AMOR OMNIA VINCIT? ARS OMNIA VINCIT!

Orpheus was a gifted musician and singer (I believe he was a Justin Bieber of his times;)). As Apollo’s apprentice he played lyre and sang beautifully – louder and better than the infamous Sirens, what he proved during Argonauts’ Quest. He also loved his wife-to-be the nymph Eurydice like mad… Unfortunately at their wedding something very bad happened: the bride was chased by a brute rapist satyr, in her attempt to escape she fell into a nest of vipers, got bitten and died. After death – like all ancient Greeks – she disappeared in this mythical underworld abyss, kingdom of black god, Hades.

And her loving husband went after her! And he performed the deed that occured never before! 

The minstrel charmed with his supreme musical art not only fearsome hellhound Cerberus, but also King Hades and Queen Persephone – so touched they were that they allowed Orpheus to take Eurydice back to life. (Yes, we can call this resurrection...) Although there was one simple condition – he  had to walk first and play and sing but couldn’t look back... He had to believe that his sweetheart was following him as in the land of dead she was mute and rather not very lively... So he went first and played and sang, she was behind him. Through the black kingdom they went… across the river they went… over the forest they went… yet at the moment they reached the border between under- and upperworld Orpheus looked back.

And that was the moment Eurydice was taken from him for the second time and forever! Oh, so disconsolate and somber he became!

 The myth doesn’t explain why this poor lyre-player fell behind. He just looked, risked, failed. What for? We may try to interpret that by ourselves. To me one of the best artistic translation of the story is a painting by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. To me this picture clearly shows that death is always problem of the alive – these who suffer because their beloved died. To me Eurydice here doesn’t show great willingness to re-live, she looks rather passive. Orpheus is strong and active for both of them, tightly holding his wife’s wrist, maybe afraid of losing her again. Yet it didn’t work, he lost her again... Too impatient? Too self-confident? Or on the contrary too insecure?

Whatever the reason, in my opinion this story tells us that love doesn’t prevail all. We have to accept death and even the greatest affection cannot change that. However art can. Orpheus lost as a lover but won as an artist. Until today he’s widely recognized as a powerful archetype of divine, cosmic artistry, stronger than time.

Did antique people believe in Resurrection like we catholic believe? I doubt that. In their world it was more like general reincarnation, circle of life, spring – summer – autumn – winter – and spring again attitude. For them Easter was a festival of fertility and the rebirth of vegetation. More to do with Persephone than Eurydice... Honestly, if I was given a choice between resurrection and reincarnation, I wouldn’t know what to choose...

ABOUT EVE ON CHRISTMAS EVE…

The word ‘eve’ in English indicates two things alike: the name of first woman in the world and the vigil of some important day. In Poland both these meanings meet on 24^th December, as it’s Christmas Eve rich in traditions (f. ex. non-meat dinner consisting of 12 dishes and ‘shepherds’ mass service at midnight), among them also ‘name day’ of all people’s parents, Adam and Eve.

This custom of celebrating ‘name day’ as particular saint patron’s feast day comes from Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox calendars of saints. ‘Saint’ is the key word here but Adam with Eve aren’t saints! Hardly could they be, considering their disobedience to God’s injunction... He forbade them to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil but our furthest ancestors broke the Creator’s command and as a result were expelled from the paradisiac Garden of Eden...

There were other consequences of ‘the first fall’ too: Adam, Eve and all their descendants became mortal, born in original sin, in need of baptism to erase it, guilty of actual trespasses, hardworking to stay alive. Moreover the entire natural world was corrupted as animals divided into prey or predators with all the effects of pain and death... What a crude punisment for eating one small apple!

When I heard this story as a child I felt fury: how could the first human couple be so careless and reckless? Then I read for numerous times it was only Eve’s guilt and that’s why all women should be duteous and obedient to men – as it has been (and still is) in patriarchal societies. That made me even more furious, cause in my opinion if Adam hadn’t wanted the prohibited fruit, he wouldn’t have taken it and males shifting whole responsibility to females on that basis are simply immature. Until now this narration from Book of Genesis constantly gives me food for thoughts.

Today I agree more with psychological explanation: paradise is our childhood, blissful and serene under parental supervision, while expulsion from this heavenly garden begins with small naughtinesses against them. In teenage years it continues with bigger insubordinations and – I believe – finishes with first sexual intercourse (forbidden fruit!) as a symbol of total disconnection from ones’ mother and father cause it means possibility of conceiving a new human being. In ideal world it should be an act of the biggest maturity...

In this context ‘first sin’ understood as becoming independent and fully grown is just the evidence of adolescence and should be perceived as a positive phenomenom! Without rebellion against authorities there’s no psychical progress! According to psychology each natural crisis in human life is the occasion to development. Life is a series of lessons and challenges which help us to grow (Erikson); In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity (Einstein).

So... let’s not blame Eva or Adam for evil’s existence in universe especially on their name day... I personally choose to accept my human nature with tendency to making mistakes but also ability to improve. I believe we are all light’n’shadow, black’n’white, angel’n’serpent...

DOES EASTER BUNNY LAY CHOCOLATE EGGS?

In the mythical years of my childhood I didn’t know ‘Easter rabbit’ tradition. We had doughnuts on Fat Thursday, three lenten meals on Ash Wednesday, dried flowers bouquets on Palm Sunday and – the most important of all – Easter Lamb with colourful eggs and plenty of different food products in a basket for blessing on Holy Saturday.

In these magical times I had no idea that there are other countries; not to indicate other customs. Like flying home-made kites in Bermuda, reading detective stories in Norway, ornamenting trees with Easter eggs (specially red and green) in Germany. Or decorating wells with spring flowers in Switzerland, growing wheat in pots on windowsills in the USA and Easter egg hunt in the UK. As for this last convention, I was shocked to find out that children of the British Isles often think eggs come from rabbits, not hens – ‘cause that’s Easter bunny hiding tasty eggs for them in March or April every year!

Worth mentioning fact about Australia: fertile bunnies brought from Europe have rather ‘black PR’ down under so that’s not them who provide children with new-life-eggs but the Easter Bilby (an endangered species of Australia).

On the whole I recognize cultural diversity as a great value in our globalized world; yet it was very nice to read that in ‘brother-like’ Hungary they throw water on each other – exactly as our ‘shower pour’ on Holy Monday. Even if I personally hate this idea and hide myself at home on this very day!