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Thomas Cotterill

~ Creativity, Writing, Philosophy, & Psychology

Thomas Cotterill

Tag Archives: emotionally important ideas

Experiencing Ideas as Authority or Terror

18 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by Thomas Cotterill in Philosophy, Psychology

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

anxiety problems, authentic self, Charles Williams, emotionally important ideas, existential angst, false persona, loss of self, religious beliefs

Sceptre, Orb, and Imperial Crown of Austria

You must regard your own emotionally important ideas with the respect due to proper authority. To be authentic, you must live by these defining and guiding ideas. (Photo: public domain)

Charles Williams was a British polymath combining considerable skills as a poet, novelist, theologian, and literary critic. He was also a valued member of the famed Inklings writing circle and a powerful influence on Narnia creator, C. S. Lewis. Williams’ most famous biographer is Alice Mary Hadfield who, during widely spaced periods in her life, wrote two perceptive critical biographies filled with useful insights concerning his life and work. One of her most revealing penetrations has a bearing on existentialism. Continue reading →

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Imagination Can Stimulate Will

21 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by Thomas Cotterill in Philosophy, Psychology

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Tags

authentic self, authentic will, emotionally important ideas, finding motivation, imagine freely, joy bliss delight and enchantment, mind's eye, pursuing self-realization

Phosphorescent Waves on a Maldives Beach at Night

Imagination can illuminate buried, forgotten, or neglected sources of joy and energize your life by putting will back into the picture.

I have written several posts about authentic will and illuminated its roots in the psyche. As a way of discovering what you will, I have put forward the idea of employing resonance. That is, look around for those things that stir feelings of joy, delight, bliss or enchantment and there you will find what you truly want (will). This is so, because what you see or experience is resonating with (stimulating) your emotionally important ideas, the origin of will. Notice that, while your will comes from within, what I am suggesting relies on external objects, situations, activities, and so on. Continue reading →

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The Ship as Metaphor for the Self

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by Thomas Cotterill in Philosophy, Psychology

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

authentic self, authentic will, emotionally important ideas, inner guide, making decisions, personal wisdom, self-discovery, self-realization

Square-rigged sailing vessel

Functional aspects of the authentic self may be compared to the working parts of an old-fashioned sailing ship. (Image freeclipartnow.com)

The authentic self comprises the unique set of our most potent and precious emotionally important ideas. We acquire the basics of these mental constructs as children when, through our behaviour, our genes interact with our physical and social environment. Their uniqueness is what makes us all natural individuals. (Yes, without even trying, if we can stay out of our own way.) Unless we make them conscious – and we can – these assorted emotionally important ideas live in the unconscious where they generate our true will. We are all born with the urge for self-realization and the capacities we want to fulfil are an integral part of the authentic self.

An old-fashioned sailboat or square-rigged ship makes a useful metaphor Continue reading →

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How Creative People Think

17 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by Thomas Cotterill in Creativity, Mind

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Tags

associative thinking, emotionally important ideas, flexible thinking, generating insights, hidden reality, logical thinking, personal worldview, selective thinking

Thoughtful Young Woman of Pompei

Creative people are both more flexible and more selective in the way they think.

Highly creative people are different from the average person. It is not that the typical man or woman on the street is not creative. It is just that the quality creator functions at a greater level of sophistication and (often) output.

Three factors make these creators stand out.

First, such people possess the ability to think profitably by a variety of means. Continue reading →

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Thomas Cotterill


I am a manic-depressive made philosophical by my long struggle with the disruptive mood disorder, during which I spent sixteen years living as a forest hermit. I write philosophical essays, fantasy, and science fiction. My attempt to integrate creativity, psychology, philosophy, and spirituality imbues everything I write. You will find hundreds of related essays and articles on my blog. I live quietly in British Columbia's scenic Fraser Valley, a beautiful place in which to wax philosophical.

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© Thomas Cotterill, 2012-19. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Cotterill with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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