Confusion
Cognitive unsettling when signals do not resolve into a clear story or next step.
2221 passages · 1 Vela essay · in 1 cluster
Study and magazine
Long-form guide in the magazine
An essay on how this word lives in language, in the tagged corpus, and in figurative art when curators pair passage with image — not a list of stages, not permission to feel.
Read the guidePassages
Every passage tagged with this emotion in the Vela corpus. Search the body text, narrow by source or register, click through to a book’s profile to see how the passage sits with the rest of the work.
Page 107 of 112 · 20 per page
2221 tagged passages
From History of the Christian Church: The Complete Set of Eight Volumes (1858)
Under the name of the "philosopher" Hermias ( JErmeiva" or JErmiva") otherwise entirely unknown to us, we have a "Mockery of Heathen Philosophers," which, with the light arms of wit and sarcasm, endeavors to prove from the history of philosophy, by exposing the contradictions of the various systems, the truth of Paul’s declaration, that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. He derives the false philosophy from the demons. He first takes up the conflicting heathen notions about the soul, and then about the origin of the world, and ridicules them. The following is a specimen from the discussion of the first topic: "I confess I am vexed by the reflux of things. For now I am immortal, and I rejoice; but now again I become mortal, and I weep; but straightway I am dissolved into atoms. I become water, and I become air: I become fire: then after a little I am neither air nor fire: one makes me a wild beast, one makes me a fish. Again, then, I have dolphins for my brothers. But when I see myself, I fear my body, and I no longer know how to call it, whether man, or dog, or wolf, or bull, or bird, or serpent, or dragon, or chimaera. I am changed by the philosophers into all the wild beasts, into those that live on land and on water, into those that are winged, many-shaped, wild, tame, speechless, and gifted with speech, rational and irrational. I swim, fly, creep, run, sit; and there is Empedocles too, who makes me a bush." The work is small and unimportant.1384 Some put it down to the third or fourth century; but the writer calls himself a "philosopher" (though be misrepresents his profession), has in view a situation of the church like that under Marcus Aurelius, and presents many points of resemblance with the older Apologists and with Lucian who likewise ridiculed the philosophers with keen wit, but from the infidel heathen standpoint. Hence we may well assign him to the later part of the second century. § 180. Hegesippus. (I.) Euseb. H. E. II. 23; III. 11, 16, 19, 20, 32; IV. 8, 22. Collection of fragments in Grabe, Spicil. II. 203–214; Routh, Reliq. S. I. 205–219; Hilgenfeld, in his "Zeitschrift für wissenschaftliche Theol." 1876 and 1878. (II.) The Annotationes in Heges. Fragm. by Routh, I. 220–292 (very valuable). Donaldson: L. c. III. 182–213. Nösgen: Der Kirchl. Standpunkt des Heg. in Brieger’s "Zeitschrift für Kirchengesch." 1877 (p. 193–233). Against Hilgenfeld. Zahn: Der griech. Irenaeus und der ganze Hegesippus im 16ten Jahr., ibid. p. 288–291. H. Dannreuther: Du Témoignage d’Hégésippe sur l’église chrétienne au deux premiers siècles. Nancy 1878. See also his art. in Lichtenberger’s "Encycl." vi. 126–129. Friedr. Vogel: De Hegesippo, qui dicitur, Josephi interprete. Erlangen 1881. W. Milligan: Hegesippus, in Smith and Wace II. (1880) 875–878. C. Weizsäcker: Hegesippus, in Herzog2 V. 695–700. Caspari: Quellen, etc., III. 345–348.
In the case of a hungry child, this requires external intervention to alleviate the inner tension. A critical aspect of this experience is the perception of a specific external stimulus (e.g., food), which becomes associated in memory with the trace of the original excitation caused by the unmet need. This association between the memory of the need and the memory of its gratification forms the basis for further development of the psychic apparatus. Thanks to the established connection, when the same need arises again, it triggers a psychic feeling that revives the memory of the previous perception. This, in turn, brings back the perception itself, effectively re-creating the situation in which the need was first satisfied. We refer to this feeling as a wish. The reappearance of the perception is the wish-fulfillment, and the complete revival of the perception, driven by the need’s excitement, represents the shortest path to fulfilling the wish. We can hypothesize a primitive stage of the psychic apparatus in which this path is directly followed, where the wish merges with an hallucination. In this early psychic activity, the goal is to achieve an identity of perception—that is, to recreate the perception associated with the fulfillment of the need. This primitive mental activity must have been modified through harsh practical experience into a more effective secondary process. While the establishment of the identity perception via the short regressive path within the psychic apparatus initially re-creates the perception, it does not produce the same result as the revival of that perception from the external world. The gratification is not achieved, and the desire persists. To balance the internal and external energy, the internal excitement must be continually maintained. This is seen in hallucinatory psychoses and in hunger deliriums, where the psychic energy is consumed in a futile attempt to cling to the desired object. To make better use of psychic energy, it becomes necessary to inhibit full regression to prevent it from extending beyond the memory image. Instead, the energy must find new pathways that ultimately lead to the re-establishment of the desired perception from the external world. This inhibition and the resulting redirection of excitation are managed by a second system, which controls voluntary motor activity. Through this system, psychic energy is now devoted to actions that serve previously recalled purposes. This complex mental process, which moves from the memory image to reestablishing the external perception, represents a detour created by experience. Thinking, then, is nothing more than a substitute for the hallucinatory wish.
From Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, Part 2 (4 BCE – 451 CE) (2009)
Apostles in every diocese. It was another stage in the discussion which Ignatius, Clement and Irenaeus had begun. In Rome the argument was mainly over whether there could be any forgiveness at all for those who had lapsed. The priest Novatian, a hardliner on this issue, opposed the election of his colleague Cornelius as bishop, since Cornelius held that forgiveness was possible at the hands of a bishop. The Church in Rome was bitterly divided as to whom to support. Cyprian and Cornelius, who had arrived at similar conclusions about the powers of a bishop, allied with each other and the supporters of Novatian found themselves an isolated minority. Matters became worse when, in their initial enthusiasm, the Novatianists started making new Christian converts in North Africa as well as in Rome. When many of their sympathizers decided that the division had gone too far, and the newly baptized applied to rejoin the Catholic Church in communion with Cyprian and Cornelius, Carthage and Rome were faced with the problem of deciding the terms. Was Novatianist baptism valid? Cyprian thought not, but a new Bishop of Rome, Stephen, wishing to be conciliatory to those who were coming in, disagreed with him. Now a furious argument broke out between them, partly an expression of Rome’s growing feeling that the North African bishops were inclined to think too well of their own position in the Western Church. Stephen not only called Cyprian Antichrist, but in seeking to clinch the rightness of his own opinion, he appealed to Christ’s punning proclamation in Matthew’s Gospel ‘Thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church’ (Matthew 16.18).46 It is the first time known to us that the text had been thus used by a Bishop of Rome; this row in 256 represents another significant step in Rome’s gradual rise to prominence. In the end, North Africa and Rome agreed to differ on the issue of baptism, the North Africans saying that valid baptism could take place only within the Christian community which is the Church, the Romans saying that the sacrament belonged to Christ, not to the Church, and that therefore it was valid whoever performed it if it was done in the right form and with the right intentions. Comparative peace then descended on the Church for several decades, and it is likely that the steady expansion of Christian numbers was one significant factor in the decline of traditional religious institutions during that period (see p. 168). In 272 the Church even called in the Emperor Aurelian for legal support in a long-running effort to evict the obstinate deposed Bishop of Antioch, Paul of Samosata, who had refused to end his occupation of the cathedral church complex in Antioch: the first recorded imperial intervention in Christian affairs. Nevertheless there followed the most serious bout of persecution yet, designed to wipe out Christianity in the empire, led by the reforming Emperor Diocletian.
From Moral Man and Immoral Society: A Study in Ethics and Politics (1932)
Though he claims absolute truth for them, they are conditioned by peculiar circumstances, as all convictions are. If comfortable people are too complacent, he may be too desperate to see all the relevant facts. Since he stands more completely outside of modern civilisation than any other group, his perspective is relatively better than that of any other. But since he stands outside, he may fail to recognise some rational and redemptive forces in society which must be taken into account. If we accept his social vision as society’s legitimate goal, we ought nevertheless to scrutinise his means of attaining the goal with critical judgment. Society needs greater equality, not only to advance but to survive; and the basis of inequality is the disproportion of power in society. In the recognition of the goal of equal justice and in the analysis of the roots of present injustice the proletarian sees truly. But whether the means he intends to employ are the only possible means, as he thinks, or whether they are the most efficacious which an intelligent and realistic society could devise, is another question. His own belief that he has, in Marxism, an absolutely authoritative philosophy of history and an equally absolute and valid technique of social change must be placed in the category of religious overbeliefs rather than that of scientific truths. His confidence in the inevitability of revolution and the efficacy of violence may have a measure of truth; but the truth in it may not be as convincing or as unqualified as he imagines. It must be subjected to careful analysis. Such an analysis necessarily involves the consideration of other alternatives. The question which confronts society is how it can eliminate social injustice by methods which offer some fair opportunity of abolishing what is evil in our present society, without destroying what is worth preserving in it, and without running the risk of substituting new abuses and injustices in the place of those abolished. That question raises two issues which the proletarian is not willing to consider. From his perspective there is nothing good in modern society which deserves preservation. In his mood he is not inclined to worry about the future. Like all desperate men he can afford to be romantic about it. CHAPTER SEVEN — JUSTICE THROUGH REVOLUTIONTHE disillusioning consequences of the World War, the inability of the nations to extricate themselves from the financial and defensive burdens which the war left them as an unholy legacy, the comparative failure of the peace machinery devised to prevent future conflicts, the world depression and the consequent misery and insecurity of millions of workers in every land, and finally the dramatic success of the Russian Revolution, all these factors have made the despised political philosophy of rebellious helots, the great promise and the great peril of the political life of the Western world. It no longer expresses merely the political conviction of advanced proletarians.
From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)
Objection 6: Further, it is written (Mat. 27:55,56): “There were there”—that is, by the cross of Christ—“many women afar off, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto Him; among whom was Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.” Now this Mary who is called “the mother of James and Joseph” seems to have been also the Mother of Christ; for it is written (Jn. 19:25) that “there stood by the cross of Jesus, Mary His Mother.” Therefore it seems that Christ’s Mother did not remain a virgin after His Birth. On the contrary, It is written (Ezech. 44:2): “This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall pass through it; because the Lord the God of Israel hath entered in by it.” Expounding these words, Augustine says in a sermon (De Annunt. Dom. iii): “What means this closed gate in the House of the Lord, except that Mary is to be ever inviolate? What does it mean that ‘no man shall pass through it,’ save that Joseph shall not know her? And what is this—‘The Lord alone enters in and goeth out by it’—except that the Holy Ghost shall impregnate her, and that the Lord of angels shall be born of her? And what means this—‘it shall be shut for evermore’—but that Mary is a virgin before His Birth, a virgin in His Birth, and a virgin after His Birth?” I answer that, Without any hesitation we must abhor the error of Helvidius, who dared to assert that Christ’s Mother, after His Birth, was carnally known by Joseph, and bore other children. For, in the first place, this is derogatory to Christ’s perfection: for as He is in His Godhead the Only-Begotten of the Father, being thus His Son in every respect perfect, so it was becoming that He should be the Only-begotten son of His Mother, as being her perfect offspring. Secondly, this error is an insult to the Holy Ghost, whose “shrine” was the virginal womb [*”Sacrarium Spiritus Sancti” (Office of B. M. V., Ant. ad Benedictus, T. P.)], wherein He had formed the flesh of Christ: wherefore it was unbecoming that it should be desecrated by intercourse with man. Thirdly, this is derogatory to the dignity and holiness of God’s Mother: for thus she would seem to be most ungrateful, were she not content with such a Son; and were she, of her own accord, by carnal intercourse to forfeit that virginity which had been miraculously preserved in her. Fourthly, it would be tantamount to an imputation of extreme presumption in Joseph, to assume that he attempted to violate her whom by the angel’s revelation he knew to have conceived by the Holy Ghost. We must therefore simply assert that the Mother of God, as she was a virgin in conceiving Him and a virgin in giving Him birth, did she remain a virgin ever afterwards.
