Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, a day which was first declared a federal holiday in 1863 in the midst of the War Between the States by President Abraham Lincoln. It pains me to think that 150 years later, it is more often referred to as the day before black Friday. The year has been a challenging …
Tag Archives: spirituality
Uncivilized
Galena, Alaska sits on the north bank of the Yukon River on the 64th N parallel, just two parallels shy of the Arctic Circle. Flying out of Galena’s now inactive Air Station in the summer of 1973 in my T-33, I once saw the sun set and rise within a 15-minute stretch. As I climbed …
A Reflection on Pope Francis
I made my first trip to Argentina in 1990. Although I took one year of Spanish in college in 1967, I was far from fluent, so I carried a small pocket dictionary. After a 15-hour flight from St. Louis through Miami, my clothes were quite wrinkled. The first word I learned from that dictionary was …
Mitakuye Oyasin
Mrs. tVM and I have the granddaughters — 2 and 5 — here this week until Saturday. This afternoon, young Xylia, 5-years-old said, “Dziadek — she calls me ‘Dziadek’ which is Grandfather in Polish — I think there is a hummingbird in the pool.” Sure enough, the gentle soul floated lifelessly on the surface. I …
The First Stone
Early in the week, I read an interesting piece on the Spirituality and Practice website entitled, “The First Stone or Hypocrite Stone.” It is an unique practice presented by Tom Cowan. I do not know Tom Cowan, but his suggestion makes perfect sense to me… “… carry a small stone in your pocket or purse …
An Example for your Children
Why are Muslims hateful? That is clearly an unfair question because I am certain Muslims are not hateful. If you want to know what it is like to be 80-years old, look at an 80-year old person. If you want to know what it is like to be a Baha’i, look at a Baha’i. If …
Si’ahl and Non-violence
The Dawes Act and subsequent legislation may have benefitted white settlers, but it provided the framework that reduced many proud Native American tribes and their holy traditions to poverty and disrespect. In honor of Si’ahl’s stand on non-violence, tVM is proud to print the ‘Prayer to the Four Directions’ attributed to Chief Seattle with the …
Etty Hillesum, March 9, 1941
On March 12, 1941, Etty Hillesum wrote in her diary, “‘Melodious rolls the world from God’s right hand.’ This line by Vewey was stuck in my head all day. I too wanted to roll melodiously out of God’s hand.” Me, too! I want to join Etty Hillesum in her quest! We all can, and it …
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 …
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 …