Dr. Thomas Maples

Beauty is a Soul’s Calling

As a young man, I went to Florence Italy, and was astounded by the Statue of David. It’s magnificance jutted out of the marble at a young man who by far had never seen perfection to that point. But to believe the artist extraordinaire Michelangelo carved this masterpiece from one block of marble, sent my inquisitive mind soaring into flights of fancy, determined to make sense of how such beauty could be created by one person, let alone from a piece of rock.

As I delved deeper into the subject, for history is a beautiful concept to learn, I saw for the first time a well known but most likely misattributed quote to the artist.

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.

Michelangelo

While I will not go into pandora’s box here to determine if Michelangelo actually said this or not, for the masterpiece itself shows the lived action of carving an ange from nothingness, I will explore its premise as a whisper from God to the soul of the artist.

Muses of the Soul

History is abound with the idea of a muse. It is these Siren’s that call upon us to create, from the depth of the soul, and this creative capacity can take the form of light, shadow, beauty, or horror dependent on the inner workings to be channeled. In a prior article, we explored the concept of beauty, as written from the plagued of hell created in aristocrat Dante’s mind, who himself was from Florence. From the choice encounter with Beatrice, his muse, we learn that

Beauty awakens the soul to act.

― Dante Alighieri

However, what context does the soul serve in action to beauty percieved?

Whe faced with the muse, we are called by something higher than what is present in the moment. It is an invitation, possibly for growth, possible for a little bit of a helacious path, but most likely both. The light is there, but as with any light, we have to move through the shadow it casts. I believe God is present in that journey, but it is up to us to see that grandeur most likely hidden in the germination of something the size. of a mustard seed. The question is, when we get there, and are touched by our muse, will we choose to traverse the inner garden to realize the beauty of God’s whisper to the calling of the soul.

May beauty and blessings find you on your journey to advance confidently in the directions of your dreams.

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