Abi's Lent: Day 40

Well, I have been blessed by accepting Scot's 40 Days Living the Jesus Creed for Lent Challenge. And just yesterday I received my copy of Scot's new book, 40 Days Living The Jesus Creed. I look forward to another six weeks of daily devotions ... and I'm sure they will find there way into this blog from time to time.

Yesterday I spent a number of hours collecting my thoughts about perichoresis -- which I have promised to do for quite some time. It's not quite ready to publish at this very moment, but it will be -- soon. I promise!

In the meantime I want to leave you with this. Have you ever seen the Irish Dancing shows called "Riverdance" or "Lord of the Dance" or "Feet of Flames"? Without going into how appropriate all the dance moves or songs might be for younger audiences, there is something about watching these amazing dancers that makes you want to get out of your chair and dance along. The music; the chanting; the rhythm of the instruments as well as the stomping and tapping; the quiet, light-as-a-feather dancing of the female principals; the thunderous unison of scores of men's tap shoes; the amazing speed and timing of their synchronized movements....

When "Riverdance" was first thought of, nobody believed that great crowds of people would be interested in watching Irish Dancing -- but the shows sold out night after night, in city after city, around the world. There must be something about this that speaks to our hearts.

Researchers have wondered about the "purpose" for music to have evolved and have come up empty-handed. There appears to be no reason for it. But I think they have forgotten the resonance-factor, as I call it. Everything vibrates at a specific frequency, and those frequencies that cause resonance in those near to it will amplify the vibrations. Sing it with me and the Beach Boys: good, good, good, good vibrations.... And when one is around a vibration source for a while, a phenomenon called entrainment happens. They begin to synchronize with each other.

Disclosure alert! The Abbess is no scientist ... but that does not mean she is without intuition or understanding of some of the things on the edge (being, after all, an edge dweller ;^) of sorts).

So, before I get into too swampy of territory, I'll leave you to ponder these, well, vibrational frequencies about music and rhythm and dancing and singing. And the power they have to move us in profound ways.

And if you have a tape or DVD of any of the referenced Irish Dancing ... you just might want to watch them again in preparation for processing The Divine Dance with The Virtual Abbess. :^)

Dancing with the 3-in-1.