2) The First Aspect
2) Sanguine and Melancholic
This is a portion of a larger essay which I hope to print once I have squared away some theological points. It is for the purpose of instructing men, especially those pursuing the consecration of their purity. Scroll to the bottom for previous segments.
The Sanguine Woman
Sanguine people are very amiable and simple. Sometimes, they have an emptiness or vanity in their actions because of that. Whether they correct this propensity or not, whether they give good watch over their hearts and the movements of their soul or not, it is not unlikely that, even out of innocence and humility, they will communicate things which they never intended to communicate. This is why God and natural law would not have the general society of men and women to intermingle, and the only circumstance that allows it is the obstinate rebellion of freemasonic or pagan societies.
Women always retain a degree of native innocence. Without strict and clear rules to regulate the pursuit of a spouse, women are going to confuse men, and men are going to confuse women. Because men are more attentive to women’s gestures and impressions, these amiable and shallow qualities in a sanguine woman will cause a man to think he is being approached or seduced.
Therefore, it is very good to be able to indentify this type of woman, because she is the strongest exception to advice I will give as we look at the second aspect (it is still safer to follow the advice if you are unsure). For a sanguine, if you cannot avoid her, it is best to assume a cold exterior, without showing contempt.
A sanguine might say anything and do anything simply because it makes someone smile. It is good to watch out for a woman like that so that, if you can manage to regulate your own heart, you might assist her in keeping her from falling into trouble, as this type often is to do. This is especially in consideration of the third aspect. And truly, the whole advice towards a woman of this temperament consists in that: regulate the movements of your heart and keep a close watch on it. She does not know what she is doing to you, she simply feels pleasure at entertaining people, making them smile, making them laugh. You must resist this as you do the pleasures of food and drink, keeping it well within its role, and constantly reminding yourself the purpose of it. This applies to all women and nearly to all life, and it is called the virtue of temperance.
Keep care for your own interior. Do not be too pleased with anybody, especially women, and especially a sanguine woman. Do not worry about offending her or being gruff, because her impulse of amiability is due to her own self and not you, and likely there is no stopping her. She will try to please you whether you are warm or cold. It is always better to be cold with women.
This is important to know as well because, if a woman like this wanders into authority (usually because someone is charmed by her), she may be the type to have many activities and extracurriculars for team spirit and the like. But she does not care much if you decline one or all of these. Again, it is not a response to you, but her own interior which makes her amiable, and you will be amazed at how little depth she actually explores in her thoughts of other people. She is naïve. She spends far more time pursuing her own inspirations than cataloguing the responses of others.
Thus for a sanguine.
The Melancholic Woman
A melancholic tends to be a little more deliberate and careful in her interactions. This sometimes ranges from malicious manipulations to an awkward uneasiness, even within the same person. The worst of this type is manipulative. As such, she is by far the most dangerous of all women with which to interact.
Why is this? Because it is a game where both sides will hurt, and you must stay in the middle in order to escape, like pinball. On one side, if you completely neglect the woman and never give a thought to her, then she is like to conceive a grudge of which you may be perfectly unaware, and you might lose your job over it, or otherwise suffer sudden calamities. On the other side, if you engage her directly or wholeheartedly with too much inclination, she really is the type that would chew a man and spit him out.
She is often mistaken for a choleric, because a choleric is understood as someone who has an inordinate attachment to her own will. A melancholic has an inordinate attachment often to her own intellect, which translates to pride rather than wrath (one leads to the other, but the one in the beginning matters). Pride being the most insidious of vices, its workings are the hardest to discern and prevent.
The melancholic temperament seems to be purposed by God for detail work. This may be active or contemplative. If active, it is often the type to produce a certain depth within one area. The saint that comes to mind is Thomas Aquinas, but it is a mistake to look overmuch for these temperaments in the saints, because the work of sanctification often involves going against one’s own inclinations, and the merit of sanctification is extraordinary graces allowing a person to act like Christ rather than his own self.
