'Sing, Goddess,' of Muse Invocations

Abraxas, a figure in Basilides' Gnostic teachings and used by Jung; the imagery here, and as perceived by Jung, was a sort of Balance or uniting of opposites, to my understanding: snakes touch the earth and the rooster crows for the heavens but there's a lot to unpack (Credit: VoodooCarving).

During a chat with a pal recently, the subject of the muses came up and I made a remark on the difference between little-m muse and big-M Muse. I always figured most people knew of the difference, but I guess it might just be an English major thing—see? We do learn some unique jargon, it's just less applicable to a career and more to bar trivia night or watching Jeopardy.

The two most common Muse Invocations today would likely be Homer's calling on Calliope in The Iliad ('Sing, goddess, of the wrath of Peleus' son...') or Shakespeare's Henry V ('O, for a muse of fire that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention...'). In Greek myths, the Muses were the repository and inspiration for creative human endeavors—pretty much the exact same as we use the term today, but in reference to a specific class of mythical characters as opposed to pulling a Petrarch and practically stalking a woman from church her whole life (Sappho > Petrarch).

One odd tidbit I find intriguing about the two above-listed invocations as well: both tend toward invoking fire, anger, or flames: off the top of my head, I can't recall having come across Muse invocations that draw on the other classical alchemical elements. Either way, hey, fun little tidbit.

A Calliope is also, today, an instrument I am not a big fan of—Elton John's original Skyline Pigeon and Warren Zevon's Tule's Blues were recorded on a calliope, I believe—and the piano version of both is far superior.

In the interest of never failing to take a shitty, purple-prosed, allusion-loaded potshot, I gave one a try, too:

Ascend, O Muse of cleansing and consumptive fire, Allow me to travel on lost, forgotten zephyrs To ride on beams of Light Nourish me on toxic water and I may sublimate Distilled poison into potent panacea, Dream me up a dragon and I’ll retrieve Bard’s black arrow, Listen to the wind-grieved ghosts Feel the kiss of renewed, purifying waters of knowledge And glimpse the course of this river; Allow me to stand as arbiter-sage, betwixt Ape and Angel Summon the stars from their lofty cradles, Join my song with the music of the spheres Into soothing hymns and lullabies Let me call upon the ancient, forgotten Yet still-felt bonds Tethering nature to humanity Errant and wayward as we have become Guide me in untangling and uniting opposites, great Abraxas Gleam from on high, wise Sophia, guide me to the Ocean of Light Waiting at the end of this River of Darkness Grant me your redemptive spark, for Regardless the nature of beast or man, Fate

Balances feather with heart and dispenses Judgment with a steady hand