Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Word of the day - afflatus

Afflatus:
The word of the day in my 6:30 a.m. yoga class was 'afflatus'. Afflatus is a Latin word derived from Cicero (The Nature of Gods) that can be translated to mean 'inspiration'. The literal translation ties to last weeks post, "You can't control the wind, but can adjust your sails" as it means to blow upon/towards. Wikipedia says, "It can be taken to mean "to be blown upon" by a divine wind, not unlike its English equivalent "inspiration," which comes from "inspire," meaning "to breath/blow onto"." 

In English, the word is sometimes used to describe an idea that comes from a divine place and often can not be described by the creator. Ever have an idea that is hard to describe, but you know it is good? I thought 'afflatus' was a great word, and very yoga-like!

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