Definitions: (1) enjoying affectionate close contact; (2) holding tenderly; huggable

Quotes:
• I have learned that there is more power in a good strong hug than in a thousand meaningful words. — Ann Hood (1956-) American novelist
• Some of the strongest people you know are waiting to curl up in the right pair of arms and let out the sigh they’ve been holding in forever. —  Nitya Prakash (1988-) Indian write, consultant, & motivational speaker

Observation: Children need to be cuddled.
     See also: Huggable

Symbol: a teddy bear

Definitions: (1) capable of being supported; trustworthy; (2) worthy of confidence; reliable

Derivation: Latin, “believable”

Synonyms: axiomatic, foolproof, plausible

Quotes:
• To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful. — Edward Roscoe Murrow [born Egbert Roscoe Murrow] (1908–1965) American broadcast journalist
• A statement is persuasive and credible either because it is directly self-evident or because it appears to be proved from other statements that are so. — Aristotle (384-322 bc) Greek philosopher

Comment: Conventional credentials – diplomas, titles, lists of accomplishments, authorship, family ties, and children – give a person credibility. No matter what a person says they are going to do, who they are is evident in what they have done.
     Somebody might say he or she believes in certain positive qualities, and these intentions are valuable, but who they actually are and what they have in fact done, are a good measure of how well they will live up to their ideals. Values must be integrated with each other and embedded in a person’s soul; only then are they self-evident.

Definitions: (1) to bring into being; to originate; to cause to exist; (2) characterized by originality and execution of thought; (3) forming something new; inventive

Synonyms: generative, productive, resourceful

Balancing Qualities: Ability, Harmony, Practicality, Responsibility, Talented

Compatible Qualities: adaptability, devoted, dreaming, flexible, humorous, playful, whimsical

Familial and Consequential Qualities: Three qualities work well with creativity: curiosity, courage, and confidence.
     In order to be courageous, in the inventive sense, one needs a measure of curiosity. Curiosity creates the positive impetus to venture into an unknown situation. Your fear says there may also be difficulty in that place, but your inquisitiveness, your sense of wonder, can be your guiding light. How will this new experience relate to something I really want? What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it taste like? This is how curiosity leads to courage. Once you experience some courage, you become confident. Confidence allows you to commit to a course of action that surely will foster difficulty but also will lead to the accomplishment of your goal and many experiences of joy and growth. You are then literally becoming a new person.

People Who Exemplify This Quality:
There are different avenues and types of creativity.
• Imhotep (27th century BC) [Pyramid Builder]
• William Shakespeare (1564-1616) [Words]
• Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) [Music]
• Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) [Politics]
• Albert Einstein (1879-1955) [Math]
• Isadora Duncan (1877-1927) [Dance]
• Ieoh Ming [I. M.] Pei (1917-2019) [Architecture]
• Jonathan Winters (1925-2013) [Comedy]

Quotes:
• We are creators! And creators act. — Jacquelyn Small (~1950’s-) Transformers, the Therapists of the Future {1982}
• It is the creative potential itself in human beings that is the image of God. — Mary Daly (1928-2010) American theologian
• Creative thinking may simply mean the realization that there’s no particular virtue in doing things the way they have always been done. — Rudolf Flesch (1911-1986) Readability expert
• Why should we all use our creative power? Because there is nothing that makes people so generous, joyful, lively, bold, and compassionate. — Brenda Ueland (1891-1985) American writer
• Creating, I have concluded, is the best window to the universe I know. … If anything could truly change the face of our civilization, it is the creative process. — Robert Jordan Fritz (1943-) The Path of Least Resistance {1984}
     Notes:
• In Mr. Fritz’s quote one could substitute any favorite quality. Every quality is transformative.
• Fritz also says if you use your feelings as a standard of measurement, you will always gravitate toward what is familiar. But if you are creating something new, then by its very nature, your pursuit will be and therefore feel unfamiliar. If you cannot depend upon feelings, then it is the quality of wonder taking you forward.

