WELCOME
INTRODUCTION
ARCHITECTURE
EVENTS
INTERNA
CONTACT
OUR QUESTIONS
LINKS
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The Story of the TEMPEL OF THE MUSES
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Preamble
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Main functions
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First project of the TEMPLE OF THE MUSES
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The Story of the TEMPEL OF THE MUSES
The Vision
In the second half
of the 1990s, I had a vision. I found myself in the midst of a
natural forest; I came upon a glade to which I felt powerfully drawn.
I paused, and then noticed that across the glade there were two slabs
of rock, about three and a half metres in height, positioned
together and overgrown with vines
and trees. I ran to them. As I neared the centre of the glade, I
noticed that there was a gap between the slabs of rock that one could
easily go through—which I did.
To my astonishment,
I found that when I passed between the slabs of rock, I entered an
enormous leafy canopy. The sun shining through the leaves cast
beautiful patterns of light and shadow. A feeling of contentment
flowed through me, as though something had reached fulfilment in that
instant, and I had finally found a place on Earth to come home to.
Only on second glance did
I realise that I was standing in a glass dome amid the forest…
Feeling more and
more relaxed, I crossed the circular floor of the domed hall and
found a stairway leading down. Only later did I realize from the
slope of the walls of the first lower level that I was in an
egg-shaped edifice; there ended my vision, which I have only been
able to sketch in broad outline here.
What happened next
During the next few
weeks it became clear to me that this vision had touched me far
deeper than most of my previous
dreams and fantasies. So the idea of the TEMPLE OF THE MUSES was not yet born, but at least begotten.
I then
told many people about what I had experienced. One of the first was
U. Braunagel, one of my improvisational piano students, who was
studying architecture. She was fascinated by the idea of an
egg-shaped building. At the same time, other acquaintances told me
that my tale of my vision had somehow touched them, or that they had
dreamt about it.
For years, my
eldest daughter Carla in particular dreamt
vividly of incidents in and about the TEMPLE OF THE MUSES, which strengthened my
gradual understanding of the vision as a mission. Moreover, her
dreams occurred in such clarity of detail that they later served as a
basis for the first architectural drafts.
“By chance” I
met my former student, who had since become a practising
architect, years later in a bookstore.
And I knew that this was a sign to actually commence work on the TEMPLE OF THE MUSES
project. Much more had to happen before I was truly committed to
taking on a project of this kind, and to pursue it openly and
courageously against all resistance, criticism and lack of
understanding.
The first steps
The first draft of
the project, which seemed to emerge fully formed, was looked over by
business consultant I. Reifenhäuser and then given to designer M.
Pelzer, who drew the layout and designed the TEMPLE OF THE MUSES logo. Soon this website, which contains
design concepts by M. Pelzer, was set up by programmer R. Veneziano.
Architects Nagel & Braunagel created the first transparency
representation
of the building. Meanwhile, translator J. Weston painstakingly
rendered the channelled message into English, meeting almost weekly
over the course of many month to reach the closest translation
possible.
The
German documents have so far been sent through two “announcement”
papers: first to the Cultural Office of the City of Leipzig, which
was then campaigning for the city’s bid to host the Summer Olympics
2012, and which signalled interest in sustainable cultural
centre concepts. The second application went to the campaign office
that was coordinating the City of Karlsruhe’s bid to become the
“European Capital of Culture” in 2010. Furthermore english papers were sent to different departments (f.e. SEAT) of the UN, the UNESCO and Greencross-International.
While watching the global processes we are convinced, that a global
network of TEMPLEs OF THE MUSES is a
seed in germination for a better tomorrow, and that whole-hearted
dedication to such projects is not only worthwhile, but may soon be
necessary. The TEMPLE OF THE MUSES project
will, in any case, always heartily welcome all who have open hearts.
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Preamble
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So far as this may be predetermined, the sole Purpose
of the TEMPLE OF THE MUSES (its location, its architecture, and the experiences that one can partake of there) is gentle, inner touch: to open people - regardless of age, class, gender, race and culture – at least for brief moments to the fact that humankind is one, that
all beings on earth (next to human beings, especially those of the animal kingdom) are
our siblings whom we believed through projections to have lost, and
that personal and global development can only receive the necessary
impetus
when the differentiation and separation of our "I" from
other "I" s can, at least now and again, be felt to be unnecessary.
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Main functions
First Main Function (see: Examples of Possible Events of the 1. Main Function)
Place and Space of Quietude
The temple offers every person, all day, a chance to retreat, to pray, meditate, and relax..., to do whatever may conduce to personal growth and development, provided that the stillness, the personal ´boundaries´ of others and the Purpose of the Temple of the Muses are respected.
