Time as a Unifying Theme at the

Hula Palace Salons

by Les Plush

It could be one of the most ancient and original concepts in human culture, that as we move through time we are influenced by it. That inclinations, perceptions and thoughts --- impulses --- are infused with the currents of the moment, and that creativity and expression carry with them the vital pulse of the time of their inception and delivery. As in quantum theory we are both in and of the flow of time.

A word comes to mind, conspire, which literally means to breathe together. We absorb the present as breath as we inhale and exhale each moment. Coincidentally the literal meaning of the word “Aloha” is the sharing of the breath of life.

The Salons were developed as we of the Hula Palace conspired to fashion events that considered the current creative efforts of our community. The use of seasonal themes from the I Ching provided a flexible motif for bringing to expression creative work in performance and visual arts.

Themes for the Salons were inspired by a seasonal diagram of eight symbols or Trigrams called the Inner World Arrangement. This comes from the body of thought associated with the I Ching and Taoism in which the primal forces of Ying and Yang interact.  The concept of each trigram, which is based on a force of nature, is accessible and open for interpretation. For the Inner World Arrangement has to do with inner or subjective awareness of cyclic flow --- currents of the inner life.

With my music partner Terry Ludwar, who played wind instruments, nights of performances were opened with sung versus inspired by the concurrent trigram. Other performers and artists were free to express their work. Some were aware of the themes and many may not have been. For in a way it did not matter; time with myriad streams flows through each of us --- exhale inhale together at The Hula Palace.

The first Salon commenced on December 21st of 1973. It was simply called Winter Salon. This is the point in the year when light and the force of the Yang principle again begins’ to increase. And, in the Inner World Arrangement the symbol is K’an, the force of water flowing through an abyss. The symbol is made up of two yin lines, symbolic of earth and receptivity, with a yang line, representing heaven and creativity, in the center position.  The spirit at this point of the year is encased in the material and must increase before it can flow over each new barrier or limitation. The Yang principle contained within this stream moulds to the shape of the abyss in order to pass through it. Nothing will stop the power of the spirit and at Winter Solstice, with the increasing light of the Heavens, the spirit is renewed like a spring pouring out of the ground.

For that first night of the first Salon on the longest night of the year, I wrote verses starting with the line: “My arms are like limbs turning to the Sun, believe it’s coming back, believe it’s coming back.”

For subsequent Salons I continued with a subjective creative approach in performance and for developing themes for the Salons, using imagery that felt linked to the current trigram and the times that we were passing through. In later Salons information about the timing and themes was displayed along with the current astrological influences.

A Taoist principle expressed over and over again in the I Ching is that in order to influence others one must be able to take in what they are expressing of themselves. Let it react in you in a non-critical manner and only after that can one reach an exchange of perspective --- of ideas.

The use of seasonal motifs then has the advantage of allowing for a wide range of subjective interpretation and creative freedom while discreetly promoting a unity through the common experience of the contemporary.  The Hula Palace Salons set out in a rare accepting fashion to foster the growth of artistic work within a community. Still our doors remain open to the times and to the moment.

Copyright 2006 Les Plush

The author has studied and worked in Astrology and the

I Ching for 40+ years.