Observation: One of the hardest parts of being original is getting outside of the existing paradigms, especially when the established prototype is a good one. If flapping birds are the only model, how can humans believe they can fly?

Tips:
• Fight destruction with creation.
• Use your natural and developed abilities in your creative endeavors.
• Conflict inhibits the creative function of the inner life. It is like a civil war in the personality. Be creative in resolving conflict.

Suggestions:
• Leaving all your options open is good at the outset, but it is deadly to finalizing a creation. Commit to a particular route and reduce the possibilities as you progress. The goal is a single point. Having a contingency, a Plan B if you fail, is reasonable, but having too many options is not workable.
• When that inner negative voice says you don’t have the money, you don’t have the will, you don’t have the ability – some of which is probably true – you are telling yourself you need to develop the qualities you do not possess. If you’ve got a grand idea, then go get the education, or the talent, or the backing. It takes courage to be creative.
• It takes time for the two sides of the creative process: absorption and execution. The fact that creativity ebbs and flows is a good reason to get the gifts of the muse down on paper, into a tape recorder, or onto a sketchbook when she is whispering in your ear.
     If you are bathing continuously in your creative juices, you will not have time for the realistic application of your creation. You need to project it, to three-dimensionalize it, to turn it into that which it needs to become. After the surge of the creative spark, return to the idea at a more normal time, and in a practical manner accept the challenge to enhance your idea. You will also re-stir your creativity when you go back to your sketch and see the flash of brilliance there, ready to be expanded from a simple notion into a concept and, finally, a substantive reality.

Symbols: 1) dance; 2) the spiral; 3) the storm; 4) a volcano; 5) Aries (The Zodiac); 6) the Minstrel (Tarot); 7) the mouth [speech]; 8) the spider [web spinning]; 9) weaving [warp = passive; woof = active]; 10) the letter ‘r’
     Note: Juan Eduardo Cirlot Laporta (1916-1973) in A Dictionary of Symbols {1962}, points out that the trilled r is onomatopoeic, alluding to thunder as the symbol of creative power. It is for this reason most verbs in almost all languages contain the letter r.

Mythological Figures: 1) Bel, the Father of the Babylonian gods, the creator of the world and all its people; 2) Osiris, the primary Egyptian deity, is the source of fruitfulness and life, the sum of all benefits, creator and god of the Nile

Theological Figures: Brahma {The Creator} [the supreme god in the Hindu Trimurti]; Ahura Mazda {The lord of light and wisdom} [the highest deity of worship in Zoroastrianism]; God by any other name

Definitions: (1) enjoying or affording warmth and ease; snug; (2) marked by the intimacy of the family or a close group

Parental Qualities: comfortable, homey

Quotes:
• Once upon a time there was a piece of wood. It was not an expensive piece of wood. Far from it. Just a common block of firewood, one of those thick, solid logs that are put on the fire in winter to make cold rooms cozy and warm. — Carlo Lorenzini [aka: Carlo Collodi] (1826 –1890) Italian humorist, The Adventures of Pinocchio {1883}
• There is a time for everything, and a season for every purpose under heaven. — The Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:1
     Note: In an entire life one will not do, or even want to experience, all of the possibilities. Some people are naturally adventurous and others keep their lives close to home. No matter the scope of life a foundation is key: a cozy domestic environment, a well-run office, an organized base camp …

Definitions: (1) polite, dignified, refined, or elegant; (2) pertaining to, or suitable for, the court of a sovereign; respectful

Quotes:
• There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supersedes all other courts. — Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian lawyer and peacemaker
• Love rules the court, the camp, the grove, and men below, and saints above: For love is heaven, and heaven is love. — Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) Scottish historian, poet, & playwright

Comment: Those in power in courts demand a certain conspicuous mannerliness. In the street this is known as common courtesy. Caring for the feelings and comfort of others is always appropriate.

