Those principles, capable of raising the lowliest of peasants to the level of genius, were almost certainly systematically taught as a Masterclass by Solomon, probably the greatest genius of all time, then preserved by him for posterity, because of their immense potential importance, both artistically and economically, in the often erotic passages of Hebrew poetry that make up the enigmatic "Song of Songs".

Solomon's inspired masterpiece, the true meaning of which has long been regarded as the greatest puzzle in all literature, now forms the basis of this short course in creative genius and personal success which makes those powerful yet deceptively simple principles once again available to any person interested in discovering and developing their creative potential and achieving excellence in their chosen field.

The Sexual Chemistry of Creativity
Success in any field has to be created, and how the associated creative action can be initiated, controlled and raised to a genius level of excellence has long been regarded as a mystery, yet in the "Song of Songs", Solomon de-mystifies and simplifies this complex subject without recourse to elaborate psychological jargon by identifying and describing two key processes, both of which become easily understandable and deliberately manageable when we perceive their uncannily close physical parallels in nature, in the growth and reproduction of plants and animals, including human beings -- in the sexual chemistry of creativity.

Our Audio-visual Environment
In essence, Solomon came to realise that the natural world, which he studied avidly, and lectured and wrote about, is in reality a sophisticated audio-visual environment, carefully designed to illustrate and explain, among other things, the principles of creative excellence This uncanny connection between mental and biological creativity, which has been informally recognised by creative individuals throughout the ages, is no accident of some mythical evolutionary process, but the result of deliberate divine design.

In fact, according to the Genesis account of creation, when God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he gave them twin creative commissions: first, to reproduce and populate the Earth, after the manner of the plants and animals around them, a process of biological creativity; and, second, to use their God-like minds to subdue and rule over the whole Earth, a process of mental creativity -- to investigate, hypothesise, design, invent, discover, build and beautify. These two kinds of creative action, mental and physical or biological, operate in uncannily similar ways, the former seemingly designed to illustrate and inform the latter, and so encourage man to continue the creative work begun by God, and make the world an increasingly interesting and exciting place to live.

The Creative Purpose of Everything in the Universe
Joseph Anderson, one time vice president of General Motors, observed that: "Creation seems to be the principle purpose of everything in the universe. The ground produces vegetation; every spot that can grow something, the crack in a walk, the unseeded field, the unused pavement will grow something even though the circumstances are unfavorable. If there is a predominating purpose behind it all, as most of us believe that there is, through God, it seems that the purpose is to create. It would them follow that man must have been placed on this earth to create."

Human beings, made in the image of God, are by their very nature creative, and capable therefore of bringing into existence things that are new, unique, beautiful, and better, not simply in the arts and sciences, but in whatever area and activity of life their gifts lie. Every artefact, every organisation, every business, every system, every mechanism, technique and process — and every life — can be raised to a level of excellence by the magic of the creative mind, which operates today as it has always done throughout the ages, and as it will continue to do in the future, according to the principles Solomon was divinely inspired to identify so long ago.

The Key to the Meaning of the Song
Although the true significance of the "Song of Songs" is still regarded by most scholars as a complete and complex mystery, the simple clue to its meaning is in fact to be found in the title, which makes up the first line of the Hebrew text. That title, like much of the rest of the text, is deliberately susceptible to different meanings. It can of course simply be a superlative, meaning the most beautiful of all songs, which is how it come to be regarded.

On the other hand, however, it can also imply a song about songs, and the way they are created -- which is its real purpose. Because songs can deal with any subject and convey both meaning and emotion and because every single note and word has to be a perfect fit, Solomon is in fact using the song as a metaphor for all creative works of excellence in all fields.

It is interesting also that a song is actually a detailed plan of action -- a sequence of notes and words that trained musicians can readily produce in order to create a desired effect. A song also demonstrates other principles of creativity -- first the creation of something new by arranging known elements, notes, into a pleasing new pattern; and second the combining of music with appropriate words, a creative act of synthesis. Modern technology and invention rely heavily on these two principles.

Multiple Meanings
Such was the depth of Solomon's wisdom and genius that each metaphor, it seems, is capable of sparkling forth a variety of insights, like a carefully cut diamond held up to the light of experience, with the result that numerous insights into a very complex subject were able to be condensed into eight short chapters of poetry. Although I have attempted to point out what I see as the key principles in each section, I hope that you, the reader, will perceive additional insights that are particularly relevant and useful to you, with your unique viewpoint, experience and aspirations.

Amazingly, it seems also that the original Hebrew text, which is composed only of consonants, is framed in such an inspired manner that different but complementary insights can often be generated from the same phrases by the insertion of different vowels, which is why different translators often offer radically different, butcomplementary, renderings of the same verses.

