Who Were The Muses?
The muses were of divine parentage, the nine daughters of Zeus ( king of the Olympian gods ) and Mnemosyne ( goddess of memory ), fruits of nine consecutive nights of love-making. These representations of the human genius were not only unsurpassable singers, whose chorales delighted the gods in Mount Olympus; they were also personifications of arts and sciences, presiding therefore over human thought in all its forms: History, Mathematics, Astronomy, Eloquence, Philosophy, etc. But there is more...The Muses Within
Many of us are intrigued, if not fascinated by Greek Mythology and its legends that have survived to our days. The powerful influence of Greek mythology in several areas of knowledge is proof of its long-lasting legacy to the modern society: literature, arts, sciences, Philosophy, and Psychology... Because the ancient Greeks had a deep understanding of the human nature, their way of thinking and mythology have become very important in the field of Psychology. Even the ancient Greek thinkers interpreted their myths as having figurative meanings and formulated their own theories and conclusions. Sigmund Freud borrowed from Greek Mythology in his studies of human psychosexual development, hence the term Electra complex and Oedipud complex. The Swiss psyhiatrist Carl Young also relied on Greek mythology to justify his belief in the inborn recurring ideas present in all men which he called archetypes. Jung believed that these archetypes were psychic structures common to all men, and because of these structures the mythological themes came to be. Accordingly, not only did the Greek deities represent powerful immortal beings but also universal and psychic forces inherent to the human nature. It is this subjective aspect of the Greek divinities that will be on focus when studying the relationship between the Muses' attributes and the innate potential of every child to achieve self-realization and success.As above-mentioned, the muses are present in all of us in their archetypal aspect. Although their "offices" are intertwined, one or more of them can make their influence more noticeable than the others, which explains for the distinct aspirations and natural talents from one individual to another. Being divinities, they only bestow their gifts upon those who seek to develop their understanding of themselves and/or of the world. It is therefore of utmost importance that the child is raised in an environment conducive to the development of his/her higher possibilities.
Calliope - "She of the beautiful voice", the head of the muses associated with the full moon. Muse of epic ( heroic ) poetry and literature, particularly of eloquence in writing and speech. Calliope is always seen with a writing tablet in her hand. At times, she is depicted as carrying a roll of paper or a wax tablet or a book or as wearing a gold crown. Communication and leadership are her attributes and gifts to mankind.
Preparing children for leadership begins at home where children receive the motivation to participate in a wide variety of home and community activities. They should be encouraged to get involved in the selection, planning, execution, and evaluation of family activities; ranging from a day at the zoo to a vacation overseas. Youngsters should also be encouraged to plan, initiate, and complete a variety of self-evaluated individual projects. Discussion about current events and other topics foster independent thinking and nurture leadership potential. Parents who listen openly and thoughtfully without expecting children to embrace their social, political, and economic views are demonstrating leadership characteristics. Mutual respect, objectivity, empathy, and understanding are highly valued by gifted young people, particularly those who need a safe place to test their ideas. Opportunities for decision making at an early age will help to foster the critical reasoning skills necessary to be an effective leader. Inappropriate decisions by children and youth may enhance future decision-making skills when self-evaluated.
You may eventually notice that your child is a natural leader. The child needs to be a good subordinate by understanding the responsibilities and importance of the position before becoming a good leader, who must strive for unity and harmony between the two parts. In essence they are only one because they are interdependent and therefore meaningless without the other. Remember, the muses are nine in number but one in essence. Ignorance of this reality exposes the misguided child to the snares of arrogance and despotism, the very opposite of what this muse inspires on those who are receptive to her influence.
From the very start, infants pay close attention to language. In their first months babies will respond to speech by looking at the speaker, respond differently to the voice of a parent than to other voices, react to changes in a speaker's tone, pitch and volume, communicate with boodily movements and attempts to imitate sounds. Taking the child's age as a reference, the speech development progresses, in general terms, as follows: sixth moth - double syllable sounds such as 'mumum' and 'dada'. 9 to 10 months - babbles tunefully. 1 year - babbles 2 or 3 words repeatedly. 18 months - use of many intelligible words. 2 years - joins 2 - 3 words in sentences. 3 years - constantly asks questions and speaks in sentences. 4 years - questioning at its height. many infantile substitutions in speech. 5 years - fluent speech with few infantile substitutions. 6 years - fluent speech.