From Mystical Tradition: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (2008)
Outline I. Islam emphasizes the unity of God and the unity of the umma (Muslim community), but like other historical religions, it has experienced internal divisions. A. The Sunni tradition, to which 8590 percent of Muslims worldwide adhere, has several distinct schools of Shari’ah to make appropriate legal determinations related to striving in the way of Allah. 1. The Maliki (8 th century), centered in Medina, emphasizes the Hadith for the establishment of the Sunna. 2. The Hanafi (8 th century) centered in Kufa, Iran, emphasizes qiyas, that is, reasoning from analogy. 3. The Shafi’i (9 th century), centered in Mecca, Baghdad, and Cairo and accepted by the majority of the Sunni tradition, is the most complex legal system, encompassing the Qur’an, Hadith, qiyas, and ijma’ (the principle of consensus). 4. The Hanbali (9 th century) is a conservative reaction that restricts the Sunna to Qur’an and Hadith; its contemporary importance stems from its adoption by the Wahhabi reform movement of the 19 th century. B. The most fundamental and important conflict is that between the Sunni tradition and the Shi’a (meaning “party” or “sect”). The ©2008 The Teaching Company. 112
From Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty (1999)
64. symmetrical flowers: A. P. Moller and M. Eriksson, “Patterns of fluctuating asymmetry in flowers: Implications for sexual selection in plants,” Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 7, 1994, 97–113. A. P. Moller, “Bumblebee preference for symmetrical flowers,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 92, 1995, 2288–2292. 65. symmetry … as a measure for overall fitness: See R. Thornhill and A. P. Moller, “Developmental stability, disease, and medicine,” Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, 72, 1997, 497–548. 66. review of sixty-two studies of forty-one species: A. P. Moller and R. Thornhill, “Bilateral symmetry and sexual selection: A meta-analysis,” American Naturalist, 151, 1998, 174–192. 67. symmetry and number of partners: R. Thornhill and S. W. Gangestad, “Human fluctuating asymmetry and sexual behavior,” Psychological Science, 5, 1994, 297–302. 68. symmetry and orgasm: R. Thornhill, S. W. Gangestad, and R. Comer, “Human female orgasm and mate fluctuating asymmetry,” Animal Behavior, 50, 1995, 1601–1615. 69. breast asymmetry: A. P. Moller, M. Soler, and R. Thornhill, “Breast asymmetry, sexual selection, and human reproductive success,” Ethology and Sociobiology, 15, 1995, 207–219. 70. symmetry and ovulation: D. Scutt and J. T. Manning, “Symmetry and ovulation in women,” Human Reproduction, 11, 1996, 2477–2480. 71. breasts: For an insightful history of how the breast has been perceived in the Western world, see Marilyn Yalom, A History of the Breast (New York: Alfred Knopf, 1997). 72. “visitor of another species”: John Steinbeck, The Wayward Bus (New York: Viking Press, 1947), p. 5. 73. breasts as deceptive: B. S. Low, R. D. Alexander, K. M. Noonan, “Human hips, breasts and buttocks: Is fat deceptive?” Ethology and Sociobiology, 8, 1986, 249–257. 74. review of hypotheses about breasts: See T. M. Caro, “Human breasts: Unsupported hypotheses,” Human Evolution, 2, 1987, 271–282. T. M. Caro and D. W. Sellen, “The reproductive advantages of fat in women,” Ethology and Sociobiology, 11, 1990, 51–66. 75. sports bras: “The turbulent world of swimming (designing swimsuits that reduce drag that comes from having breasts),” Economist, June 7, 1997, p. 82. 76. breasts to shift the male interest to the front: See Desmond Morris, The Naked Ape (New York: McGraw Hill, 1967). 77. breasts sexy only in young women: Donald Symons, personal communication. 78. implants: See Geoffrey Cowley, “Silicone: Juries vs. Science,” Newsweek, November 13, 1995, p. 75. Denise Grady, “Cosmetic breast enlargements are making a comeback,” New York Times, July 21, 1998, p. C7. 79. sex differences in WHR: M. Rebuffe-Scrive, “Regional adipose tissue metabolism in men and in women during menstrual cycle, pregnancy, lactation, and menopause,” International Journal of Obesity, 11, 1987, 347–355. Y. Tahara, N. Tsunawake, K. Yukawa, N. Yamaski, K. Nishiyama, H. Urata, K. Katsuno, and Y. Fukuyama, “Sex differences in interrelationships between percent body fat (%fat) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in healthy male and female adults,” Annals of Physiological Anthropology, 13, 1994, 293–301.
