Skip to main content

The Elements of Harmony


My 7-year-old grandson asked me if I knew The Seven Elements of Harmony.   (Capitalizations are mine.)  I was taken aback - extremely impressed with the deep and reflective nature of his question.  Imagine a 7-year-old contemplating the nature and aspect of harmony.  As a matter of fact, just think about how striking it is that a 7-year-old would even use the words “element” and “harmony.”

So I thought a bit and starting talking about Compassion.   Respect.  (Capitalizations are mine.)  I commented that when we have compassion and respect for one another that there is less occasion for disagreements and strife, thus nurturing a lifestyle of harmony.  (I resisted using the word “harmonious,” given his age.  I can’t remember if I actually used the words “strife” and “nurturing.”)

 “What do you think?” I asked him.  I was most curious to see what he might perceive.

“You don’t get it,” he said.

“I don’t get it?”  I replied. 

“No,” he asserted. 

“So help me with it,” I prompted.  

He explained that in My Little Pony, there were The Seven Elements of Harmony, which were magical things – all about harmony.  Honesty.   Kindness.  Laughter.  Generosity.  Loyalty.   Magic.  There were associated ponies and powerful objects involved.   I did not notice at the time that this only adds up to SIX elements.  I was too flummoxed to try to quantify things.     

For those of you who are not immersed in the world of children, the My Little Pony franchise includes toy ponies of many colors, fabulous manes and tails, magical powers, a television series, and a movie released in 2017, for starters.

I did some online research, and a website informed me that within the My Little Pony realm, The Seven Elements of Harmony are “supernatural artifacts representing subjective aspects of harmony.”  Most websites listed SIX.  https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Elements_of_Harmony   I had to do a bit more work to find out that the seventh element of harmony is empathy, although there seems to be some serious online debate on the topic. Because I really liked thinking that “Empathy” would be considered one of the Elements of Harmony, I cast my vote firmly in that camp.

Despite our detour into the world of My Little Pony, we find ourselves back considering the Elements of Harmony:  Honesty.  Kindness.  Laughter.  Generosity.   Loyalty.   Magic.   Empathy.

Not too bad, after all.  

William Wordsworth said:

“With an eye made quiet by the power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things.”

What do you think?   

Please leave a comment, share, and follow my blog to get notifications of new posts.   To follow this blog, click on the three lines in the upper right of the home screen, or click here.  

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel at:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPprpYcXm4FzX2o2dQ6smMQ

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

I am pleased that you are commenting and sharing your perspectives. Your comment will be reviewed by the moderator and then released for the public. Namaste. Debbie

Popular posts from this blog

How to Put Together a Yoga Sequence

  Whether you are a home yoga practitioner or a yoga teacher, you are likely to find ways to put together the yoga asana into a flow or a sequence that begins with centering and grounding, builds in intensity or challenge (or progresses in some way) before slowing down at the end.   As a home practitioner, that was never a problem for me, because I simply put together movements that felt good to me at the moment.   Sometimes I'd forget what I did on one side by the time I got to the other side, but what did that matter?   I was moving (or being still) with my breath, and that was my practice.   That is yoga. In 2019, I completed the 200-hour yoga teacher training, and began teaching.  There began my challenge.   Now I was not only putting together a sequence of movements to share with and teach to others, I was expected to offer some kind of intelligent design.   Foundational poses should build up to more challenging ...
2 comments
Read more

Equanimity

This article really is about equanimity.   As you start reading it, it doesn't seem as if that's the case at all.  But it is.  If you're impatient, this is not the article for you.  Reading this little article requires a certain amount of equanimity.   The inspiration for this article is trivial.    I have a small sewing box.  On the top shelf are rods into which the spools of thread rest.   And in the drawer underneath I keep needles, straight pins, safety pins, snaps, elastic, thimbles, and various other sewing-related necessities.   Please realize:   I am not one who sews.    Oh, I'll sew on a button now and then.   Or if my grandchildren's stuffed animals start losing stuffing, I can do emergency repairs.   But I don't sew.   My mother and grandmother both sewed, and my mother gave me the little sewing box as a gift decades ago.   Despite my disappointmen...
2 comments
Read more

Moving with Grace

  If I allow myself to move with grace, does that mean that I slow myself down?   Do I sacrifice strength?  If I feel filled with ease does it mean that I am not being effective?   Or efficient? The dictionary states that grace is "simple elegance or refinement of movement."   But what if I feel clumsy?  What if I AM clumsy? I think that the secret to moving with grace has a great deal to do with our sense of ease.  Of course, dancers and athletes express grace in movement because they've practiced to build strength, capacity, flexibility, and muscle memory.   What about the rest of us? When we move with ease we can begin to tap into grace.  We can start small.  Grace resides within each of us. Sit comfortably and softly close your eyes.   Notice your breathing - the inhale, the exhale.   Notice the gentle rise and fall of the belly - the lift and release of the chest.  As thoughts arise, noti...
Post a Comment
Read more