The Secular Sacred: The Primordial Hum of the Earth (The Secret Ingredient – 01/10/14)

The Secret Ingredient

Shawn Van Sluys discusses the non-supernatural sacred in relation to artistic practices. He identifies the sacred as the source of new meanings, a genitive creativity ultimately rooted in the great and deep vibrations of the earth, which Shawn calls the “first metaphor.” Hear about Ursa Major, Robert Bringhurst's polyphonic mask for singers and dancers centered on the sacredness of the bear in many civilizations. Consider how art can help us reckon with the three flaws of humanity: mortality, groundlessness, and insatiability. Reflect with us on green spaces as the darkness between the stars of a constellation, setting ourselves in relation as retrieving ourselves, and the way we warm knowledge in our bodies. Bringhurst, Robert. Ursa Major. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2009. Certeau, Michel de. “Walking the City.” The Practice of Everyday Life. 3rd Revised Edition ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011. (April 30, 2014) Joudry, Shalan. Generations Re-Emerging. Kentville, Gaspereau Press, 2014. Reines, Ariana. Mercury. New York: Fence Books, 2011.