As a result, the insights I have attempted to draw out in each section, constitute, I am sure, simply the tips of metaphorical ice-bergs of understanding, and the efforts of those who take the time to meditate more deeply, will without doubt be richly rewarded. Additional insights also will appear as your experience prepares you to perceive and apply them.

Lost Knowledge
Although the knowledge of the principles of creativity originally revealed to the first human beings somehow became lost, they were rediscovered some three thousand years ago by Solomon, famously the wisest person who ever lived, and preserved by him for posterity in the eight short chapters of intricately woven and often erotic poetry that makes up the "Song of Songs", acknowledged by many as the most beautiful -- but misunderstood -- work in all literature. Although that poetry, also known as the "Song of Solomon", was preserved by divine fiat as part of the sacred Hebrew Scriptures because of its immense potential importance, both artistically and commercially, the knowledge of its true significance soon became lost -- if indeed it was ever made commonly known -- most probably when the kingdom of Israel was destroyed and its people carried off into captivity and scattered far and wide after Solomon's death.

In their captivity the people of Israel all but lost contact with their language, with the result that some of the language in the "Song" is extremely obscure, and a number of words occurring there are not used anywhere else in the Bible, a situation made even more difficult for the scholars by the fact that the Hebrew text consists only of consonants, as already noted, leaving the reader to supply the vowels and draw out the meaning, based on an understanding of the context.

A Short Course in Creativity
As a result of these events, Solomon’s much admired masterpiece soon came to be regarded as an impenetrable mystery, described by scholars as holding "without question the first place among the puzzles of literature". Happily, that ancient puzzle has now been solved and Solomon's true intention rediscovered, showing the "Song" to be in reality a short course in creativity -- the most powerful but neglected inspirational/self help work every written. By studying his book of "Proverbs", said Solomon, the simple would be made wise, and even the those already counted wise could increase their learning. Likewise, by studying the "Song of Songs", those who are not yet creative can become creative, and those who are already creative -- even professionally so -- can enhance their creativity. Such is the subtlety and depth of the inspired writings of Solomon which now form the basis of this short course in the technology of creativity.

It has long intrigued me that all the principles of personal and businesses success promoted by popular inspirational books, from Samuel Smiles' Victorian classic "Self Help" down to Steven Covey's recent blockbuster, "The Seven Habits of Successful People", are in fact to be found in the wisdom writings of Solomon, and readily available therefore in any copy of the world's perennial best seller, the Bible -- confirmation perhaps that Solomon was indeed the wisest person who ever lived. I was not unduly surprised, therefore, to discover that the principles of creative excellence already mentioned are also to be found in the writings of Solomon, also in the Bible, but this time tucked away in the enigmatic passages of erotic love poetry of the "Song of Songs".

Discover and Develop Your Creative Potential
The inspired intent of the "Song of Songs" is for you, the reader, to discover and develop the creative potential you already possess. What Solomon describes, you can experience, and what highly creative people do you can do too, because you already possess the psychological wherewithal to do so. The first step is to discover your potential, to become enlightened to the simple fact that the magical, productive thinking of the greatest creators who ever lived is simply a more patient and persistent extension the way you have been informally thinking all your life.

The second step is to deliberately develop that potential by applying the principles Solomon identifies and describes in your own life, in your own unique manner, for your own unique purposes.

Multifaceted Metaphors
In explaining the principles of creativity, Solomon makes use of a range of metaphors, based on what at first appears to be a bewildering miscellany of natural subjects, including foxes, lions, horses, gazelles, sheep, a garden and a vineyard, a king and a virgin, and even a young flat-chested girl. This metaphorical method of teaching and learning is of course the approach of the modern quantum physicist who attempts to understand and describe the weird complexity of ultimate physical reality, such as the behaviour of light and electrons, for example, by comparison with familiar everyday phenomena such as the motion of waves on water or the movement of balls rebounding from the cushions of a snooker table.

Each of the thirty multi-faceted metaphors which comprise the "Song" is designed, when made the focus of quiet meditation and held up to the light of personal experience, to sparkle forth a variety of complementary insights into the creative process, just as the facets of a diamond refract the myriad subtle shades of colour of the rainbow when viewed from different angles.

The Levites
The significance of the "Song" is not immediately obvious to the casual reader, or even to the scholar, who is unaware of Solomon's purpose, and I suspect that it was intended to be studied by mature students, under the guidance of wise and learned teachers called Levites, probably over a period of weeks or months, being read and discussed, in question and answer fashion, in a manner similar to that of the famous Oxford tutorial system. In the absence of Levites, this book is offered as a substitute -- a distant learning package, if you will, designed to encourage and enable interested individuals to discover, develop, and maximise their creativity.

