The Patience Worth Phenomenon Today
The story and writings of Pearl Curran/Patience Worth are little known outside of occult circles today. Most of the writing is out of print, except for a few print on demand publishers who specialize in public domain works.
Irving Litvag's Singer in the Shadows, written in 1972 and reprinted by Back-In-Print publishers, offers a thorough and accessible chronicle of the Pearl Curran/Patience Worth phenomenon.
In his book Immortal Remains. The Evidence of Life after Death Stephen E. Braude thoroughly examines the case of Patience Worth and concludes that Pearl Curran was probably a highly gifted child whose talent for writing was smothered by her mother, who wanted to force Pearl into a singing career. In the alter ego of Patience Worth her subconscious could revive that talent. Patience also had a sharp tongue and was highly suspicious and critical of organized religion and formal education. She also was contemptuous of the various forms of academic and religious posturing. Braude argues that these were in fact personality traits of Pearl that she couldn't let out at that time.
Read more about this topic: Patience Worth
Famous quotes containing the words patience, worth, phenomenon and/or today:
“Though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“There’s a certain part of the contented majority who love anybody who is worth a billion dollars.”
—John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908)
“When the ice is covered with snow, I do not suspect the wealth under my feet; that there is as good as a mine under me wherever I go. How many pickerel are poised on easy fin fathoms below the loaded wain! The revolution of the seasons must be a curious phenomenon to them. At length the sun and wind brush aside their curtain, and they see the heavens again.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“I became the Incredible Shrinking Mother the year they started junior high. If our relationship today depended on physical clout, I would have about the same influence with them that the republic of Liechtenstein has on world politics.”
—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)