From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. But as the two had asked carnally, so now the ten are grieved carnally. For as to seek to be above all is blame-worthy, so to have another above us is mortifying to our vanity. JEROME. But the meek and lowly Master neither charges the two with ambition, nor rebukes the ten for their spleen and jealousy; but, Jesus called them unto him. CHRYSOSTOM. By thus calling them to Him, and speaking to them face to face, he sooths them in their discomposure; for the two had been speaking with the Lord apart by themselves. But not now as before does He it by bringing forward a child, but He proves it to them by reasoning from contraries; Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them. ORIGEN. That is, not content merely to rule over their subjects, they are severe and oppressive. But among you who are Mine these things shall not be so; for as all carnal things are done by compulsion, but spiritual things by free-will, so those rulers who are spiritual ought to rest their power in the love of their subjects, not in their fears. CHRYSOSTOM. He shews here that it is of the Gentiles to desire preeminence; and by this comparison of the Gentiles He calms their troubled souls.
10–11, 15 The first step in containing the radical abnegation of Didache 1:2b–5a is to interpret it with Didache 1:5b–6. The four injunctions in Didache 1:4 are prefaced with the command to “keep away from fleshly and bodily attachments,” but the fourth is surely the hardest of all. Indeed, the command to give without return incorporates the three preceding ones. If one were able to do that, then turning the other cheek, giving the other garment, or going the other mile would hardly be too difficult. That final injunction is also the only one of the four that is securely present in the Common Sayings Tradition, as evidenced by both the Q Gospel and the Gospel of Thomas: [Jesus said], “If you have money, do not lend it at interest. Rather, give [it] to someone from whom you will not get it back.” (Gospel of Thomas 95:1–2) Notice how the second half of that aphorism is much more radical than the first one. That same duality of more and less radical reappears in Q Gospel 6:30 as given by Luke but not by Matthew: Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. (Luke 6:30) Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:42) In Matthew both halves say the same thing, but in Thomas and Luke the second half is much more radical than the first. In Didache 1:4b–5a it is the reverse: the first half is the more radical one. And it is precisely this second or less radical pan that receives a detailed gloss in Didache 1:5b–6. That move from 1:4b through 1:53 to 1:5b–6 indicates how the Didache’s community understood and practiced this hard commandment of total self-desfoliation. I give the text of Didache 1:5–6 (Milavec 1989:92, slightly adapted) in parallel with another early Christian version of that “rule” (entol [image "image" file=Image00032.jpg] ) and commentary, from Mandate 2 of the Shepherd of Hermas , dated from Rome around the year 100 C.E (Lake 2.73): Didache 1:5a–6 Shepherd of Hermas , Mandate 2:4–7 [A] Give to every person who asks anything of you and do not make any counter-demands, for the Father wishes that his goods be shared with everyone . [A] Do good, and of all your toil which God gives you, give in simplicity to all who need, not doubting to whom you shall give and to whom not: give to all, for to all God wishes gifts to be made of his own bounties . [B] Blessed is the one who gives according to this rule (entol [image "image" file=Image00032.jpg] ) , for that one is blameless. [C] He therefore who gives is innocent; for as he received from the Lord the fulfillment of this ministry, he fulfilled it in simplicity, not doubting to whom he should give or not give. Therefore this ministry fulfilled in simplicity was honourable before God.
From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)
On the contrary, Jerome writing against Vigilantius addresses him thus: “For thou sayest that the souls of the apostles and martyrs have taken up their abode either in Abraham’s bosom or in the place of refreshment, or under the altar of God, and that they are unable to visit their graves when they will. Wouldst thou then lay down the law for God? Wouldst thou put the apostles in chains, imprison them until the day of judgment, and forbid them to be with their lord, them of whom it is written: They follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth? And if the Lamb is everywhere, therefore we must believe that those also who are with Him are everywhere.” Therefore it is absurd to say that the souls of the departed do not leave their abode. Further, Jerome argues as follows: “Since the devil and the demons wander throughout the whole world, and are everywhere present with wondrous speed, why should the martyrs, after shedding their blood be imprisoned and unable to go forth?” Hence we may infer that not only the good sometimes leave their abode, but also the wicked, since their damnation does not exceed that of the demons who wander about everywhere. Further, the same conclusion may be gathered from Gregory (Dial. iv), where he relates many cases of the dead having appeared to the living.
From Martin Luther (2016)
Part of the difficulty that Luther would find as he trod this well-worn path was that God the Father and Jesus the Son were both principally thought of as fierce judges. So the role of comforter fell to Mary, the human one who understood us and our trials, the soft mother full of grace who could protect her beloved child from harsh and unyielding men. Although Christian doctrine had always clearly taught that Jesus himself had been fully human, and could therefore understand and sympathize with our trials and sufferings and temptations, the reality of church life at this point in history was that this part of Jesus had mostly been ignored, so that he was now thought of as every bit as distant and remote and terrible as God the Father ever had been. So only Mary, his entirely human mother, could comfort us. And not only that, but she could appeal to her harsh and perhaps indifferent son as only a dear mother could. Similarly, the faithful frequently appealed to the saints to understand human difficulties, again feeling that by dint of their humanity, they were closer to us than Jesus, who might technically have been human but who we knew was actually God. The saints would therefore be more patient with us and more desirous of helping us, and perhaps the implication was also that they had more time on their hands than God himself, who was far too busy running the vast universe to be bothered with our insignificant concerns. This way of thinking was in fact as heretical as saying that God was the devil, but it was not seen as such at the time. This infinitely significant error was simply glossed over and ignored.
