Genius
Genius comes from Proto Indo European gen, meaning something like “produce” or “generate”, the progenitor of generations of words of all kinds — including progenitor, generate, kind, kin, king, kindergarten, gentle, gender, general, generic, generous, indigenous, genesis, genital, nascent, natal, native, nation, renaissance, and a dozen others.
In Latin gen became the root of the verb gignere, “beget, produce”. This verb in turn was the root of the word genius, which in Roman times referred not to a person’s innate talent, but to a guardian spirit — a spirit guide. Originally, the genius was a guardian spirit who looked after a family; thus it was most likely associated with one’s ancestors (and thus the association with PIE gen is obvious). Later, genius came to mean one’s own personal spirit guides. Saying that someone “had a genius for cooking”, for example, meant that they had a spirit guide who helped them with cooking.
In Roman mythology, not just people, but also families, cities, and nations had spirit guides as well. The genius of Rome, for example, was portrayed a winged young man. While this belief isn’t so current nowadays, it is held by some groups, e.g. the anthroposophists (followers of Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy, which underlies Waldorf education).
When genius was first borrowed into English in the 1300’s, it also referred to spirit guides or angels. Starting in the 1600’s, it began to refer to a person’s innate talent — the meaning which is now prevalent.
Phonosemantically, genius begins with the sound of “j”, a difficult decision or constricted doorway; long “e” indicates stamina through hardship, and “n” is a target, a goal. Overall the first syllable may be pointing toward the idea of purposeful birth — birth from the “j” (all human birth is through a constricted doorway!), and the purpose is the hard journey (”e”) to a goal (”n”). Note that this syllable is shared with that selfish, purpose-driven progenitor, the gene.
The rest of genius is the unstressed syllable “ius”, pronounced “yus”. Here, the “y” — naive and energetic like a newborn — passes into thoughtful contemplation (short “u”) and concludes with the strength, drive and expansion of “s”.
I wonder if the very form of the word genius reinforces the stereotype of the gifted person who has a difficult childhood?…
May 11th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
This blog gives good food for thought, so please keep going.
–J
May 11th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
I’m so glad you’re enjoying it, J! I’m having a blast, myself.
I found myself thinking about genius again and again today. Did the ancient Romans have it right? Do our greatest strengths — our genius-level talents — really come from our spirit guides? For example, suppose you’re always a hit at parties. Is this from your own incredible wit and charisma? Or is it because of a spirit guide — a genius — who hovers near you, whispering witticisms in your ear?
May 13th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Good Question! My opinion is that genius is a marriage of higher wisdom (spirit guide or somesuch) coming through the mechanism of the mind (so that you can form the words of the witticism, for instance). I feel one can not work without the other.
May 15th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
I like CGDotNet’s description… genius is something that comes unbidden, that requires no ‘work’, no ‘effort’… it just is. But it must be filtered through the body and the mind to manifest so can be ‘improved’ over time.
Hence a natural talent may play worse tennis than a trained professional with very little in the way of natural genius…
But train the talent and look out world…
May 16th, 2007 at 10:48 am
I tend to agree with both of you, although there have been cases of words coming directly from guides — all the medium has to do is take dictation! And I wonder to what extent language is part of just this reality, and to what extent it reflects higher wisdom?
May 16th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
You know, several of the concepts I teach now came directly from guides…directly.
The Cosmic Aha is an example. Word for word came from them - during a reading I was giving. In fact for each concept I can remember the client who “taught” it to me through the guides speaking with him or her!
I firmly believe that language is a human invention and that Guides do not have a written, verbal or spoken language.
Unless you count energy. Energy is the ultimate and final language - universal. Literally.