It is interesting that although some Levites, members of the specially gifted family of Levi, were assigned to live and work in Jerusalem, supporting the work of the priests in the Temple and making music, most of them were located, by divine decree, in 48 "cities of refuge", which were spread throughout the whole land of Israel. Although the stated function of those cities, initially, was to provide safe legal sanctuary for any person who had killed someone accidentally, there seems little doubt that they were also intended to become centres of educational and cultural excellence, constituting what we would today describe as a university system of education.

From the scriptural accounts, it seems probable also that every town and village in the land had its own resident Levite, a kind of village schoolmaster cum priest whose function was to provide academic and religious instruction for all, completing a complex legal, spiritual, educational, and administrative network that extended like a nervous system from Jerusalem on out to every corner of the land. Sadly the world leadership -- socially, culturally, scientifically, and economically -- that this sophisticated system, was intended bestow on Israel, making it a model for other nations to follow, was never attained, although important progress did begin to be made during the glorious reign of Solomon.

The Knowledge of the Ancients
By virtue of the principles Solomon was inspired to identify, what is know now, in fields such as science and engineering -- only developed in recent centuries -- could have become known then, thousands of years ago. And since those principles were almost certainly began to be taught by God to Adam and Eve, it is interesting to speculate that such knowledge may well have been available before the great Flood of Noah, a period of time about which the Bible account is strangely silent, save to point out that even in the first few generations of human life on Earth people such as Tubal-Cain were already making musical instruments and extracting the metals copper and bronze and using them to forge tools and, very soon, no doubt, weapons of war.

The Pre-Flood World
If we believe the scriptural accounts, the pre-Flood period was a time of greatly protracted human lifespans and a universal language -- providing ideal conditions for interested individuals to exchange and extend knowledge, and although the Bible is strangely silent about the that period, there exists a variety of anomalous and puzzling fossil findings, including fragments of artifacts constructed of aluminium and sophisticated alloys that were supposedly unknown until very recent centuries.

Perhaps it is significant that one of the first major projects men sought to undertake after Noah's Flood was the construction of what would seem to be some kind of sky-scraper building. One might speculate that it was the existence of such tall buildings in the previous age that made people confident of survival and contemptuous of Noah's dire warning of an impending deluge. Although our knowledge of those times is meagre at best, it seems quite possible it was a world where, in sharp contrast to the situation in our own supposedly advanced societies, each and every human being was confidently aware of their personal gifts and creative potential.

Solomon's Wisdom
The magnificent Temple later built by Solomon became the cultural and educational centre of the land of Israel, providing models of excellence and beauty in architecture, art, and music, no doubt intended to inspire the whole nation. Indeed, such was the prosperity of Solomon's kingdom, we are told, that the rulers of all the nations of the world sent emissaries to enquire after the secrets of his success. In fact, the Queen of Sheba, who came herself to test him with a series of hard questions, was overwhelmed by what she found, as well as by his wise answers. Thus, for just one brief period in its history, Israel begin to start to commence to become the model of civilisation, learning, and creative achievement that God intended when he delivered His chosen people from slavery in Egypt and established them as a nation under Moses.

Fascinating accounts of Solomon's life and works are found in the Bible in the books of Kings and Chronicles where we read that in addition to supervising the construction of the glorious first temple and undertaking ambitious projects in agriculture, horticulture, and horse breeding he became a student and lecturer in zoology and botany, finding many metaphorical lessons in nature and writing three thousand proverbs as a result, some of which are preserved in the Book of Proverbs. He also wrote a thousand and five songs, some of which are preserved in the Psalms -- and in the last chapter of his book of Ecclesiastes we read how he wearied himself with his studying and the writing of many books as part of the inspired quest for understanding that made him the wisest person who ever lived.

The Original Doctor Doolittle?
Such was Solomon's wisdom and creative genius that ancient Jewish fables attribute all kinds of magical powers to him, including the ability to understand the language of animals in the manner of a Doctor Doolittle, however, in his surviving writings we find no occult or esoteric teachings but simply eternal values of health, wealth and happiness that have guided successful individuals throughout the ages -- plus the simple keys to creative excellence and personal success.