From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)
But this is unreasonable in many ways. Firstly, because it comes to the same that a form can be produced in another matter, or that it can cease to be in its proper matter; wherefore all things that can be generated are corruptible, and conversely. Now it is manifest that the human form can cease to exist in this (particular) matter which is its subject: else the human body would not be corruptible. Consequently it can begin to exist in another matter, so that something else be changed into true human nature. Secondly, because in all beings whose entire matter is contained in one individual there is only one individual in the species: as is clearly the case with the sun, moon and such like. Thus there would only be one individual of the human species. Thirdly, because multiplication of matter cannot be understood otherwise than either in respect of quantity only, as in things which are rarefied, so that their matter increases in dimensions; or in respect of the substance itself of the matter. But as long as the substance alone of matter remains, it cannot be said to be multiplied; for multitude cannot consist in the addition of a thing to itself, since of necessity it can only result from division. Therefore some other substance must be added to matter, either by creation, or by something else being changed into it. Consequently no matter can be multiplied save either by rarefaction as when air is made from water; or by the change of some other things, as fire is multiplied by the addition of wood; or lastly by creation. Now it is manifest that the multiplication of matter in the human body does not occur by rarefaction: for thus the body of a man of perfect age would be more imperfect than the body of a child. Nor does it occur by creation of flesh matter: for, according to Gregory (Moral. xxxii): “All things were created together as to the substance of matter, but not as to the specific form.” Consequently the multiplication of the human body can only be the result of the food being changed into the true human nature. Fourthly, because, since man does not differ from animals and plants in regard to the vegetative soul, it would follow that the bodies of animals and plants do not increase through a change of nourishment into the body so nourished, but through some kind of multiplication. Which multiplication cannot be natural: since the matter cannot naturally extend beyond a certain fixed quantity; nor again does anything increase naturally, save either by rarefaction or the change of something else into it. Consequently the whole process of generation and nourishment, which are called “natural forces,” would be miraculous. Which is altogether inadmissible.
From The Erotic Mind (1995)
Concentrate first on the steps that capture your attention or evoke strong emotions. It is wise to consider any strong response, positive or negative, as a signal to look closely—if not now, then later. Don’t worry about why you’re drawn to one step or another. The key is to establish a high degree of personal involvement, and the best way to do that is to follow your natural inclinations. Later you can always take a second look at the steps that didn’t particularly interest you the first time through. They may gradually take on new meaning as you grow. These steps are synergistic—their combined effect is much more powerful than the effect of any single step. As you become engaged in any step, your involvement will have a ripple effect. Lessons learned from one step easily carry over to all the others. Also keep in mind that these are not the types of steps that require you to complete one before moving on to the next. Each step launches an odyssey that is never completely finished. A WORD ABOUT AA AND THE TWELVE STEPSIf you’re currently in a twelve-step program you may be concerned about whether the seven steps described in this chapter might conflict with your recovery. I’ve worked with dozens of people who have used the seven steps as beneficial supplements to the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous or similar self-help groups. Many people in recovery have no idea how to recognize and cope with the erotic dimensions of sobriety, a topic rarely discussed at meetings. The seven steps are useful because they’re specifically designed to promote sexual growth and healing. If you’re benefiting from a twelve-step program for a chemical addiction and also struggling with self-defeating sexual behaviors, you might wonder if programs such as Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA), Sexual Compulsives Anonymous (SCA), or Sexaholics Anonymous (SA) might help. Although their social support and emphasis on spiritual renewal can be valuable, the disappointing fact is that these groups are among the least successful of all twelve-step programs. Many participants are discouraged by the unending litany of “slips” and by how few people have found comfort with their sexuality—so different from AA, where role models for long-term recovery are plentiful. Without becoming disillusioned about the wisdom of the twelve steps, it’s important to understand why an approach that’s so helpful for substance addiction may not be the solution for your erotic conflicts. Erotic problems often involve compulsive repetitions and obviously have many features in common with chemical addictions, most notably an inability to modify behaviors despite negative consequences. Whereas recovering addicts completely sever the relationship with their drug of choice in order to find themselves, a person driven by sexual impulses can never sever the relationship with his or her eroticism.
