Verb Lexicon → Knowing Patterns
A Cross-Reference Guide
This index maps each verb to the chapters in Knowing Patterns that provide its epistemological foundation. Use as a reading path: start with a verb entry, then follow the cross-references into Knowing Patterns for the deeper framework.
Part I: Verbs of Attention
Scanning
Ch. 1 — The Noun Trap.
Ch. 5 — The Shape of Attention.
Ch. 7 — Context Is Not Background.
Ch. 13 — Pattern Literacy as Daily Practice.
Locking
Ch. 4 — The Verb of You.
Ch. 5 — The Shape of Attention.
Ch. 13 — Pattern Literacy as Daily Practice.
Drifting
Ch. 5 — The Shape of Attention.
Ch. 7 — Context Is Not Background.
Ch. 9 — The One-Degree Tilt.
Part II: Verbs of Friction
Forcing
Ch. 1 — The Noun Trap.
Ch. 9 — The One-Degree Tilt.
Ch. 10 — The Economics of Brokenness.
Ch. 14 — The Pattern Does Not Care.
Spinning
Ch. 2 — What a Pattern Is.
Ch. 5 — The Shape of Attention.
Ch. 13 — Pattern Literacy as Daily Practice.
Bracing
Ch. 7 — Context Is Not Background.
Ch. 8 — Other People as Pattern-Mirrors.
Ch. 6 — The Stories We Tell.
Part III: Verbs of Relation
Merging
Ch. 7 — Context Is Not Background.
Ch. 8 — Other People as Pattern-Mirrors.
Ch. 1 — The Noun Trap.
Echoing
Ch. 8 — Other People as Pattern-Mirrors.
Ch. 13 — Pattern Literacy as Daily Practice.
Tilting
Ch. 9 —
The One-Degree Tilt (central chapter).
Ch. 5 — The Shape of Attention.
Ch. 7 — Context Is Not Background.
Part IV: Verbs of Narrative
Projecting
Ch. 6 — The Stories We Tell.
Ch. 4 — The Verb of You.
Ch. 1 — The Noun Trap.
Fixing
Ch. 1 —
The Noun Trap (foundational chapter).
Ch. 10 —
The Economics of Brokenness (central chapter).
Ch. 11 — Help vs. Knowledge.
Ch. 3 — Pattern vs. Habit.
Performing
Ch. 6 — The Stories We Tell.
Ch. 8 — Other People as Pattern-Mirrors.
Ch. 4 — The Verb of You.
Architecting
Ch. 4 — The Verb of You.
Ch. 9 — The One-Degree Tilt.
Ch. 14 — The Pattern Does Not Care.
By Knowing Patterns Chapter
Which verbs does each chapter illuminate?
| Chapter | Verbs Illuminated |
|---|
| Ch. 1 — The Noun Trap | Scanning, Forcing, Merging, Projecting, Fixing |
| Ch. 2 — What a Pattern Is | Spinning |
| Ch. 3 — Pattern vs. Habit | Fixing |
| Ch. 4 — The Verb of You | Locking, Projecting, Performing, Architecting |
| Ch. 5 — The Shape of Attention | Scanning, Locking, Drifting, Spinning, Tilting |
| Ch. 6 — The Stories We Tell | Bracing, Projecting, Performing |
| Ch. 7 — Context Is Not Background | Scanning, Drifting, Bracing, Merging, Tilting |
| Ch. 8 — Other People as Pattern-Mirrors | Bracing, Merging, Echoing, Performing |
| Ch. 9 — The One-Degree Tilt | Drifting, Forcing, Tilting, Architecting |
| Ch. 10 — The Economics of Brokenness | Forcing, Fixing |
| Ch. 11 — Help vs. Knowledge | Fixing |
| Ch. 12 — Circulation Over Capture | (Meta — no specific verbs) |
| Ch. 13 — Pattern Literacy as Daily Practice | Scanning, Locking, Spinning, Echoing |
| Ch. 14 — The Pattern Does Not Care | Forcing, Architecting |
Reading Paths
If you want the epistemological foundation first
Read Knowing Patterns Ch. 1, 2, 4, 5. Then read the Verb Lexicon straight through.
If you want to start with a specific verb
Read the verb entry, then follow its cross-references into Knowing Patterns.
If you are particularly tired of the self-help industry
Read Knowing Patterns Ch. 10, 11, then the Verb Lexicon entry for Fixing. Then the Afterword.
If you know the patterns but can't stop them
Read Knowing Patterns Ch. 9 (The One-Degree Tilt), then the Verb Lexicon entry for Tilting. Then Ch. 14.
If you want to understand the project as a whole
Read The One Who Tells (the personal essay), then Knowing Patterns Ch. 1 and 4, then the Verb Lexicon. The essay grounds the theory in a life. The epistemology gives you the framework. The lexicon gives you the vocabulary.