The Key that Never Turned
Sadly any scientific writings Solomon might have produced have perished, but it is interesting to speculate, as in fact the great scholar Origen did, that the Greek sages may well have obtained their mathematical and scientific ideas from Solomon, either by visiting Israel or perhaps from learned Levites who were scattered abroad when the nation was driven into exile some hundred years after his death. Classic Greek architecture is believed by some to have been based on that of Solomon's magnificent temple. There can be little doubt, however, that had the people of Israel remained faithful to God, and the nation had been preserved, there would have been an explosion of knowledge and a rapid cultural and technological revolution surpassing anything that has occurred since. The key divinely designed to unlocked the door to that new age was the "Song of Songs" -- but sadly the key never turned and the door remained closed.

Did Solomon Build Stonehenge?
According to the scriptural accounts, Solomon sent fleets of trading ships on three-year voyages to bring back gold, silver, ivory, apes and baboons, from the fabled land of "Ophir", which some have suggested was located in Africa, hence the novel "King Solomon's Mines". However, historical records also suggest that Israelite seafarers also visited South America in ancient times, and there seems little doubt that Solomon's men must easily have reached the British Isles, where they may well have been responsible for constructing the enigmatic Stonehenge, possibly an observatory designed to keep track of the sacred Hebrew solar-lunar calendar, perhaps using the same technology in its construction as that employed in building his magnificent palace, which involved quarrying, precisely shaping and transporting foundation stones 12 and 15 feet long.

It would seem reasonable to assume that the foundation stones for the Temple may have been even larger, and perhaps even more precisely shaped. Although many would scoff at the accounts of Solomon's feats of construction, I wonder what they would make of a written account of Stonehenge if no vestige of it now remained to confound them?

The Origin of Buddhist Teachings?
Is it mere coincidence also that much Buddhist teaching -- which again finds its beginnings in those same centuries -- is likewise to be found in the wisdom writings of Solomon? The stress on meditation (Zen), the search for awakening (Satori) and the Lotus that symbolises it, and also the pursuit of the transcendental wisdom (Prajna) that lies dormant within every person, all resonate, as we shall see, with the teachings of Solomon's "Song of Songs". Solomon's stress on analysis also seems to be a central thrust of the teaching of Siddhattha Gotama, the last Buddha (i.e. Enlightened One), with his two Aims, the Noble Eightfold path, the ten Bonds, the four Intoxications, and the five Hindrances -- a creative attempt to analyse life in the hope of learning how best to live it. Even the erotic Buddhist Yab-Yum image, which apparently depicts the sexual union of wisdom and compassion, would seem to find an uncanny parallel in the "Song". Like the "Song", Buddhism makes no mention of God and focuses instead on spiritual principles of living.

Is the Song a Religious Book?
Before looking at the "Song", perhaps we should dispel any notion that Solomon's mysterious masterpiece is a "religious" work, despite its inclusion in the Bible. According to the editor of the "Jerusalem Bible": "People have found it surprising that a book that makes no mention of God and whose vocabulary is so passionate should figure in the sacred canon". Scholar Charles Ellicott says that: "From the beginning to the end there is not a single word in it which suggests any connection with religion. The whole theme, he says, is one of "folly, vanity and looseness." He concludes, perhaps with a shake of the head, by asking: "How did the vigilance of those who watched the formation of the Canon allow it?" How indeed -- and why?

Such has been the confusion over the significance of the "Song" that when Jewish scholars in the first century sought to have it removed from the canon of scripture we are told that the Rabbi Akiba retorted that: "All the ages are not worth the day on which the 'Song of Songs' was given to Israel, for all the Writings are holy, but the 'Song of Songs' is the Holy of Holies".

Commenting its literary merits, John Bowker, in his "Bible Handbook" offers the following opinion: "The book is full of exquisite poems that use almost every device available to the Hebrew poet. It is a rhapsody of the thoughts and feelings of a young woman and her beloved as they journey towards the consummation of their love. Rarely has a book been interpreted so diversely over the millennia." As we shall see, it is that kind of passionate love for a purpose or subject that engages our creativity.

Is the Song Pornographic?
In "The Song of Fourteen Songs", Michael Goulder rejects any spiritual meaning and focuses instead on the implicit sexuality of certain sections of the "Song". Lifting the lid on some of Solomon's seemingly innocent similes -- but missing the creative message being conveyed -- he concludes that "titillation is the key note". The girl in the "Song", he says, is portrayed "from the first verse as a nymphomaniac", and the whole book could well be regarded as "nothing else than a piece of high-class pornography". Virtuous readers, he warns, may well "emerge from such a study feeling soiled and disgusted". God, however, who created the male and female form and also inspired the poetry Goulder is referring to, is not prudish. It is easy to understand, however, why certain more sensuous sections of the "Song" were bawdily sung in the taverns of ancient Israel, much to the chagrin of rabbis, by revellers who were totally unaware of their true significance.

