Quantum Physics & Poetry with Theunette Antill

My friend Theunette, although a finance professional, loves space. She reads "Scientific American" for fun, and I love hearing her talk about how stars are formed and other similar subjects. Some of our conversations about these topics have then flowed into rich discussions about the meaning of life, and healing. These talks almost always make me grab around for poetry that I've encountered; which comes the closest of anything (because words start to fail us, the deeper we go into some concepts) to being able to describe ... wordless wonder.

Art “goes there,” like that.

It is able like nothing else, to embody and express the deepest truths.

Enjoy, as we explore together. Talking in this way is one of my favorite things. A creation in itself, these conversations.

Alllll the Show Notes (quite a few this time) -->

"The Man," song by Taylor Swift

Such Singing in the Wild Branches [excerpt] by Mary Oliver

Winter Poem by Nikki Giovanni

Excerpt of “It’s strange about stars” from Sun Up by Lola Ridge

What We Need Is Here by Wendell Berry

[Poems gleaned from the Colorado Vocal Arts Ensemble Wintersong concert in Colorado Springs, Colorado, December 2023]

“At some point in life the world's beauty becomes enough. You don't need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough.” ― Toni Morrison

“If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it.” ― Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon

“Beauty was not simply something to behold; it was something one could do.” ― Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye

“All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was.” ― Toni Morrison

{The movie character of "Olaf" in Frozen}

Psalm 136.9 (from the Bible, my own personalized version)

When they saw the star, the sight filled them with intense joy.

Matthew 2.10 (Bible - Weymouth New Testament version)

Additional quotes from:

"On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking’s Final Theory," by Thomas Hertog

"Astrophysics for People In A Hurry," by Neil deGrasse Tyson

[Recorded at Studio916 PPLD in Colorado Springs on February 24, 2024 with Theunette Antill, Heila Rogers]