words
Philosophical Words from Around the World:
Chiaroscuro, Italian.
(With thanks to Matt Haig, who introduced me to this term during a conversation for an upcoming newsletter.)
Jonny Thomsonsubstack.comThe word “entheogen” was chosen to define such substances. It is derived from two words from ancient Greek: éntheos, literally “full of the god” or “possessed”; and genésthai, “to come into being”. So an entheogen is a substance that facilitates the finding of the “god within”.
Anthony Peake • The Hidden Universe
This god was known as the Demiurge, from the ancient Greek dēmiourgos. This word, meaning “craftsman” or “producer”, was first used in a philosophical context in Plato’s Timaeus, written around 360 BCE.
Anthony Peake • The Hidden Universe
Written words cause ripples in the fabric of reality.
Paul Kingsnorth • The Great Work: Alchemy and the Power of Words – Paul Kingsnorth
The word yantra in Sanskrit literally means “a support or instrument.” A yantra is “a mystic diagram used as a symbol of the Divine as well as of its powers and aspects.”
Daniel Odier • Tantric Kali: Secret Practices and Rituals
By “styles of loving” I am referring to the models used in “love research.” The broad concept “love” is sorted into a variety of baskets, such as responsible altruistic caretaking (agape), practical partnership (pragma), erotic intimacy (eros), and so on.
James Hillman • The Soul's Code
One other historical touch point for the word itself comes from a term coined by J.R.R. Tolkien in the 1930’s: “mythopoeia.” Tolkien’s term expresses the etymological roots directly. Mytho- pertaining to story and -poeia , the root of the word poetry, meaning “to make.” As one can see, Tolkien was in the business of myth-making. His sweeping... See more