Contemplating Space and the Empty

Something which has been at the fore of my mind of late is the contemplation of space. A vast word, space, appropriate for the reality which it is tasked to represent regardless of how it is couched for a situation. How we manipulate it and are consequently shaped in return is utterly fascinating.

As the concept is almost literally infinite in scope, I will try to set the tone by starting this exploration through the world of music. There are many selections that serve as gateways for me, and I will sprinkle one or two more through this post, but I feel as though this might be appropriate for a beginning:

Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan" is awarded first representation due in some part to a direct connection to space as a physical place - Space with a capital "S". The lyrics depict floating through the universe with a lover, remarking on life below them and the visions surrounding. However, driving the performance is not the content of the words themselves, but the atmosphere that it contributes to creating. Vocals are projected through a rotating Leslie speaker, creating an illusion of sounding distant yet entirely surrounding the listener. Augmenting this eerie spot of studio engineering is the remainder of the band: the psychedelic strum of an acoustic guitar, the low thrum of bass notes, and gentle conga beats. Tiny gaps between instrumental phrasings serve to explode the moment they have created beyond a physical room - sparse and minimal, the final product is unmistakable in its capturing of an expansive black dimension, with small points of light to illuminate the darkness. And so the caravan proceeds, with this particular listener undoubtedly in tow each time.

I want to emphasize how notes in "Planet Caravan" seem to hang in the air, creating the aforementioned tiny gaps. Emptiness. To me, it manifests almost paradoxically with the density of a black hole, however momentary before the void fills with the next note.

As I sit and think on this more, how we relate to the inseparability of space and emptiness seems to be the natural direction to move in from here. Adding emptiness into the mix complicates matters some, in part because there are significant portions of our human collective that are bred to meet emptiness as the culmination of Nothingness, or emptiness as the manifestation of that which is Meaningless. Within the context of Space, imagine Planet Caravan on a bad trip. Within that vacuum, there is no sound, no life - one can float on forever seemingly without the chance of ever meeting another life-form. The only thing that fills such an emptiness are paranoid and fearful thoughts. One can become lost. Taken in metaphorical contexts, space and emptiness affects us as the distance between ourselves and those whom we hold in highest regard or sincere love. For creatures that thrive upon social interaction and shared emotional bonds, confusion and apprehension comes natural after the statement "I need space." Why jettison off into the unknown cosmos to discover yourself alone when it is safer and more comforting to make the passage together? Feelings are marched through the deserted cities of our hearts, led in chains by conquering cohorts of self-doubt and uncertainty. Above all we reject and loathe death, the daily reminder that our existence can become totally meaningless instantaneously. Consciousness is replaced by emptiness for eternity, and we have no control over this. This serves to cast these concepts as the natural opposition to what we endeavor to achieve in life, in that we seek to fill it with people and objects that hopefully distract from the paralyzing, debilitating truth surrounding us.

Should life be defined by this inherently negative, fearful perspective of emptiness, however? Not necessarily. Alternatively, why not understand emptiness as that singular factor which unites the universe and provides meaning instead of destroying it, as the force which moves through all life?

Consider this passage from the Laozi, also known as the Tao Te Ching:

Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub;
It is the center hole that makes it useful.
Shape clay into a vessel;
It is the space within that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows for a room;
It is the holes which make it useful.
Therefore profit comes from what is there;
Usefulness from what is not there.

This section of the text is an immensely powerful philosophical offering, one that could only emerge from a part of the world where materialism has never been the chiefest of concerns (therefore it is no coincidence that most of those who fear what emptiness implies are Westerners leading highly-material, individualized lives). That which is intangible and supposedly lacking can be manipulated in order to create meaning in all aspects of living. Implied is the need to experience and become imbued with emptiness - the type of empirical engagement which serves as the launching point for this very blog. We too are vessels longing to be filled with something greater than ourselves. Within emptiness there is room for self-discovery, creation, and limitless sharing...

...which leads me back to my gateway of music, where I will leave off on this discussion until next time. Its manipulation and shaping of emptiness through the exploration of space brings me to a place where I feel my spirit to be a part of everything and nothing simultaneously. Two final examples to share which I believe highlight my process:

The sacred music of Gregorian Chant capitalizes upon favorable acoustics created by the cavernous interiors of glorious cathedrals. Empty space magnifies the melismatic technique of the male voices, transforming mortal expression into divine messages traversing across astral planes. Even for those of a secular mind such as myself, the innate power built into the form of the chant is one that draws my soul into the sensation of existing within something. Alternatively, Erik Satie's "Uspud", as a precursor of minimalism, heavily incorporates silence and empty spaces into the composition. None of the silences are uniform, lasting for variable lengths of time throughout the work. Within these pregnant pauses, the composer has not only found a way to underscore the previous and coming measures, but allows the listener to fill them with thought, feeling, to create their own spiritual music. Those moments then transcend their boundaries and become timeless, infinite, and beautiful. Those moments are our own, yet each other's.