Definitions: (1) having court-like manners; thoughtful of others; polite and gracious; (2) at minimum actively considerate and sometimes stately politeness

Synonyms: affable, attentive, civil,  comity, conciliating, obliging, respectful

Quotes:
• He who sows courtesy reaps friendship.— Saint Basil (329-379) Bishop of Cappadocia
• One of the most graceful of warriors is the robin. I know few prettier sights than two males challenging and curveting about each other upon the grass in early spring. Their attentions to each other are so courteous and restrained. — John Burroughs (1837–1921) American naturalist

Consideration: Common courtesy is the backbone of civilization. Simple consideration of others could easily be the foundation of a new world order.

Fictional Figure: Sir Calidore, a knight who typifies courtesy — Edmund Spenser (1552-1599) English poet, The Faërie Queene {1590}

Legendary Figure: Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew, famous for strength and courtesy

Definitions: (1) facing and dealing with anything recognized as difficult or painful instead of withdrawing from it; (2) that firmness of spirit that meets danger or hardship without fear; strength of character; (3) the quality of being mentally or morally brave; valorous; intrepid

Synonyms: bold, daring, dauntless, enterprising, gallant, hardy, heroic, pluck
     Courage implies firmness of mind and will in the face of danger or extreme difficulty; mettle suggests an ingrained capacity for meeting strain or difficulty with fortitude and resilience; resolution stresses firm determination to achieve one’s ends; spirit also suggests a quality of temperament enabling one to hold one’s own or keep one’s morale when opposed or threatened; tenacity adds to resolution implications of stubborn persistence.

Balancing Qualities: Compassionate, Confident, Curious, Farsighted, Kind, Open-minded

Compatible Qualities: appreciation, attentiveness, experience, flexibility, gratitude, humor, knowledge, preparedness, relaxation, strength, understanding
     NOTES:
• These compatible qualities may also be considered antidotes to fear either singly or in combination. Yet courage and boldness are not really antidotes to fear, they are more positive reaction mechanisms.
• If your focus is good enough, your attentiveness is good enough. You perceive the rattlesnake before it has a chance to bother you. Then you just take a wide path so you don’t even experience the fear because your attentiveness gives you an alternate path.
• You are not as afraid of the things you have already experienced.
• One of the greatest antidotes to fear is humor. When you experience fear, or if your intention is to be courageous, make sure there is a serious quantity of levity involved.
• To be prepared gives you a look into possible futures. If you are climbing a cliff, you may try a handhold but then decide it is a bad choice. This is acceptable as long as you have a good foothold, and your other hand is firmly set. Since you are securely positioned, you can see where your next handhold should be, therefore no fear is necessary.

Parental Qualities: discipline, wisdom

Familial Quality: encouraging

Too Far: Courage is the virtue of facing fear or danger. But excess courage is reckless and foolhardy. And deficiency of courage is cowardice. — Aristotle (384-322 bc) The Nicomachean Ethics {340 bc}
     Note: Aristotle argued that each positive quality represented a golden mean between two negative extremes.

Quotes:
• There are worse things than dying. — Judith Mary Kain (1948-) American empath
• Courage is fear holding on a minute longer. — George S. Patton (1885-1945) American general
• Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. — Anaïs Nin (1903-1977) French-Cuban author
• One man with courage makes a majority. — Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) 7^th President of the United States
• Courage is the most important of all virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. — Maya Angelou (1928-2014) American poet
• With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity. — Dr. Keshavan Nair (1910-2005) Indian professor of surgery

Inspiration: Courage is infectious. It has the ability to buoy the courage of the less courageous.

Reflection: Any means or mechanism that protects you from fear is valuable because it works to some degree. You cannot expect to reach the most sophisticated and appropriate method in one huge leap. Once a technique is recognized as less than perfect, then it is time to face the next step and develop a more polished system for avoiding or facing fear.
     You may look back and say, “When I was a child, I was obedient, and therefore, I avoided fear because I was protected. When I was young, I would cower or run away, and therefore I avoided harm. When I was little older, I would intellectualize, and yet this was just another form of running away. But as I faced my fear, I became more courageous in the way I handled myself and my environment.”

