Qualis pater, talis filius.
(Anonymous)

As the father is, so is the son.

(pron = KWAH-lis PAH-ter TAH-lis FIH-li-oos)

Comment:While I can find no other author than "anonymous" it does become very
clear that this proverb has been taken up and used in some interesting places.
Fairly early on it was used in all of the so called "ecumenical" creeds--that
is, Christian doctrinal statements that were accepted by all of the established
church centers of the 3-5th centuries AD. This phrase had added to it "talis
Spiritus" and it became a statement about the Christian doctrine of the
trinity--As the father is, so is the son and the spirit.

It also shows up in a website for the American Heart Association. As the father
is (who has heart trouble) so is the son. The admonition is, of course, to all
the sons and daughters out there whose parents had heart trouble--to eat right,
exercise, and take cardiac-care of themselves.

If I might extrapolate from all of this, I can hear this proverb asking: what
patterns do you fall into? What patterns are meaningful to you? What patterns
have drawn you into themselves without your knowledge? What patterns do you
gravitate toward? What patterns have you inherited? What patterns will you
not let go of? What patterns grip you? What patterns do you dance with in
your life?