I’ve been touched by the messages of well wishes received via this site, social media, and emails regarding my recent bout of anomalous health. Empirical tests continue to indicate ‘normal’ readings, which is reassuring. Advisedly, one should always begin on the premise of the worse-case scenario and, then, works towards more innocuous causes. I suspect that whatever is taking place inside me results from a confluence of factors. These need to be identified and dealt with both independently and in relation to each other. Meanwhile, I continue to pace myself. Work is its own therapy and rest, its counterpoise.
10.30 am: The ‘moon’ verse extraction had reached Isaiah. It’s a slow, laborious, and repetitive process. Never back away from a difficult or discomforting task. Often, the nature of great ambition requires the artist to not only exceed their own limits but also those of their peers and predecessors. Therefore, venture where others never had the sufficient courage, vision, and determination to go. There, you may touch what’s never before been handled, think what’s never before been thought, and accomplish what was considered to be impossible.
In order to break with the routine, I reviewed the ‘Blind’ tracks that were in progress. I’m fully persuaded by them. The Moon composition is likely to be called ‘The Lesser Light’ (to which the satellite is referred in Genesis, Chapter 1, verse 16), and the composition that references the nuclear tests, which took place in July 1964, is likely to be called ‘Wisdom is Better than Weapons of War’ (Eccles. 9.18).
After lunch, I was in the minor prophets. These are small books and, as such, difficult to navigate when searching for a particular chapter and verse therein. I continued to review material in progress when I needed to punctuate my activities.
4.30 pm: Into the New Testament and the homeward stretch. Many ‘moons’ in the Book of Revelation, as one might anticipate.
While cooking dinner with one of my sons, we talked about the death of my parents and the process of grieving. I recall taking two distinct journeys in this respect. Grieving commences once you become aware that a loved one is dying. Mam died over a period of several months. This allowed my father and I to slowly come to terms (as much as one does) with the prospect of inevitable loss. Dad died suddenly and unexpectedly. As such, all my grieving took place after the event.
7.45 pm: Job done. I strung together the individual ‘Moon’ samples into a continuous string. This will form the fundamental compositional material.