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“To feel religiously is to speak with the tongues of poets…
Like the language of art, poetry, and friendship, the language of religion
is suggestive, not descriptive or definitive”
(Bernard Meland)

Carl Sandburg (1878–1967), the widely regarded American poet, author, Chicago journalist, and three-times Pulitzer Prize winner—twice for poetry, once defined poetry as ‘the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits’.

Intrigued, I began to search for its context. Now I didn’t discover where he actually placed the comment—in a poem, that is— but I did find where hundreds of others have quoted it. So I am prepared to accept it as a genuine Sandburg saying.

By-the-way, of poetry Sandburg also wrote nearly 40 other so-called ‘definitions’.
Some of those are:
Poetry is a phantom script telling how rainbows are made and why they go away.
Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.
Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what is seen during the moment.

It wasn’t until I read the comments of another poet, who also wrestled with his
‘hyacinths/biscuits’ definition, that I reckoned I began to appreciate some of the meanings attributed to it that made it attractive to many.

‘The putting together of unlike things to give us a new view of our world’.
(Joan Monahan) A ‘synthesis’ view of life.
oo0oo

As it happens one of my theological mentors, Bernard Meland (1899–1993), said of Sandburg’s poetry comment that it also defines life, “for life, too, is a synthesis of biscuits and hyacinths.” (Meland 1934:279)
(Meland changed the order…)

This is the intrduction to a thoughtful address by the

Rev Rex A E Hunt, MSc(Hons), GradDipCommMgt.
• Religious Naturalist • Social Ecologist • Progressive Liturgist
( further information can be found at www.rexaehuntprogressive.com

The full talk can found here.

A review by Cassie Thornley of the book “Into the Loneliness: The unholy alliance of Ernestine Hill and Daisy Bates” by Elenor Hogan

This book is the complex, well researched and forensic biography of two women who helped maintain and solidify two great 19thC myths, that of white tribe supremacy and power structures;  and the wonderful romance of wandering around distant places, especially if you are an unaccompanied woman.
Though very different in temperament both women had illegitimate sons who were raised by family members.   Ernestine befriended hers in his late teens, Daisy’s refused to attend her funeral – he had virtually never met her.  
Daisy had a vibrant personality and saw herself as a serious ‘scientific investigator’ despite lack of formal training.  She was initially employed by the WA Gov. to  document indigenous people and their culture.  Starting in a settlement outside Perth she travelled slowly north, back south then across east finally settling, by this time in her 60s, outside Ooldea and then Yalata in western S.A. Money had run out long ago, Daisy was bombarding the S.A. Premier with letters seeking  ‘proper recognition for her great life’s work of caring for the dying race of Aboriginal people’  and a pension.  She had become quite eccentric, still dressing in the formal attire of the late 19C including boater hat and an umbrella.
It was at this time that the young journalist Ernestine Hill showed up at her camp.Ernestine was in her late 20s.  She had left Melbourne for personal reasons but had a contract with a large publishing firm to write articles about life in the inland.  She had travelled widely in the north and interior alone, and was well regarded for her numerous magazine articles.  She was fascinated by Daisy’s personality and stories about being ‘Kabbarli‘ the benign caring ‘grandmother’ to the local indigenous people.
Daisy saw in Ernestine a wonderful opportunity to gain publicity for her ‘great work’ and leverage for a pension.  She told the credulous young woman exaggerated stories of the lifestyles of the ‘poor dying out natives’ mentioning cannibalism among other problems. 
Earnestine promptly wrote a series of articles without checking the veracity of Daisy’s stories.  They caused a great sensation.  Ignoring the dissenting voices of anthropologists and indigenous people Ernestine then persuaded Daisy to give her access to her notes and helped her write a book.‘The Passing of the Aborigines’ was published in 1935 to much acclaim and became a bestseller.  The book was quoted as late as the 1990s by Pauline Hanson to support her views, and helps underline the attitudes of the ‘black armband’ brigade until today. Earnestine’s own book about her travels ‘The Great Australian Loneliness’ was published in 1939-41.
This century Daisy’s story came full circle.  Indigenous researchers and anthropologists sorting through her disorganised notes found reference to country boundaries, lists of words, and stories recorded from old people early in the century. They are useful to help support land claims and add to reconstruction of language.
The author travels to the Yalata area hoping to learn if elderly people there had any memory Daisy’s life among them.  She manages to connect with an elder,  Russell, through whom she meets a number of elderly Anangu and Pitjantjatjara women. They had heard of Daisy, acknowledging that their people had learnt from her while also teaching her their ways, they had ‘looked out for her’ in her isolated camp. But there were bad memories too, Daisy’s dislike of mixed race children was assumed to be the cause of so many of them being removed, and her lies about cannibalism were known.   Leaving the community Russell commented “Two great clouds hang over our people, Ms Daisy Bates, and Maralinga”.
Beyond the lives of these two women the author takes us through the intricacies of her research, with comments on current lifestyles and the many interesting people she meets.
A wonderful read!

A comment by the Rev Geoff Usher on two readings with which he introduced a talk. The first reading is from the book by Freeman Dyson , “Infinite in All Directions”.(Harper & Row, NY, 1988)

Since 1953, Freeman Dyson has been a professor of Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. At one point in his book. he quotes Steven Weinberg, the author of THE FIRST 3 MINUTES, in which he gives an account of the origins of the universe. Weinberg states:
“The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.”

The reply that Dyson gives to this, and the Rev Geoff Usher’s final thoughts from his talk can be read here.

An address by the Rev. Rex A E Hunt

Most religious traditions, past and present, have a story, or a collection of stories they tell regarding the nature of the universe, the evolution of the Earth and of life, and the destiny of humans in this context.
In this Address I very briefly introduce three ‘creation’ stories from various traditions: A Maori Creation myth, Aboriginal Dreamtime stories, and the Hebrew Creation myth. All have attempted to say something about the origin and evolution of the universe as a whole as they wrestled with the question: ‘Why is there something rather than nothing?’
Then suggest the modern story of ‘beginnings’ sparks a sense of wonder with time tracing back almost 14 billion-years, and distances beyond what we can imagine.

The complete adress can be found here

When some initial planning was being done for suggested speakers and themes for Spirit of Life, my name came up as one who could be considered to speak on Easter.
I accepted the invitation. Thank you for the trust shown to me.
But my initial thinking was to offer something just a bit different in structure. Instead of an Address based on challenging doctrines and creeds with theological argument,
I have chosen to present six short ‘thought cameos’ but still with much help from scholarly friends around the world.
I am sure the more literalist and conservative professionals ‘out there’ will consider the cameos inadequate, perhaps even heretical. Likewise, such an attempt as this in a so-called ‘secular’ society is fraught with danger.
Or worse, irrelevance!
Never-the-less I offer them with the not so cheeky invitation that you may just wish to ponder them some more, sometime.

To read this address by the Rev. Rex A.E. Hunt on the Easter theme, please click here.