Scholars Obscure the Meaning
Although some of metaphors selected by Solomon are obscured by the opacity of the ancient Hebrew, the full meaning of some sections of the "Song" has sometimes been deliberately denied modern readers by the prudishness of translators who have shrunk from conveying into English the literal meaning of many phrases. The great Adam Clarke, for example, writing over a century ago, says in his "Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible": "There are many passages in it which should not be explained, if taken literally, the references being too delicate; and Eastern phraseology on such subjects too vivid for European imaginations. Let any sensible pious medical man read over this Book: and, if at all acquainted with Asiatic phraseology, say whether it would be proper, even in medical language, to explain all the descriptions and allusions in this Poem." Virtuous readers beware!

The Song Baffles the Scholars
Commenting on its enigmatic literary structure, Cohen, in "The Five Megilloth" says: "The various sections succeed one another without logical sequence, giving the appearance of incongruous fragments." Not surprisingly then, the "Song" has remained a puzzle throughout the centuries, and its erotic poetry greatly disturbed the celibate scholars of the Early Christian Church, prompting Origen, who considered it dangerously suggestive, to say: "These things seem to me to afford no profit to the reader . . . It is necessary therefore rather to give them a spiritual meaning." This he did, devoting a massive ten-volume commentary to the task, seeking to show that the metaphorical language was referring in reality to the relationship between Jesus Christ and Christian Church. Origen, however, was wrong, as were the equally baffled Jewish scholars vied with him to give the Song a non-Christian spiritual meaning, asserting that it referred to the loving relationship between the nation of Israel and God.

The Pyramid of Wisdom
One basic clue to understanding the purpose of the "Song of Songs" is the fact that God revealed to Solomon the principles of successful living, making him the wisest person who had ever lived, and very significantly, who would ever live. Under the guidance of that inspiration, Solomon wrote three books which are not religious at all, in the normal sense of the word, but secular, because their intended purpose was, and is, to teach the principles of health, wealth and happiness. The "Song" simply complements his other two books -- Proverbs, Ecclesiastes -- to complete a wisdom trilogy or pyramid.

"Proverbs", the base of the pyramid, deals with wisdom, the fundamental principles of successful living. It was understood by Jewish scholars to have been designed to interpret the law of God and the Ten Commandments, as revealed to Moses, into practical detail to provide guidance for successful secular daily living in a manner harmonious with that law -- and that it was intended for all people, everywhere not just he people of Israel. Without this sound foundation of eternal principles of success such as self-discipline, control of the tongue, caution, courage, persistence, honesty, generosity, self analysis and general "righteousness" our creative efforts may well crumble to dust.

"Ecclesiastes", the second level of the pyramid, focuses on the crucial importance of sound values and realistic goals in life. In it, Solomon reflects on his own experiences and the experiments in living he carried out in search of the truly good and satisfying life. Without this harmonising dimension of balance, moderation in things, including work, and an appreciation of the ultimate futility of riches for their own sake, our creative efforts will never bring real satisfaction.

Creativity -- the Apex of the Pyramid
Finally, the "Song of Songs", which is the apex of the pyramid of wisdom, completes Solomon's trilogy by offering, to those ready and willing to learn, the secrets of creative excellence and success, even genius -- principles which find application in any and every field of human endeavor. As already noted, for some reason, the true significance of the "Song" was lost, somewhere along the dusty paths of Palestinian history, most probably when Solomon's empire was destroyed and his people carried away into captivity and all but lost contact with the Hebrew language of the ancient scriptures.

By studying his book of Proverbs, said Solomon, the simple could become wise, and those already accounted wise could increase their learning. Similarly, by studying his "Song of Songs" those who are not yet creative can discover and develop their creative potential — and those already accounted creative, even professionally so, can enhance the quality of their work.

A Personal Exodus?
I suspect that significant corroboration of Solomon's intent in the "Song" is afforded by the fact that some now unknown person or persons of authority, at some time in the distant past, saw fit to assign sections to be read to the congregations of Israel on the eighth day of the Passover festival, at the end of the days of unleavened bread. The Passover, which was instituted under Moses, commemorates Israel's exodus from Egypt -- a glorious deliverance from slavery -- and their entry into the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. Deliverance, I believe, is also the message of the "Song of Songs".

Personal development gurus such as Anthony Robbins and many psychologists now recognise that most of mankind -- even in the so-called civilised world -- remains in a kind of mental bondage to mediocrity, fear and failure, unknowingly enslaved by negative attitudes, ignorance, and illusion. Through the inspired writings of Solomon, they are offered the opportunity to escape, and encouraged to undertake a personal exodus into a new and more satisfying life of creative excellence and enduring achievement.