Athena’s Grey-Eyed Flame
A Harbinger of Wisdom and Grace
Poetry is the language of Aletheia—a breath of truth rising from the liminal, where the divine brushes against the mortal. With music and art as its companions, poetry moves beyond metaphysics and measured thought, becoming a final threshold to what lies beyond the veil.
Through myth, we speak beyond the gods, tracing radiant paths through the in-between to glimpse the heavens. This vision, born of poetry and myth, carries us past Husserl’s gaze on consciousness and into Heidegger’s call of Being.
Mythic poetry longs to escape the grip of subject and object. It stands in stillness before Being, open to grace and its silent gifts. In shaping stories from the gods—those eternal harbingers of Being—I seek the threshold where the light of God breaks through.
My own journey has unfolded in three revelations of Being. First came divine love, shining through the redeemed laughter of Aphrodite. Then, divine wisdom and guidance through the steady gaze of Athena. And at last, Divine Order in the majesty of Hera, ox-eyed queen of heaven. This mythic vision is born of a Catholic soul, listening for God in the echoes of story and symbol.
Athena’s Grey-Eyed Flame
A Harbinger of Wisdom and Grace
Athena stands with sword and spear
The light that warriors hold most dear
She guards the wisdom of her land
Grey-eyed, she summons all at hand
Athena is the light of minds
Of active thought and caring signs
The guide of those in need she calls
Grey-eyed, protecting in her walls
As noble harbinger of grace
Her light reveals the sacred place
She walks the path toward the realm
Her flame of thought commands the helm
Athena wise, insightful, kind
With her, the mortal mind will find
The place where thought is made to rise
Grey-eyed, she leads to recognize
©Walter Emerson AdamsEnjoy “Athena’s Grey-Eyed Flame” in song. From my album, The Sky-Veil. Lyrics ©Walter Emerson Adams. Music and vocals by Suno. ©Walter Emerson Adams.