From The Vagina Bible (2019)
Tan, D.A., Haththotuwa, R., Fraser, I.S. Cultural aspects and mythologies surrounding menstruation and abnormal uterine bleeding. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol 2017; 40: 121–133. Chapters 18 and 19: Menopause and Treating GSM Hawkins, S.M., Matzuk, M.M. Menstrual cycle: Basic biology. Ann NY Acad Sci. 2008; 1135: 10–18. Suh, D.D., Yang, C.C., Cao, Y., Garland, P.A., Maravilla, K.R. Magnetic resonance imagine anatomy of the female genitalia in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. The Journal of Urology 2003; 170, 138–144. Management of symptomatic vulvovaginal atrophy: 2013 position statement of the North American Menopause Society. Menopause 2013; 20: 888–902. Lindau, S.T., Dude, A., Gavrilova, N., Hoffman, J.N., Schumm, L.P., McClintock, M.A. Prevalence and correlates of vaginal estrogenization in postmenopausal women in the United States. Menopause 2017 24; 5, 536–545. Leiblum, S., Bachmann, G., Kemmann, E., Colburn, D., Swartzman, L. The importance of sexual activity and hormones. JAMA 1983; 249: 2195–2198 Rahn, D.D., Carberry, C., Sanses, T.V., et al. Vaginal estrogen for genitourinary syndrome of menopause. A systemic review. Obstet Gynecol 2014; 124; 5: 1147–1156. Hickey, M., Szabo, R.A., Hunter, M.S. Non-hormonal treatments for menopausal symptoms. BMJ 2017; 359 ACOG. Committee opinion no. 659 The use of vaginal estrogen in women with a history of estrogen-dependent cancer, March 2016. Chapter 20: Cannabis Di Blasio, A.M., Vignali, M., Gentilini, D. The endocannabinoid pathway and the female reproductive organs. J Molec Edocrinol 2013; 50, R1–9. Klein, K., Hill, M.N., Chang, S.C.H., Hillard, C.J., Gorzalka, B.B. Circulating endocannabinoid concentrations and sexual arousal in women. J Sex Med 2012; 9: 1588–1601. Beigi, R.H., Meyn, L.A., Moore, D.M., Krohn, M.A., Hillier, S.L. Vaginal yeast colonization in nonpregnant women: A longitudinal study. Obstet Gynecol 2004; 104: 926–30. Blumstein, G.W., Parsa, A., Park, A., et al. Effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on mouse resistance to systemic candida albicans infection. PLOS ONE 9(7): e103288. Chapter 21: Contraception Hormonal contraceptive eligibility for women at high risk of HIV. Guidance statement. Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization. Chassot, F., Negri, M.F.N., Svidzinski, A.E., et al. Can intrauterine contraceptive devices be a Candida albicans reservoir? Contraception 2008; 77: 355–359. Brooks, J.P., Edwards, D.J., Blithe, D.L., et al. Effects of combined oral contraceptives, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, and the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system on the vaginal microbiome. Contraception 2017; 95: 405–413. Bahamondes, M.V., Castro, S., Marchi, N.M., et al. Human vaginal histology in long-term users of the injectable contraceptive depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate. Contraception 2014; 90: 117–122. Chapter 22: Antibiotics and Probiotics Morovic, W., Hibberd, A.A., Zabel, B., Barrangou, R., Stahl, B. Genotyping by PCR and high-throughput sequencing of commercial probiotic products reveals composition biases. Front Microbiol 7:1747. Genome Medicine 2016; 8: 52: 1–11. Kristensen, N.B., Bryrup, T., Allin, K.H., Nielsen, T., Hansen, T.H., Pedersen, O. Alterations on fecal microbiota composition by probiotic supplementation in healthy adults: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. De Seta, F., Schmidt, M., Vu, B., Essmann, M., Larsen, B. Antifungal mechanisms supporting boric acid therapy of Candida vaginitis. J Antimicrob Chemother 2009; 63: 325–36.
From History of the Christian Church: The Complete Set of Eight Volumes (1858)
This collection is much more accurate, complete, and better arranged (especially in the Epistles) than the older collection of Dr. Giles (Sanctus Thomas Cantuariensis, London, 1845–1846, 8 vols., reprinted in Migne’s Patrologia, Tom. 190), and the Quadrilogus or Historia Quadripartita (Lives by four contemporary writers, composed by order of Pope Gregory XI., first published, 1495, then by L. Christian Lupus or Wolf, Brussels, 1682, and Venice, 1728). Thómas Saga Erkibyskups. A Life of Archb. Th. Becket in Icelandic, with Engl. transl., notes, and glossary, ed. by Eiríkr Magnússon. London, 1875, and 1883, 2 vols. Part of the "Chronicles and Memorials," above quoted. Garnier of Pont Sainte-Maxence: La Vie de St. Thomas le martir. A metrical life, in old French, written between 1172 and 1174, published by Hippeau, and more recently by Professor Bekker, Berlin, 1844, and Paris, 1859. The Life And Martyrdom Of Thomas Becket by Robert of Gloucester. Ed. By W. H. Black. London, 1845 (p. 141). A Biography In Alexandrine verse, written in the thirteenth century. II. Modern Works: — Richard Hurrell Froude (one of the originators of the Oxford Anglo-Catholic movement, d. 1836): Remains. London, 1838, 4 vols. The second vol., part II., contains a history of the contest between Thomas à Becket and Henry II., in vindication of the former. He was assisted by J. H. (late Cardinal) Newman. A. F. Ozanam: Deux Chanceliers d’Angleterre, Bacon de Verulam et Saint Thomas de Cantorbéry. Paris, 1836. J. A. Giles: The Life And Letters Of Thomas à Becket. London, 1846, 2 vols. F. J. Buss (Rom. Cath.): Der heil. Thomas und sein Kampf für die Freiheit der Kirche. Mainz, 1856. John Morris (Rom. Cath. Canon of Northampton): The Life and Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. London, 1859. *James Craigie Robertson: Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. London, 1859. Accurate, but unfavorable to Becket. *Edw. A. Freeman: St. Thomas of Canterbury and his Biographers. A masterly article in the "National Review" for April, 1860, reprinted in his "Historical Essays," London, 1871, pp. 99–114. Comp. the summary in his History of the Norman Conquest, V. 660 sqq., and his articles against Froude, noticed below. *James Anthony Froude: Life and Times of Thomas Becket. First published in "The Nineteenth Century" for 1877, then in book form, London and New York, 1878 (pp. 160). Against the Roman and Anglo-Catholic overestimate of St. Thomas. This book is written in brilliant style, but takes a very unfavorable view of Becket (opposite to that of his elder brother, R. H. Froude), and led to a somewhat personal controversy with Professor Freeman, who charged Froude with habitual inaccuracy, unfairness, and hostility to the English Church, in, "The Contemporary Review" for 1878 (March, April, June, and September). Froude defended himself in "The Nineteenth Century" for April, 1879, pp. 618–637, to which Freeman replied in Last Words on Mr. Froude, in "The Contemporary Review" for May, 1879, pp. 214–236. *R. A. Thompson: Thomas Becket, Martyr, London, 1889.—A. S. Huillier: St. Thomas de Cantorbèry, 2 vols., Paris, 1892. *Edwin A.