In addition, many public gatherings of various religions should take place (diversity is essential!), as well as public non-confessional spiritual, therapeutic or philosophical events, so long as these serve what is higher,
finer, lighter, and what joins in freedom and love, and thus accord with the "Purpose of the Temple" (see: Preamblel).
Second Main Function
(see: Examples of Possible Events of the 2. Main Function)
Place to be "Touched by the Muses"
The TEMPLE OF THE MUSES is a performance and participation platform for art and culture that touch deep inside, and that are either created in the Temple or are newly adapted to its environment, intending, for instance, to make use of its lighting and acoustics or the general effect of the building itself, and integrate them into the performance / the work as immanent elements.
In addition to the larger, long-term planned performances
and works mentioned above, there would always
be room for artistic happenings, experiments, projects
and improvisations ... to spontaneously develop and
take place on "The Open Temple Stage". This opportunity
should be availed of frequently. However, as with
everything else that happens in the Temple, special
emphasis should be placed on what touches, what
springs from the spontaneous moment, playful joy
and attentive intensity.
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First project of the TEMPLE OF THE MUSES
The First TEMPLE OF THE MUSES Project
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There
are planned to be many TEMPLE OF THE MUSES around
the world. Each will belong to the TEMPLE OF THE MUSES Organisation
(s. MuTO), and each will have its own focus of cultural activity,
depending on its location.
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In
the short term, we plan to establish the “First TEMPLE OF THE MUSES”
in
close adherence to the vision and ensuing dreams. (→ The
Story of the TEMPLE OF THE MUSES)
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All
of the TEMPLEs OF
THE
MUSES will be
built in the form of a vast, upright, egg-shaped, domed edifice. The
larger, upper part of the “First TEMPLE OF THE MUSES”
will be
an overgrown glass dome, rising out of the Earth amid a forest. Its
lower and less capacious part will be below ground. (→
Architecture)
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The TEMPLE OF THE MUSES will
not primarily be a place to go to for entertainment and social
events or to watch artists show off their talents; instead, its
purpose will be to give artists and audiences the opportunity to
open themselves through appropriate events and to feel the power of
life. Because of its mission, the TEMPLE OF THE MUSES can not
be compared to a typical cultural centre, theatre, concert hall,
music hall, gallery or art museum. (→ The Preamble)
Similarly,
due to its guaranteed neutrality with respect to creeds, religions
and denominations, the TEMPLE OF THE MUSES can not
be compared to any place of worship such as a church, mosque,
synagogue or temple. Rather,
the TEMPLE OF THE MUSES is a
modern, cosmopolitan project in which many different
people―regardless
of age, gender, place of origin, social standing or creed―will
move about and feel good, day by day. This will be made possible by a
wide and colourful spectrum of events that will move people: cultural
events, spiritual-philosophical events, and, in the broadest sense,
events that will do people good. Similarly, during the rest of the
day the peace and aura of the Temple hall,
which shall always be open to the public, and its surrounding natural
park will contribute to the generally pleasant and inviting ambience
of the place. (→ Events; Architecture)
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The TEMPLE OF THE MUSES Organisation
With this Preamble and the two main functions we introduce plans for establishing and maintaining a physical TEMPLE OF THE MUSES building as well as for creating a TEMPLE OF THE MUSES Organisation:
- The TEMPLE OF THE MUSES Organisation (MuTO), with its turquoise and golden emblem, shall serve as a global umbrella organisation to encourage all of the TEMPLE
OF THE MUSES in their development and to facilitate communication among them.
- The TEMPLE OF THE MUSES Organisation shall be the guardian of the values held in common by all of the TEMPLEs OF THE MUSES:
- the Preamble (see: introduction)
- the two main functions (see: introduction)
- the egg-shaped glass dome (see: architecture)
- the decision-making and organisational structure of the TEMPLE
OF THE MUSES (see: interna)
- Across the world, each individual TEMPLE OF THE MUSES will have its own focus (according to its cultural setting and the preferences of those who run it) in addition to the two main functions common to all. Some possible examples are:
- A focus on "Relaxation and well-being / bodywork"
- A focus on "Relaxation and epicurean arts"
- A focus on "World-uniting happenings and events"
- A focus on "Cultural understanding: the Islamic-Arabic world - Christian Europe and America - global Judaism"
- A focus on "Cultural understanding: Hindu and Islamic Southeast Asia"
- A focus on "Experiments in and communication about nnovative and progressive creative arts"
- A focus on "The muses and technology: daring, responsible technology for a more humane tomorrow" - A focus on "Experiential youth culture"
The following pages will introduce the concrete vision and idea of a TEMPLE OF THE MUSES, which, as the "1st TEMPLE OF THE MUSES", may serve as a prototype for all other TEMPLEs OF THE MUSES to come.
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