Definitions HQ

Belief (n.) is, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠for Jordan's unimpassioned woman, complete rather than strong: she adopts rather than believes, ignores rather than disbelieves, and never asks or doubts.

Belief (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠what remains when one identifies with a truth — even a great truth — instead of knowing it: more convenient, more attractive, and the end of spiritual development.

Belief (n.) has ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠become such a difficult art that it is beyond most people, especially the educated — who demand 'scientific' proofs of what they know is philosophically unprovable.

Belief (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a great thing, but a substitute for a conscious reality that Christians wisely relegate to the hereafter — which is really the intended future of mankind, anticipated by religious intuition.

Belief (n.) belongs ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠to the lucky — but it cannot be compelled.

Belief (n.) has ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠already conquered the summit that thinking tries to reach by toilsome climbing, so the believer should be patient with the climbers.

Belief (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠dangerous on its own: the fiercer and more naive it is, the more devastating the doubt once it dawns — and then one is cleverer than all the Middle Ages.

Belief (n.) stood ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in for missing empirical reality both in the Church's literal Assumption of the body and in the alchemists' faith in their stone.

Belief (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the real aim of spiritualists who boast of their "science": they do not want to be taught better, only to go on believing.

Belief (n.) never ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠impressed Jung where God's existence was concerned: either I know a thing and need not believe it, or I believe because I am unsure; he was content to know experiences he must call numinous.