Culture, Measurement, and Language
Nonfiction / Language and Physiology
Date Published: December 6, 2023
Publisher: Mindstir Media
One way to understand self is through the skeletal frame. Skeletal bones
hold many secrets which can be unlocked to tell stories of humankind; they
become lessons for life. This book provides four perspectives on bone:
culture, measurement of bones and body postures, grammar, and bone names.
Word roots and definitions related to bone vocabulary allow the reader to
gain insight. A major theme is to know oneself-to develop self-awareness.
What can a person learn about self from bones? This book accompanies each
person on their quest to know themselves, whether or not on a conscious or
subconscious level. The current popularity of DNA kits that are being sold
today-as well as the many websites offering assistance to people delving
into their ancestry-validate this. Whether it is to delve into possible
hereditary health conditions or to locate relatives and forge a
connectedness to others in the world around them, people want to learn more
about themselves. Bones provide such framework, for body and self.
EXCERPT
INTRODUCTION
Words in this book are methodically explored with their etymologies and definitions to reveal the fundamental nature of the skeletal structure. See Method of Word Exploration below.
Before exploring bone names culture, bone as symbol, correlations in grammar and sentence structure, and measurements and growth of the skeletal frame are presented. This book has four parts. The first part discusses bone as symbol and as an integral part of cultural beliefs and practices. The second part introduces the relationship of language and grammar to bone names. The third part shows how everyday language is related to measurement of bone. The last part presents an exploration of the meaning of the names of bones in the body. The four parts of this book are like sets of skeletal keys that can be used to develop body awareness. Each set of keys opens up a greater understanding of self.
The quest to “Know Self” is just one of several wisdom precepts integral to understanding the “Lessons” presented in this book. Knowing self is key to promoting wisdom. Another precept, “Know thy measure,” is related to passages that state man is made in the image of God. St. Bernard of Clairvaux (circa 1090-1153), founder of the Cistercian order sates, “What is God? He is length, width, height, and depth.” Knowing self through measurement is a way to, at least, begin to understand the Creator.
Humankind, in many world paradigms, is made in the image of the Creator, and therefore is him/her self a Temple, a Holy and Sacred body. The human can recognize measurement as an attempt to know self, compared to other. Pythagoras, the 6th cent. BCE Grk philosopher and mathematician states that all is number. Geometry is part of the field of mathematics. Since geometry can be defined as a measure of the Earth and the heavens, and humans are of the Earth, geometry also applies to the “measure of Man.” Geometry as fixed measures also reveal implied continuous motion of angles and dimensions. There are standards of measurements that are recognized as criteria for normal development. Bone growth development of an individual as measured in height and body proportions has recognized standards. Measurement of growth of the skeletal structure is vital data as part of cultural values including medical evaluations. Words related to human posture are explored. This represents one’s stance in life at any given time.
How does a person measure him/her self? What standards are applied to self or other? What is my capacity to judge something? What constitutes my ruler? When is it wrong to measure through comparisons? Am I competent to measure? The answers to these questions are part of the quest to know self, down to the very bones in the body.
About the Author
Lois Liggett is a retired physical therapist and a world traveler. She
worked in Japan in 1990 as a geriatric rehabilitation consultant. She has an
M.A. in gerontology and a B.S. in physical therapy from Russell Sage
College. She has an avid interest in the interface of language with
mythology, religion, and spirituality. She developed a method she calls
“spiritual linguistics” to find common and essential meanings of
a nomenclature using word roots and definitions. Her first book, Decoding
Norse Myths with Pet Ravens, published by Mindstir Media, LLC in 2021,
reflects this linguistic method, as does this book, Bone (& Body)
Lessons.
Contact Links
Social media @rootedtongue
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