From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)
Reply to the Eighteenth Objection. The faith of Peter and Andrew is commended on account of their readiness to believe: and this was all the more enhanced as they needed fewer reasons for believing; and miracles by their very nature are to be reckoned among these reasons. Reply to the Nineteenth Objection. Faith is not a sufficient cause of working miracles, but a disposition thereto. And miracles are wrought according to the ordering of divine providence, which gives men suitable remedies for various causes and in many ways. Q. VI: ARTICLE X ARE DEMONS FORCED TO WORK MIRACLES BY SENSIBLE AND CORPOREAL OBJECTS, DEEDS OR WORDS?THE tenth point of inquiry is whether demons by sensible and corporeal objects, deeds, or words, be forced to work the miracles that seem to be wrought by magic: and seemingly they can. 1. Augustine (De Civ. Dei x, 9) quotes Porphyry as saying that a certain man in Chaldea was seized with envy and by adjuring the spiritual powers, bound them with his imprecations not to grant the prayers of any other. And (ibid. 21) he says: Unless the demons first gave the information, it was not possible to know what any one of them desired or disliked, by what name he was to be invoked or compelled. Therefore demons are compelled to produce magical effects. 2. Whosoever does a thing against his will is in some way compelled. Now demons sometimes do a thing against their will when they are adjured by magicians. Thus it is always the devil’s will to lead men into sin: and yet a man may be incited to base love by magic, and by the same art may be freed from the violence of the incitement. Therefore demons are compelled by magicians. 3. It is related of Solomon that he performed certain exercises and thereby compelled the demons to quit bodies that were obsessed by them. Therefore demons can be compelled by adjuration. 4. If demons come when evoked by a magician this is because they are either enticed or compelled. But they are not always evoked by being enticed: since sometimes they are adjured through things they hate, for instance through the virginity of the imprecator, whereas they themselves are ever inciting men to concubinage. Therefore seemingly they are sometimes compelled. 5. It is the devil’s constant aim to turn man away from God. Nevertheless they obey the summons when they are adjured through things that imply that they revere God, for instance by invoking God’s majesty. Therefore they do this not willingly but under compulsion.
From A History of Christianity (1976)
Royal Historical Society (1974). 4 Prophecy influenced the Italian expedition of Charles VIII, who saw himself as a ‘second Charlemagne’. Luther identified his protector, Frederick of Saxony, as ‘the good Third Frederick’. Charles V was seen as ‘the good King who will chastise the church’. Columbus compiled a collection of prophesies about the restoration of the Age of Gold, a common humanist preoccupation. New geographical discoveries, and inventions like printing, were quickly fitted into the old prophetic systems. See Marjorie Reeves, The Influence of Prophecy in the Later Middle Ages: a Study in Joachimism (Oxford, 1969). Part Five 1 Protestantism owed its survival to the Turks. The Habsburgs put the defence of Hungary before the suppression of Protestants. The Protestants knew this and exploited the ebb and flow of Ottoman aggression to win concessions. ‘The consolidation, expansion and legitimizing of Lutheranism in Germany by 1555 should be attributed to Ottoman imperialism more than to any other factor’. Stephen A. Fischer-Galati, Ottoman Imperialism and German Protestantism, 1521–55 (Harvard, 1959). 2 One of those who protested, under a pseudonym, was David Joris: the true Church, he wrote, ‘is not the one that persecutes but the one that is persecuted’. He died peacefully in Basle in 1556, but three years later his secret was discovered and the Basle Protestants employed all the rites prescribed by the Inquisition for posthumous judicial procedure. Felix Platter left an eye-witness account: ‘In the Square of the Franciscans, stood a bier with the dug-up corpse. Faggots were heaped up in front of the Steinenthor, the usual place of executions; there the executioner placed the coffin, and after it was smashed up the dead man could be seen, dressed in a cheap cloak and a pointed velvet cap, trimmed with scarlet. The corpse was quite well preserved and still recognisable.’ 3 An unpublished contemporary life of Ximenes noted: ‘Antonio de Nebrija dwelt at the printing-press at Alcala, and often when the Cardinal passed by the road to the College he went to the press and spent a short time talking with him in the street while Antonio was at the window. It was agreed between the Cardinal and his friend
euphoria-causing chemicals of marijuana: Aaron Rowe, “Chem lab: Sea urchin eggs plus marijuana equal amazing new drugs,” Wired Science, November 4, 2007, http://www.wired.com/2007/11/chem-lab-hybrid. good food gets sea urchins in the mood: K. Reuter and D. R. Levitan, “Influence of sperm and phytoplankton on spawning in the echinoid Lytechinus variegatus,” Biol. Bull. 219(2010): 198–206. linking leafy greens and sex: K. Annabelle Smith, “When lettuce was a sacred sex symbol,” Smithsonian, July 16, 2013, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/when-lettuce-was-a-sacred-sex-symbol-12271795/?no-ist. both males and females are equally dependent on chance: Don R. Levitan, “Density-dependent sexual selection in external fertilizers: Variances in male and female fertilization success along the continuum from sperm limitation to sexual conflict in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanus,” American Naturalist 164(3) (2004): 298–309. using these very old but still-kicking: D. R. Levitan, “Contemporary evolution of sea urchin gamete-recognition proteins: Experimental evidence of density-dependent gamete performance predicts shifts in allele frequencies over time,” Evolution 66 (2012): 1722–1736. Abalone off the West Coast of the United States: I turned to abalone expert Dr. Kristin Gruenthal for insight into reproduction and conservation management of this species during a phone interview, March 20, 2013. Allee effects: Joanna Gascoigne et al., “Dangerously few liaisons: A review of mate-finding Allee effects.” Population Ecology 51(3) (209): 355–372, doi:10.1007/s10144-009-0146-4. we are raging sex addicts: Human sexual activity frequency from Kinsey Institute, http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/resources/FAQ.html. they spawn at slightly different times: N. Fogarty et al., “Asymmetric conspecific sperm precedence in relation to spawning times in the Montastraea annularis species complex (Cnidaria: