Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ANIMA MUNDI
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connect this word to others:
Can you recall the beautiful French term that means "the joy of living"?
It's j____________.
How about the beautiful German term that means "the spirit of the times"?
That's z________.
And a beautiful Latin term that means "a love of the world"?
That's amor mundi.
How about "the soul of the world"?
Anima mundi.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"ANIMA MUNDI"
This term is Latin for "soul of the world."
That's what it means in English, too: the anima mundi is the soul of the world: a spirit that seems to unite all living things.
Pronunciation:
AN ih muh MOON dee
Part of speech:
Noun: "it's an anima mundi overseeing the world," "she felt united with the anima mundi."
Other forms:
You can use it loosely as an adjective, too: "his essays reveal anima mundi thinking."
How to use it:
This beautiful Latin term has been around in English since the 1500s, back when philosophers were phylosophres and everybody just took a wild stab at spelling.
Yet it's so rarely used that we still keep it in italics: anima mundi.
If you're someone who's artsy, philosophical, or metaphysical, you might talk about the anima mundi uniting us, or the anima mundi presiding over us. You might talk about getting in touch with the anima mundi, healing or hurting the anima mundi, feeling disconnected from the anima mundi, etc.
examples:
Mom traveled to Sedona to connect with the anima mundi among the red rock monoliths.
"Our fears about the environment are a sign that we're reconnecting to the natural world, waking up to it. Our usual relationship to what in classical times was called the anima mundi, or soul of the world, has been numbed, anesthetized."
— James Hillman, as quoted by Daniel Goleman, New York Times, 29 August 1993
has this page helped you understand "anima mundi"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "anima mundi" without saying "world spirit" or "universal life force."
try it out:
In Soul Work, Charles and Anne Simpkinson wrote:
"The soul of each individual is part and parcel of the anima mundi, or world soul, along with everything in existence. The soul’s essence is therefore connectedness; it thrives on relationship."
I'm not sure about this. I often thrive in solitude.
Talk about whether you agree or disagree with these authors. Are you happiest when you feel connected to the anima mundi? Is there even such a thing, in your view?
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Our game this month: Anagrams!
Rearrange the letters in the given word to form a word we've studied before. Try to recall its meaning, too.
For example, if I give you DYED, you give me EDDY. If I give you THREAD, you give me DEARTH. And if I give you COTERIES, you give me ESOTERIC.
Try this one today: INSTANCES.
Give yourself 5 points if you can figure out the word without clues. To reveal the clues, hover over the blue text below.
Give yourself 4 points if you figure it out after peeking at the part of speech: adjective.
Give yourself 3 points if you figure it out after peeking at the definition: annoying or troublesome because they keep going on and on, or they keep happening again and again.
Give yourself 2 points if you figure it out after peeking at the first letter: I (as in "igloo").
Give yourself 1 point if you figure it out after peeking at the first two letters: IN.
And if you'd like to reveal or review the word, click here.
review this word:
1. A near opposite of ANIMA MUNDI is
A. SPIRIT ANIMAL.
B. VORTEX OF PARTICLES.
C. PSYCHE OF AN INDIVIDUAL.
2. I first pondered the anima mundi while watching _____, a movie about _____.
A. Independence Day .. fighting aliens by uniting humanity
B. Reservoir Dogs .. a diamond heist and the importance of tipping
C. My Girl .. death, bee stings, and how to hurl a Bingo game into chaos
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Can you recall the beautiful French term that means "the joy of living"?
"ANIMA MUNDI" This term is Latin for "soul of the world."
Mom traveled to Sedona to connect with the anima mundi among the red rock monoliths.
Explain the meaning of "anima mundi" without saying "world spirit" or "universal life force."
In Soul Work, Charles and Anne Simpkinson wrote:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A near opposite of ANIMA MUNDI is
|