If you see your child displaying a liking for writing, that could be an indication of a natural talent for this art. Most of us take for granted the power of the written language, this wondrous tool that allows us on different levels of aptitude to materialize on paper the grandiosity of the abstract concept and almost-living entity called human thought. Literature exerts a compelling force on our surroundings and on other people; therefore the talented child can turn out to be either a weapon of destruction or an asset to society depending on its natural inclinations and his/her upbringing. A broad education, exposure to all aspects of life and the habit of meditation will add to the child's inner treasure and help him/her get the most out of his/her literary talent.
Euterpe - "Giver of much delight", muse of lyric poetry and music whose attribute was the double-flute. She is not only the muse of music but is also the representation of sound in its mystic and creative aspect of shaping the 'spiritual matter' that originated the physical universe. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
Scientific evidence shows that babies are receptive and respond to music and different sounds inside the mother's womb. Newborn quickly learn to recognize their mother's voice. Toddlers love to bang on pots and pans, searching for that certain beat that they play over and over again - their way of expressing their emotions. Euterpe's office is of crucial importance to those of her sisters as extensive research has shown that exposing children to music stimulates their overall intelligence and emotional development. In addition to improving creativity, learning music cultivates many skills that will continue to be useful to your children throughout their lives. These are some of the skills that taking music lessons and listening to music help develop in children: self-confidence - the act of learning and playing an instrument, the encouragement of a teacher and the enthusiasm of a proud parent, will build in a child a sense of pride and confidence. Besides, children who practice self-expression and creativity often become better communicators later in life. Patience and perseverance - in order to learn a musical instrument, children must develop patience and perseverance, which will help them later in life when they must tackle other more difficult challenges. Concentration - learning a musical instrument will help the child develop concentration, as they must focus on a particular activity over extended periods of time. Developing concentration in this way also will help them when they must focus their attention on other subjects at school. Relaxation - music therapy is being increasingly used to complement more traditional forms of medicine. Researchers acknowledge that certain types of music can aid relaxation by lowering heart rates and blood pressure. Researchers also have found a significant relationship between music instruction and positive performances in such areas as: listening skills, reading comprehension, oratory and spelling ( Calliope ), mathematics, primary mental abilities (verbal, perceptual, numeric) - Polyhymnia , spatial and motor skill ( Terpsichore ) and their natural sense of joy ( Thalia ). Just put on a CD and see for yourself what's been known for ages: kids love to perform and enjoy themselves. As human beings, music is an inherent part of who we are, and exposure during a child's first years can have meaningful effects on their general well-being that last well into their adulthood. With the rise of the Internet and the proliferation of high-tech jobs that require computer skills, there seems to be less interest in music and arts education. Fortunately, while all this is happening, several studies by experts in the field are demonstrating that studying the arts — particularly music — can actually help develop skills necessary when learning about computers.
Thalia - "The festive" the muse of idyllic ( bucolic ) poetry, she rules comedy and awakens the spirit of playfulness, humour and celebration. She is often depicted carrying or an ivy wreath or a shepherd's staff.
Before a child develops a sense of humour, smiling appears in the sleep of one-week old infants, which results from some spontaneous activity in the central nervous system. The first wakeful smile occurs within two weeks. By the end of the first month a fully awake smile occurs in response to the caretaker's voice and touch. A genuine sense of humour begins to develop in the second year when the child can engage in fantasy or make-belief behaviour. The preschool child's verbal humour reflects attempts to create humour from reality. They share their understanding and control of words and their double meaning. Riddle becomes very popular and by the tenth year they may take on an aggressive or "sick" humour as the child tries to make them more complex and fit their enhanced cognitive growth. Around the time of puberty, humour becomes aggressive and sexual. The inner Thalia helps the child or adolescent to be in control of anxiety in the face of unfortunate events by making fun of those involved. By adolescence. an increased capacity toward more elaborate intellectual humour should be evident. Parents need to accept that some humour shown by children may be "objectionable." These sick or aggressive jokes reflect the developmental concerns of children . The humour will change as the child grows and becomes more sociably responsible.
Play is so important to optimal child development that the United Nations has recognized it to be every child's right. Through play Thalia allows children to use creativity while developing their dexterity, imagination, physical, cognition and emotional strength. It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them. It allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fear while practising adult roles. As they master their world, play helps children develop new competencies that lead to enhanced confidence and the resistance they will need to face future challenges. Play is integral to the academic environment as it ensures that the school setting attends to the emotional and social development of children. It has been shown to help children adjust to the school setting and even to enhance children's learning readiness and problem solving skills.
No comments:
Post a Comment