tVM 2011 Summary

We initiated The Vitruvian Man, In Search of Kalos Kagathos blog seven months ago, in May 2011.  As we approach the end of the year, I want to share with you some observations on tVM in 2011. I hope that this blog has encouraged you to explore your spirituality and to explore how you interact …

Lost and Found

In our professional lives and in our personal lives, we need to know four things: where we’ve been where we are where we are going and how we are going to get there. If a man knows those four things, his chances of making a positive impact on the world are greatly increased. There are …

Vision Quest III: June 20, 2012

At ‘oh-dark-thirty’ Saturday morning, I sat in my back yard staring into the dark sky in the direction of Orion the Hunter in the hope of spotting a meteor or two as the Earth passes through the dust of Halley’s Comet.  The annual event is called the Orionid Meteor Shower.  In the stillness of the …

Vision Quest, part II: Three Notable Vision Quests

The population of the world is approximately 7 billion, and nearly 60% of all men, women and children on this planet claim to practice one of these three religions: Christianity     2.1 billion Islam              1.5 billion Buddhism        376 million Common among these three religions is …

Vision Quest, part I

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, a Vision Quest is a solitary vigil by an adolescent Native American boy to seek spiritual power and to learn through a vision the identity of his guardian spirit. Native Americans believe that each human is put on this earth for a special reason.  That reason is not always clear to …

Free the Angel

Several years ago, one of my spiritual guides introduced me to the work and spirituality of Thomas Merton.  I continue to explore it every day.  His frequent reference to “point vierge” [literally translated as ‘the virgin point’] has been an important concept in my continuing quest to learn who I truly am.  Merton writes: “The …

Thomas Merton, Chief Yellow Lark and the Gifts of Sunrise and Sunset …

Oh, to be thankful for what we have and not rue what we do not have!  That is noble and worthy of the Vitruvian Man. I wish I knew more about Chief Yellow Lark.  Many months ago, I learned the Sioux prayer whose translation is attributable to him.  Yet search as I might, I find …

Confluence of Faith, Aldous Huxley and Ruth …

The Vitruvian Man seeks the confluence of faith, not its divergence.  This confluence is not difficult to find, and all religions teach it.  If we open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts, we will see it there.  Our objective is to fuel the universe with God and to do that, we must understand that …

Birds and Contemplation

I believe in the power of contemplation, that it can enlighten a mind and put a troubled soul at rest.  My original intent with this blog was to reflect on one of my favorite passages by Thomas Merton: “When no one listens to the quiet trees, When no one notices the sun in the pool …

The Fuel that Runs the Universe

At a recent BBQ, I tossed out a simple question: “Anyone here familiar with C.S. Lewis?”  Everyone over 30 looked at me like I had a third eye in the middle of my forehead.  A young friend under 30 gave an answer typical of his youth, “He’s the guy who wrote the flick ‘Narnia.’”  While …