words
mercurial
/məːˈkjʊərɪəl/
adjective
/məːˈkjʊərɪəl/
adjective
- subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.
"his mercurial temperament" - of or containing the element mercury.
"gels containing organic mercurial compounds
Chloe • Writing The Unwritable
From the Germans, English has obtained a word for it: doppelgänger. Someone walks the earth who is your twin, your alter ego, your shadow, another you, another likeness, who sometimes seems to be close by your side and is your other self. When you talk to yourself, scold yourself, stop yourself up, perhaps you are addressing your doppelgänger, not
... See moreJames Hillman • The Soul's Code
“Fairy” (or, more accurately, “Faerie”) was originally an adjective rather than a noun. It did not refer to a form of elemental creature but was a descriptive term, similar to our present-day “paranormal”. The inhabitants of alternative reality in this region were known as the Fay. The word “fairy” also has roots in the Latin fata, which means “enc
... See moreAnthony Peake • The Hidden Universe
The word “essay” comes from the French “essayer” — to try, to attempt. Michel de Montaigne, who invented the form in the 16th century, wasn’t showing off what he knew but exploring what puzzled him. His essays were experiments in understanding, not demonstrations of expertise.
Harsh Darji • Writing Essays As A Way Of Learning
throughout history certain human beings could reach a state of “enthusiasm” without using entheogens. I have picked this word carefully. Enthusiasm also has its root the ancient Greek word éntheos. Enthusiastic dancing, drumming and various other rhythmic movements seem to open access to the “god within”. Even in people not initiated in secret rite
... See moreAnthony Peake • The Hidden Universe
It is for this reason that sleep paralysis is also known as a “night-mare”. The word mare comes from the same root as the German Mahr and the Old Norse mara, referring to a supernatural being that lies on peoples’ chests at night. It is thought that the original source of the word mare is the Indo-European word mar which means to pound, bruise or c
... See moreAnthony Peake • The Hidden Universe
Ananke derives from a root that spreads through Old Egyptian, Akkadian, Chaldean, and Hebrew terms for “narrow,” “throat,” “strangle,” “constrict,” and the yokes and rings laid on the necks of captives.18 Ananke takes you by the throat, holds you prisoner, and drives you like a slave.
James Hillman • The Soul's Code
In ancient Greek mythology, Anankē is a primordial goddess—the embodiment of necessity, inevitability, and fate. She is sometimes said to be older than the gods, even more fundamental than Zeus or the Fates (Moirai). Her name literally means “necessity” or “that which must be.”
Often associated with cosmic order, binding forces, and the limits within which life unfolds
In some myths, she is the mother of the Fates, suggesting that even destiny bows to necessity
“Anankē is the givens of life—the facts you don’t choose: your parents, your time in history, your body, your family wounds, your environment.”
These are the limits and necessities that your daimon must work within—and yet, paradoxically, they are not opposite to destiny. They are essential to it.
(GPT)
The daimon part is easy enough, for we have already accepted the translation of daimon as genius (Latin) and then transposed it into more modern terms such as “angel,” “soul,” “paradigm,” “image,” “fate,” “inner twin,” “acorn,” “life companion,” “guardian,” “heart’s calling.” This multiplicity and ambiguity inhere in the daimon itself as a personif
... See moreJames Hillman • The Soul's Code
The invisible source of personal consistency, for which I am using the word “habit,” psychology today calls character.5 Character refers to deep structures of personality that are particularly resistant to change. When they are socially harmful they are named character neuroses (Freud) and character disorders. These hard-to-change lines of fate are
... See moreJames Hillman • The Soul's Code
character, style