“…creator and receiver both, work in alliance with the works…”  

Greetings to all new and returning readers.
Welcome to “A Silver Fraction”* —
a place for makers, writers, thinkers
& anyone who wishes
to leave an imprint, make a mark, inscribe,
write, sing, perform, or paint;
to anyone who wants to make an offering,
no matter how small,
to this world we were given.

William Wordsworth’s epic poem, Prelude begins with an invocation to the muse: O welcome messenger! O welcome friend! A captive greets thee, coming from a house of bondage… Wordsworth, like most of us who struggle with what we make, calls out as an inmate wanting to free himself from prison. He activates the muse through his writing, through his willingness to beseech and make transparent his longing. Muse embodies the sense of the invisible otherness that is not you or me — but happens when “…creator and receiver both, work in alliance with the works…”  When the creator and receiver are working together there arises a third thing; something in addition to you and your work; a presence in the room. Modern artists of all kinds summon the muse, a name for this unseen presence, a name given to us by the ancient Greeks. What we make is only a testimony to a greater desire to enter this mysterious province. What we make is only a testimony to a greater desire to enter this mysterious province. We need, now, more than ever, the comfort of being still long enough to feel this presence. What follows are some thoughts on invoking this presence with our hands.