleasure that comes from beginning something new — that calls on all my resources and challenges my mind, my body and my spirit, all at once.

My goal now is to dance all the dances as long as I can, and then to sit down contented after the last elegant tango some sweet night and pass on because there wasn’t another dance left in me.

So, when people say, "Tango? At your age? Have lost your mind?" I answer,

"No, and I don’t intend to."

Independently produced for Weekend Edition Sunday by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman with John Gregory and Viki Merrick.

More ‘This I Believe’ Stories

• Brian Grazer: Disrupting My Comfort Zone
• David Greenberger: As I Grow Old
• Martha Graham: An Athlete of God

by Joan Tower

Noah Sheldon

Composer and pianist Joan Tower was born in New York and spent her youth in Bolivia where her father worked as a mining engineer. Her most famous works include "Fanfares for the Uncommon Woman" and the tone poem "Sequoia." Tower teaches at Bard College. Noah Sheldon Photography

“When I was growing up, my life largely centered around boys and sex… now, I can say, without music I would be lost.”

All Things Considered, November 27, 2006 · After 60 plus years of composing and performing, I believe more than ever in the extraordinary power of music.

In this day of fast information and communication, music nourishes our inner souls. As tensions between nations continue, music reaches beyond borders. At weddings, funerals, inaugurations and parades, music gives us public permission to feel and share things. In fact, music has always been a shared thing — between the creator, the performer and the audience. Music connects me to people I don’t even know.

Strong music puts you in a space where you forget about yourself. It’s like a good movie. It’s an escape. You lose yourself. It’s a license to feel, sing, shout and to dance.

Do you remember when you first fell in love? Was there a song associated with that love? When you hear that song now, don’t you think of that person and actually remember what you felt? Maybe you even cry.

When I was growing up, my life largely centered around boys and sex. I was into music, but music didn’t always give me the nourishment that boys did. It takes time and patience to be nourished by music. Now, I can say, without music I would be lost.

A conductor once told me that music had kept him off the streets and even out of jail. Music became a kind of "survival" phenomena for him (and for me, too). It is our drug of choice because it has given us the extraordinary lasting inner experience that has even replaced real drugs, vacations, money, fame and all the things we associate with pleasure and excitement. A friend of mine who happens to be an extraordinary pianist and still practices up to five hours a day once said to me, "The piano is my best friend. I can’t think of anyone better to spend my time with."

I feel the same way about composing. I’m in the studio from 1:00 to 5:30 religiously, every day. I used to run from the studio — I’d tell myself I had to clean or make a telephone call, anything to get out of there. Now I look forward to these hours.

Music is not just my most trusted friend. It makes me come alive, to show strength and passion and to feel useful. Music makes me feel like I’m doing something terribly important. I believe that with music I can help to change the world around me — if just a little bit.

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Photo Courtesy of Steve Banko

Steve Banko did two combat tours in Vietnam, earning the Silver Star and four Purple Hearts. In 1996, he received the Terry Anderson Courage to Comeback Award for his struggles with alcoholism and depression. Banko is a 30-year civil servant in Buffalo, N.Y.

“I believe there is magic in Christmas and the music that celebrates it, because it brings us closer together and closer to our own hearts.”

 

Weekend Edition Sunday, December 23, 2007 · I’ve been moved by the magic of Christmas music since the nuns in grammar school etched the words of the carols into my brain. That magic persists despite the memory of our pre-pubescent male voices that sounded more like a pond of bullfrogs than the Vienna Boys Choir. The music rose above us. Even our childhood rivalries and petty differences were no match for the spell of that music. I believe that Christmas music can touch the spirit.

Those nuns taught me the music and the lyrics, but I would learn of the real magic about 10 years later.

On Christmas Eve 1968, I was a patient in a military hospital in Yokota, Japan. My leg had been shattered by a couple of machine gun bullets in a five-hour battle in Vietnam. My body was full of shrapnel and my hands had been badly burned. For three weeks, Army doctors in Vietnam struggled to save my leg. They sent me to Japan on that Christmas Eve to give a new team of surgeons a chance to work their magic.

And I was in desperate need of magic. Somewhere it was Christmas but it didn’t feel like it to me — at least not until I heard the music piped through the PA system.

A chorus sang of "peace on earth and mercy mild" and promised "God and sinners reconciled." Another voice called to "let us all with one accord sing praises to our heavenly Lord" and another, to "sleep in heavenly peace" but heaven and peace seemed so distant to me.

My misery was interrupted by a low moan coming from the next bed. All I could see was a white cast shaped like a body; cutouts for his eyes, nose and mouth were the only breaks in the cast. Even as the music inched me toward comfort, the reality of pain anchored me in the present. But looking at my neighbor enclosed in God-knows-what-kind-of-pain, mine didn’t seem nearly as important.

The soft strains of "Silent Night" were filling the air of the ward when the nurses made final rounds with our medications. When my nurse approached, I asked her to push my bed closer to the man in the cast. I reached out and took my new friend’s hand as the carol told us "all is calm, all is bright."

