Nursery Rhymes and Such

We repeat nursery rhymes without really listening to the words. We’re not paying attention to what the words mean at all:

London Bridge is falling down…

Down will come Baby, cradle and all.

I sang Rock-a-bye, Baby to my daughter, a song about a baby falling, and we smiled happily — especially at the ending!

This makes me think of our unawareness that God in Heavenletters™ speaks of. In contrast, of course, the unawareness God speaks of concerns the wonderfulness of life that we aren’t seeing.

Ashes, ashes, all fall down.

This nursery rhyme came about from the burning of bodies during the plague in England!

Nevertheless, nursery rhymes have continued for centuries. I imagine every nation has its own nursery rhymes, and that the chants in all languages are equally as dire. (Do parents today chant nursery rhymes with their children? I don’t know.)

I remember reading so many years ago how the true fairy tales, as opposed to the Disney versions, are found in all cultures. The same fairy tale theme, Cinderella, for instance, can be found in every land, from China and the U.S. to Africa and Russia. The stories are unique to their own culture yet share themes in common.

I remember from my Waldorf School training days that Rudolph Steiner felt it essential that young children have the unabridged fairy tales read to them, that it is beneficial for the children to hear, for example, that the stepsisters in Cinderella had their eyes cut out as opposed to Cinderella’s forgiving and rewarding them.

Bruno Bettelheim who wrote The Uses of Enchantment felt the same way. Wikipedia says:

…He analyzed fairy tales in terms of Freudian psychology. The book was awarded the U.S. Critic’s Choice Prize for criticism in 1976 and the National Book Award in the category of Contemporary Thought in 1977. Bettelheim discussed the emotional and symbolic importance of fairy tales for children, including traditional tales at one time considered too dark, such as those collected and published by the Brothers Grimm.

I agree.

I didn’t know that I was going to write about this theme this morning. I started out writing these words:

Sometimes the contrast in life is so dramatic. Here I am so immersed in the beauty of Heavenletters™, and then something so contrary appears.

That’s how I began. Then, one thought leads to another, and the whole idea of unawareness and nursery rhymes and fairy tales started coming.

Now I will tell you about one of the not nice things about living in rural Iowa that prompted this entry:

Iowa is a big meat state. In rural Iowa where I live, it is not uncommon to see big trucks going by on their way to market. I can be Godwriting™, and one of these trucks will go by and I hear the squealing of the innocent pigs inside. They do not know where they are going, and they are not enjoying their ride there, while I am writing down God’s words describing such incredible beauty.

To market to market to buy a fat pig. Home again, home again jiggety-jig

Posted by Gloria on August 24th, 2008 under these topics
Book Review, Writing in General, Heaven Letters, Godwriting Journal

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5 Replies

Reply from Charles Fines on August 24, 2008

Can’t go there. When I see a stock hauler go by I cover it with a prayer of comfort and protection, then look the other way, even if it’s empty. This has come along with old age. When I was young I hunted and fished. Can’t do that any more. When my dogs catch a critter and bring it home for me to clean and cook for them, I can still do that.

I read some of the Grimm horror stories when I was a kid. I don’t think I got hold of the worst ones and certainly don’t feel deprived. The ones I remember were bad enough. Perhaps in a primitive culture there is a necessity to grow up desensitized to pain and suffering but I don’t think it is helpful in our present spiritual adventure.

On the other hand it seems like kids ought to be able to handle their goldfish going belly up without a lifelong trauma. Hopefully there is a middle ground for most somewhere between the sociopath and the eco-terrorists. I just don’t think kids reading about kids freezing to death or having their thumbs cut off is helping the situation. Our movies are even worse. I could be wrong.

Reply from Gloria on August 24, 2008

Beloved Charles, I certainly agree with you about the movies etc.

My understanding of the fairy tales is that reading the original sublimates us.

I keep hearing about the shadow side. It must be that the original fairy tales ease the shadow side within each one of us, and more sun comes in.

The original fairy tales have soul. There’s more to the fairy tales than meets the eye. That’s how it seems to me.

Charles, I am not trying to convince you of anything. I don’t think you missed anything either. You turned out great!

Reply from Jack van Raders on August 24, 2008

I never liked the fairy tales, to cruel! My parents were love and would sooner not eat and give to their children then leading them into the bush and then disappear.
I transported cattle when at sea. So what, people must eat and not everyone is a vegetarian. I thank them for feeding my brothers and sisters. I fished and hunted as well not anymore here we are not allowed guns anymore only the gangsters have them now. All is beautiful if looked upon it with love. Thank you Lone Jack

Reply from Marko on August 24, 2008

Ok, if anyone can convince me otherwise (no one has yet, but I’m open) we don’t need the old fairy tales at all.

We need to write new ones, that we create our own reality and in doing so ignorantly, not knowing we do, does not stop the creation process.

So when we realize and understand we do, we will by our own self serving opti-mysical ways create from our highest Imaginings! Why would we do any less? Because we don’t have the understanding yet.

Now here’s my 3 point plan about animals as food..

Level one. End the lives (not kill) of the animals in a compassionate way.

Level two, which is more advanced. Tell the animals what’s going to happen and why. So now they now what’s uP.

Level three which is really advanced. Give the animals a choice. To live or die for us as food.

This has been done at the Findhorn Foundations according to Penelope Smith when I did an animal communications workshop with her in the 90’s. She told me that when given a choice, (it was probably in the 1970’s) some animals said ok, others, I want more time, still others said no.

Anywho that’s my opinion. Blessings and Appreciation to all.

Reply from Theophil on August 25, 2008

… as to “not nice things” …

“Think now of life as unbroken. Think of it as a continuum of eternity. Think of it as a ride you are on, and enjoy the sights, whatever they may be. You ride past sights. You are the rider. You are not the sights. You are a beautiful pair of eyes that see many things. And you are prime. You are prime.”

[# 244 “The Prime of Life”]

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