Scleractinia),” Journal of Evolutionary Biology 25 (2012): 2481–2488. it’s the gusto of the frank sperm: Dr. Fogarty provided additional details regarding the process of coral spawning and fertilization in an interview on February 5, 2013, and follow-up e-mails. genetic factors and density: Don R. Levitan et al., “Genetic, spatial and temporal components of precise spawning synchrony in reef building corals of the Montastraea annularis species complex,” Evolution 65(5) (2011): 1254–1270. $375 billion annually: R. Costanza et al., “The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital,” Nature 387 (1997): 253–260. Act III: Post-Climax the more gelatinous, slimy, and microbial in nature: Dr. Jeremy B. C. Jackson, my PhD adviser, has written extensively about what he calls “the rise of slime,” whereby human interactions with the oceans are creating an environment more like the ancient primordial sea: great for life forms such as jellyfish, not so great for the species we tend to rely upon and favor most. and find accommodation: In a nod to Rachel Carson, who writes in the closing chapter of Silent Spring: “Only by taking account of such life forces and by cautiously seeking to guide them into channels favorable to ourselves can we hope to achieve a reasonable accommodation between the insect hordes and ourselves.” Chapter Eight: Turning Up the Sex Drive
The first of these Mem-systems likely establishes associations based on simultaneity, while subsequent systems organize the same material according to other principles, such as similarity or other forms of correlation. These later systems might represent more complex relationships, like patterns or analogies. Attempting to describe the full psychological significance of such a system in words is inherently challenging. Its defining feature would lie in the depth of its connections to the raw material of memory. If we seek a deeper theoretical understanding, we might consider the varying levels of resistance to the flow of excitation toward these memory elements as a key factor in their functioning. Here, we may note a general observation that could hold significant importance. The P-system, which lacks the ability to preserve changes and therefore has no memory, is responsible for providing the full range of sensory qualities to our consciousness. In contrast, our memories are inherently unconscious, even those most deeply imprinted. While memories can be brought into consciousness, they exert their influence predominantly in the unconscious state. Our character, for instance, is fundamentally shaped by the memory traces of impactful experiences, especially those from early childhood— impressions that rarely, if ever, surface in conscious awareness. When memories do become conscious, they exhibit little or no sensory quality compared to direct perceptions. If it can indeed be demonstrated that memory and sensory quality are mutually exclusive within the Ψ-systems as they relate to consciousness, this would offer a profound and promising insight into how neural excitation is organized and determined. What we have proposed regarding the structure of the psychic apparatus at its sensory end stands independently of dreams and the psychological insights derived from them. However, dreams provide crucial evidence for understanding another part of this apparatus. In examining dream formation, we found it impossible to fully explain the process without assuming the existence of two distinct psychic components. One component performs actions, while the other critically evaluates those actions, often leading to the exclusion of certain elements from consciousness. This interplay between the two components is essential for understanding the mechanisms behind dream formation. We have observed that the critical instance has a closer relationship with consciousness than the instance it critiques. The critical instance acts as a kind of screen, standing between the other instance and consciousness. Furthermore, we have identified compelling reasons to associate this critical instance with the part of the psyche that governs waking life and directs voluntary, conscious actions.
From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)
The change from being in potency, in one who learns and receives instruction from another (who actually has learning and teaches) either should not be called a ‘being acted upon’ (as we have said), or there are two modes of alteration, one a change to a condition of privation, the other to possession and maturity. §§ 369-72 ST. THOMAS’S COMMENTARY LECTIO ELEVEN§ 358. Having explained how the sensitive faculties are both in act and in potency, the Philosopher now goes on to say how they are brought from potency into act. This he does in two parts: first distinguishing between act and potency, and between the diverse ways in which a thing may pass from one state to the other, taking his example from the intellect; and secondly, at ‘The first change in the sensitive being’, he applies all this to the case of sensation. As regards the first of these parts he does three things: (a) he states his intention; (b) he distinguishes, at ‘For there is such a thing as’, between act and potency in the intellect; and (c) he explains, at ‘Therefore the first two’ how what is potential, in both the two senses of the term which have been distinguished, becomes actual. First of all, then, he says he is about to discuss potency and act, in order to show the diverse ways in which things can be said to be actual or potential—because so far the two terms have been used ‘in one sense only’, i.e. without distinctions. § 359. Then at ‘For there is such a thing as’, he distinguishes act and potency in the intellect. We speak, he says, in one sense of potency when we say that man is a knower, referring to his natural capacity for knowledge. Man, we say, is one of that class of beings that know or have knowledge, meaning that his nature can know and form habits of knowing. In another sense, however, we say of someone that he knows, meaning that he knows certain definite things; thus we say of one who has the habit of some science—e.g. Grammar—that he is now one who knows. § 360. Now, obviously, in both cases the man’s capacities are implied by calling him a knower; but not in the same way in both cases. In the first case man is said to be ‘able’ through belonging to a certain genus or ‘matter’, i.e. his nature has a certain capacity that puts him in this genus, and he is in potency to knowledge as matter to its form. But the second man, with his acquired habit of knowing, is called ‘able’ because when he wishes he can reflect on his knowledge—unless, of course, he is accidentally prevented, e.g. by exterior preoccupations or by some bodily indisposition.