Considerations:
• Courage has a lot to do with the willingness to go through fear. When you have an opportunity, you face the problem with choice: to either go through or not. That’s where the courage comes in.
• We each have a threshold of pain; we also have a threshold of conflict. No matter how well developed your threshold of conflict, you will create or encounter circumstances pushing that limit. Measure your success against your acceptance of, and management of, the conflicts you encounter. This includes reducing conflict by backing off. It also includes facing conflict with clarity and determination – not just willpower – but also finesse and creativity. One must have the energy and fortitude to fight, or the wisdom to hold back and prepare.
• In order to experience courage, you’re going to have to experience situations in which courage is a necessary element. This means difficulty.
     Courage comes into play if you need to leave something secure in favor of something adventurous, unknown, new, or exciting.
     One way of dealing with fear is giving up or releasing it. When you do, you let it pass through you – you accept it but do not embrace it. When you feel its grip, you may process it, or simply push on through it. Whatever you do, you have to control it before it can freeze your resolve.

Observations:
• The real problem with death is lack of faith.
• Fear of the unknown is the greatest of fears. Your own imagination can bring you to your knees. If it does, you may as well pray while you are down there.
• You may learn more from your failures than from your successes. Your failures give you the courage, the knowledge, and the will to change things enough to create success. That is your edge.

Comments:
• Did Rosa Parks generate the courage to sit in the front of the bus at the moment of the decision or was it a lifetime of building courage culminating in the defining moment of her life? It is possible for the former to be true, but more often the latter is the case.
• Fear is negative power, and yet there is a way to switch fear into positive power under your control. Focus on the energy as an object. If you are inside its field, then it has control of you; but if you are outside of it, then you can take possession of it and use it for your purpose.
     If you focus on what can be done or must be done, you can move forward. Test your limits. You may not overcome completely but even a little is progress.
     Accomplishments achieved enkindle enthusiasm and curiosity.

Colors: red, scarlet

Symbol: the sword

Definitions: (1) conforming with fact or logic; true; free from errors; accurate; right; (2) in accordance with acknowledged or accepted standards; proper

Derivation: Latin, “made straight, amended, guiding”

Synonyms: exact, faultless, precise

Quotes:
• An error doesn’t become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. — Orlando Aloysius Battista (1917–1995) Canadian-American chemist
• A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them. — John Calvin Maxwell (1947-) American author and pastor

Definitions: (1) proceeding from the heart; warm; affectionate; genial; (2) reviving of spirits; cheering; giving strength; invigorating

Synonym: gracious

Quotes:
• The artist is the confidant of nature; flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending of their stems and the harmoniously tinted nuances of their blossoms. Every flower has a cordial word which nature directs towards him. — Francois Auguste René Rodin (1840–1917) French sculptor
• The way to make a true friend is to be one. Friendship implies loyalty, esteem, cordiality, sympathy, affection, readiness to aid, to help, to stick, to fight for, if need be. … Radiate friendship and it will return sevenfold. — Bertie Charles Forbes (1880–1954) Scottish-American financial author & founder of Forbes magazine

Saying: A bras ouverts (French): “with open arms”

Definitions: (1) the ability to balance physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of the self for a positive goal; (2) human cooperation combined in harmonious action; (3) able to use more than one set of muscle movements to a single end

Derivation: Latin, “to bring order to”

Quotes:
• In 1967, the world health community launched a global effort to eradicate smallpox. It took a coordinated, worldwide effort, required the commitment of every government, and cost $130 million dollars. By 1977, smallpox had disappeared. — Liya Kebede (1978-) Ethiopian model
• Through improvisation, jazz teaches you about yourself. And through swing, it teaches you that other people are individuals too. It teaches you how to coordinate with them. — Wynton Learson Marsalis (1961-) American trumpeter