We spoke no words to each other. None were needed. The carol revived the message of hope and the triumph of love for me. I felt a slight tightening on my hand and for the first time that Christmas I felt I would survive my ordeal, and for the first time in a long time, I wanted to.

I believe there is magic in Christmas and the music that celebrates it, because it brings us closer together and closer to our own hearts.

Independently produced for Weekend Edition Sunday by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman with John Gregory and Viki Merrick.

More ‘This I Believe’ Essays

• Joan Tower: Music Makes Me Come Alive
• Miles Goodwin: The Connection Between Strangers
• Colleen Shaddox: Jazz Is the Sound of God Laughing

As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5 year phased-in plan that would become known as “Euro-English”.

In the first year, “s” will replace the soft “c”. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.

The hard “c” will be dropped in favour of “k”. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the second year when the troublesome “ph” will be replased with “f”. This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3^rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent “e” is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4^th yer people wil be resptiv to steps such as replasing “th” with “z” and “w” with “v”.

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary “o” kan be dropd from vords containing “ou” and after ziz fifz yer , ve vil hav a rel sensibl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech ozer. Ze drem of a united Urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German lik zey vunted in ze forst plas.

If zis mad yu smil, ples pas on to ozer pepl.

Video game fans may have spent some time with something Machover and his team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology helped to develop — Guitar Hero.

In the early 1980s, Machover was director of musical research at IRCAM, a music research institute. Since 1985, the American musician and composer has been at the forefront of music and technology as a professor at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Mass. Machover says a lot has changed since his days at IRCAM: Now, anyone can access cutting-edge technology.

"The idea that you could make a new kind of instrument that would use the gestures you were most natural and familiar with, and the fact that that would lead to a set of instruments that would let anyone have fun with music makes a lot of sense," he says.

Instruments With Built-In Technology

Machover first began working on what he calls "hyperinstruments" at MIT in 1986. The most famous is probably the hypercello he created for Yo-Yo Ma.

"The basic idea of a hyperinstrument is where the technology is built right into the instrument so that the instrument knows how it’s being played — literally what the expression is, what the meaning is, what the direction of the music is," Machover says. "If a performer pushed to a downbeat or relaxed on a phrase or brought out a particular F-sharp, those things would be recognized and valued by the instrument."

For Yo-Yo Ma’s hypercello, Machover placed sensors on the instrument, the performer’s wrist and his bow and fed the electronic impulses generated by those sensors into a computer. It took the signals and responded to the cellist’s playing — sometimes transforming the sound, and sometimes creating new sounds.

Machover is a cellist himself. He started playing as a child, and from the beginning he was interested in modern classical music — and rock. He studied at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and at Columbia and the Juilliard School of Music in New York — where his mentors included the late Roger Sessions and Elliott Carter, who is still composing and will celebrate his 100th birthday next month.

Machover admits his approach to music isn’t for everyone. He hopes his hyperinstruments will be adopted by more soloists. But he says at least one school has seized on the idea.

"The Royal Academy of Music in London got interested in hyperinstruments and particularly in stringed hyperinstruments," Machover says. "So we’ve worked with them for the past few years to bring a set of these instruments into the center of their curriculum. And that’s a wonderful way for these kinds of instruments to get into [the hands of] soloists, chamber musicians and orchestras."

Music, Mind And Health

"Music, Mind and Health" is the name of one of Machover’s latest projects. He and his team at the MIT Media Lab were contacted by the Massachusetts Cultural Council to see if they were interested in working at a hospital in Tewksbury, north of Boston.

"Our initial work was with people who were long-term residents at this hospital and, generally, people with no experience in music," Machover says.

One person Machover’s team worked with was Dan Ellsey, a man in his early 30s with severe cerebral palsy. Bound to a wheelchair, Ellsey has very limited movement, and communicates with a talking box that he controls through an infrared controller worn in a headband.

"One of my students made an interface so Dan [Ellsey] could use his head movements and the infrared controller on his head to actually draw the lines and colors that we use for our Hyperscore software. He wrote a piece that was transcribed for symphony orchestra and is absolutely dynamite."

Machover’s student used the same controller on the young man’s head to create a hyperinstrument that understands the movements he can make and compensates for movements that are difficult for him.

"He changes the sound of the piece; he changes the emphasis; he changes the texture; he changes the accents; he changes the color of the piece," Machover says. "When he’s playing the piece, he’s a different person."

The Future Of Music

Machover does all of this work — his research, teaching and outreach — while still pursuing an active career as a composer. His work has been commissioned or performed by Pierre Boulez’s Ensemble Intercontemporain, the London Sinfonietta, Speculum Musicae, the San Francisco Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Kronos Quartet, Yo-Yo Ma and others. He has written or edited four books; seen two operas premiered; and composed more than 25 orchestral, chamber and electronic works. Two new operas will premiere in the next few months.

So, what about Guitar Hero? Machover sees in it the future of music.

"Imagine if [Guitar Hero] were truly expressive, truly personal, truly creative. The wonderful thing about Guitar Hero is that it opens up the door for everybody to be not just a passive listener but a real active participant in music," Machover says. "I think that is the future of music: music that is a collaboration between what we traditionally think of as composers and performers and the audience."

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