However, since most people are not saints, it should not be particularly hard to spot this type of person and this type of woman. This is the positive part of it. The difficulty of the solution is the negative part, but it is simply this: perfect simplicity, innocence, warmth, and sincerity. Dealing with this type of woman might tempt many men to be as shrewd as serpents and play against her, but much like the serpent, as soon as you listen, you have already compromised yourself. Better not to delve into her inner thoughts, not because of the lack thereof (as in sanguines) but because of the bottomless nature of them. Rather, as soon as you know someone is this way, respond to everything she does with the absolute truth, with this notable exception: if you suspect any ulterior motives or secret movements on her part, ignore it completely. No matter how sure you are of it, never speak of it, never act upon it, and never even think of it. Rather, endeavor to think of her as all the saints thought of their detractors, which is that those people are more virtuous than you, and whatever they are up to, it is as far above you as God’s thoughts are above your thoughts. If she should question you on something, answer her as a child would answer her. If she should make a request of you, attempt to give her precisely what she asks, and perhaps a little more out of affection. If she should treat you unkindly, if you must address it, address it with the hurt confusion, again, of a little child. This is the best method for disarming all of the snares which she might lay for you.
You might notice this is the opposite advice as I gave for dealing with sanguine women. This is a good opportunity to emphasize the value of understanding these temperaments, as well as the fact that, despite whatever anyone might think, you cannot be two opposite temperaments. You may act in the opposite manner, but the base movements and inclinations of your soul generally do not change and usually follow your temperament.
Thus for melancholic women.
Combinations of the Temperaments
People can be a combination of two temperaments. In fact, they usually are. This may seem to multiply the complexity of this system, but it is good to know two things about it: First, a person oftentimes acts according to one main temperament or another, and is inclined that way, because the two pairs of opposites deal with different portions of the soul. The choleric/phlegmatic axis seems to deal with the will, while the melancholic/sanguine axis seems to deal with the intellect. Therefore, you usually do not have to make any extra allowances for a person’s given secondary temperament, but only be aware that there might be a different governing inclination in a different scenario. If you are encountering someone related to his time, actions, or aspirations, you are likely dealing with the former axis, the will. If you are encountering him related to his setting, style, or communication, you are likely dealing with the latter, the intellect.
(In case this be unclear, here are examples: Time- Can I meet with you on Thursday?; Actions: Why did you do that?; Aspirations: What would you like to do today?; Setting: How do you keep your desk so clean?; Style: That is a nice shirt, where did you get it?; Communication: Why did you say that? You can spend more time thinking about these things, as I have done in the editing of this. These are examples for a broad range of possible encounters, and they are very shallow ones.)
However, there are certain flavors which one axis gives to the other. Briefly:
If a choleric woman is also melancholic, she is likely to voice her opinion very often and very critically. Her multitude of activity justifies her on one end, while her depth of analysis justifies on the other. On the bright side, she will likely be a tad bit more sensitive to the emotions of others than a sanguine temperament, and so a good defense if she overwhelms you with both her will and intellect, is to simply and innocently inform her of your state of being overwhelmed and ask for a break.
If a choleric woman is also sanguine, she is likely to get herself into trouble by attempting to do things which she is not capable of doing, in order to be helpful or useful. Patience is key, and you may need to be a little warmer, particularly if you have authority over her. However, a strong and firm discipline must not be abandoned. If she has authority over you, allow her to help you as much as she wants. She probably would not be bothered to take over your entire job and allow you to sleep through your shift. A melancholic would be bothered, but she probably will not be.
If a phlegmatic woman is also melancholic, she will have long bouts of emotional venting (as opposed to venting particular problems to be solved) and will have a tendency towards despair. All of the usual advice about phlegmatics apply, with the additional caveat that it is far better to encourage her in a blanket manner, without much concern for what she is or is not doing correctly, than to assist her in any other way. She is in some ways a more extreme or accentuated phlegmatic.
If a phlegmatic woman is also sanguine, the coldness which is recommended should be mixed with a healthy dose of patience for covering oversights or failures. Do not let the coldness fall into bitterness. Of all women, she will be the least burdensome in conversation and the least assistance at work.
Thus for the first aspect of understanding women. We now proceed to the second aspect, which is the possibility of the corruption of a woman’s nature. This may take much longer to edit and publish because of the heavy theological tone, and so please be patient. If the link below does not work, that is because I have placed it early for when the publication occurs. That way I do not have to go in and edit it later.