There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.
– Martha Graham
The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools.
– Thucydides 460 B.C. – 395 B.C.
Notes
- Courage
- Élan vital
- Spiritedness
- vital impetus
- the brigde between reason and desire
- the unreflective striving to what is noble
- Thymus gland
- fire energy
- This video tries to convey the meaning of thumos by refering to the scene in "wolf of wallstreet" where DiCaprio and McConaughey meet. He describes it as meaning courage, vitality, spiritedness (in a biological sense so body-min are connect. no dualism but monism). So in a sense a body-min connection that if there, radiates a kind of intensity.
- I also like to think of thumos as a more specific force that needs an outlet. A wild force that can be channeled into activities.
- "thy will be done". not your will
- from Beyond Equilibrium: The Excessive Spirit of Thumos w/ Layman Pascal
- thestosteron is elevating what you find most valuable. Could be wisdom and vulnerability.
- social thumos vs biological thumos
- calls you to be seen https://youtu.be/wLDfv8uZpMA?t=1578
- sounds to me we are developing a access to thumos in a healthy way through authentic relating practices
Spiritual homework for developing thumos for robustness and a findablility
- For 30 days block out at least 30 minutes in your calendar and have a place where you can write uninterrupted.
- Write with the following intention: you are writing to invoke thumos in your body and in the bodies of whoever reads your words.
- When you find yourself drifting away from that intention, pause and find your way back to it. You are not going to know what words will come from you. Allow yourself to be surprised. Allow yourself to be afraid. Allow aliveness to fill your body.
- Write with two constraints: no paragraphs and all passages have to be under 200 words.
See
Links
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thumos
- https://thestoa.substack.com/p/thumos-anthropomorphized
- Paul Lee Explains the Thymus Thump
- The Thumos Breath w/ Steve Beattie
- Beyond Equilibrium: The Excessive Spirit of Thumos w/ Layman Pascal
- https://thestoa.substack.com/p/new-series-viewquake-book-club?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
- Hyperthymic temperament - Wikipedia