"Dali Greets the World"

Tue Apr 10 03:11:06 EDT 2001

Can I respond as both a minister and a lepster?  The following is from a
Christian perspective and it is in no way meant to offend, challenge or put
down any of the many beliefs (and non beliefs) held my many of you who are
not and do not want to be - Christians.

It has always been very curious to me how Christians so often have and
continue to use the allegory below - while God in His book (the Bible)
makes no such connection. While the allegory surely esteems the adult
butterfly as a thing of awe, mystery and freedom, it surely despises,
belittles and almost vilifies the larvae (and ignores the moth).

It also demeans the human body including sexuality. For centuries the
"church" framed sexuality only as a means of reproduction and not intimate
pleasure.  I still find older married couples who feel guilty for enjoying
each others bodies and almost "sinful" in varying positions etc.  One such
dear couple asked, "Are we wrong to still engage now that we can no longer
have children?" Many Protestant and Catholic factions have at times so
demeaned all of human function and pleasure (eating, drinking, smiling,
jewelry, lovemaking, everything) that we were in this life esteemed as only
"worms".

While at first the allegory may look like a good thing, in actuality it is
not. If an allegory praised one human ethnic group at the expense of
demeaning another would any of us think of that as virtuous? If God does
not have this view why should Christians (or any who revere the Old
Testament in particular)? There is no doubt in my mind that God sees all
the "creeping things" as beautiful and wondrously made. Perhaps, if people
saw all these creatures, in all stages, as their creator does people would
not be so apt to destroy them and the habitats in which we all live without
regard. Nor would we destroy each other so easily either.

No, God does not see the worm nor the man as a necessary evil state one has
to endure on the way to perfection. The great expectation of the Christian
faith is to be "Born again" - not in some next life - but this!

And why would anyone see the cocoon as the death of the grave?  Why not the
bed of a protected child at home in its mothers arms. When I was little my
preacher dad and mom taught me that God loved me and protected me when I
slept. " He gave is angles charge over me."  I would pray each night, "Now
I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to KEEP."  The cocoon to
God is not a lifeless grave - but a hallowed, warm place of safety at the
most venerable stages of our lives. When we can not do for ourselves - God
has made provision. We are safe in our cocoon.  As the old Beach Boys song
about "In my room."

While man rejoices in only one stage, the adult butterfly morph, and
despises the others, God sees the unique beauty and mystery in each step of
the creatures (and our)  journey. The resurrection of those who die is a
big deal in the Bible. If the metamorphosis of the creature was such a good
parallel God is smart enough to have used it - often. But He does not at
all. Perhaps if we could all see the "worm" as God does  - which is to see
its uniqueness and value - there might be hope that one day we would see
each other this way too. Equally unique.

RG
PS  Fear, birthed from a lack of knowledge, is the dominate negative factor
that produces both the creeping-thing and certain-people aversions,
prejudices, and hate. I agree with Wahlberg - not mystics. I agree with
God - not the saints of the dark ages. And why is it that only atheists
remember the inquisitions conducted by the "saints", while their
descendants only remember their poetry? I better quit or I'll get preachy.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Niklas Wahlberg" <Niklas.Wahlberg at zoologi.su.se>
To: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2001 1:41 AM
Subject: Re: "Dali Greets the World"

> At 02:34 2001.04.10 +0000, Emily R Echols wrote:
 >I found this quote in a book compiled and edited by Joseph Head and S.L.
 >Cranston:
 >                 [The following estract from an article "Dali Greets the
 >                 World" by Ben Martin appeared in teh N.Y. Herald
Tribune's
 >                 magazine Today's Living for January 24, 1960, being a
>                 report of an interview with this famous artist:]
 >
 >         [Dali stated]:  "If you will study the entire series of cards
[he
 >had painted] you will find one theme runs through most almost all--the
 >butterfly.  The butterfly is not present only because it is in iteself a
 >thing of beauty.  It is present because to one of the greatest Spanish
 >mystics, St. Theresa of Avila, the butterfly was the symbol of the soul.
 >The ugly, ungainly caterpillar, our body, enters a form of the grave, the
 >cocoon.  Out of this death emerges the butterfly--beautiful, free, no
 >longer earthbound.  To me, as to St. Theresa, the butterfly is the soul
of
 >man."

 I wonder what caterpillar Dali was thinking of? I find all butterfly and
 moth larvae quite beautiful!

 Cheers,
 Niklas

> Niklas Wahlberg
> Department of Zoology
> Stockholm University
> S-106 91 Stockholm
> SWEDEN
>
> Phone: +46 8 164047
> Fax:   +46 8 167715

>
>    For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:
>
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>
>

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