Humility And Hubris

A recent article in Harvard Business Review (by John Dame and Jeffrey Gedmin: 11:00 AM September 9, 2013) spoke of executive humility. They suggest several points of effectiveness to achieve a humility posture: Resist falling for your own publicity. Never underestimate the competition. Embrace and promote a spirit of service. Listen, even (no, especially) to the weird ideas. Be passionately curious. Hubris is just the opposite: It conforms to our individualism, narcissism, pride of position …

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“The Numinous”

It’s from the Latin “numen” meaning a nod or beckoning, particularly the nod of the Gods of ancient myth. It was rediscovered and brought into western thinking by the German Philosopher/Theologian Rudolf Otto in his book “The Holy” (“Das Heilige”) first published in 1917. Otto began a shift away from the rationalism and speculative side of the enlightenment and more toward an “irrational” side of religious understanding; a sense of “power” and “mystery” and a …

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Learning: Building Technical Chops

In working with clients we are always emphasizing learning and the building of knowledge; many forms of course from the detailed technical to the integrated experiential. It is completely surprising in this current environment that many folks (working and not working) do not work at learning and often are adamant about why (too many work hours, too many responsibilities, too tired, etc, etc, etc. . .) In Forbes this past summer (Jason Nazar | Forbes – Fri, …

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Liminality

It’s from the Latin “limen”: a threshold, a door, a passage and in our time refers to psychological or metaphysical state of being; to discuss psychological states; rituals of passage. Increasingly the word usage can be found in psychological & theological literature recognizing a sense of the holy, the sacred, and the transcendent; often the threshold between consciousness & unconsciousness (“subliminal”). Some examples from life: The feeling of always being in between and never “there” …

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The Fall

PROJECT ONE:   “The Fall” Robert Alter/Michelangelo/GenesisMini-course on GenesisConducted by Vic Pergola We Need You:6 volunteers (first-come, first-serve)      Strong commitment to complete series When:Five Thursdays in Oct/NovOct 10th, 17th, 24th: Nov 7th, 14th 6:30-8:30 pm >Content:  We will use the book by Robert Alter: “Genesis: Translation & Commentary” Session One:  A review of the Creation Account (Alter’s Introduction) Session Two:  Chapter One: Genesis (Alter Book + Biblical account) Session Three:  Chapter Two: Genesis (Alter Book + Biblical …

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Make Friends With Hephaestus

Hephaestus is the God of the forge, armorer to the Gods (Vulcan in the Roman Mythology), the forger of the armor of Achilles which is invincible and the creator of Athena’s shield which is invulnerable. Hephaestus works the magic of the smithy and produces the brightest, illumined arms from dross material. He works in the bowels of the operations. He is lame, having been dropped from heaven by his mother (Hera). So what business lessons …

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An Introduction To Spiritual Direction

We are seeking two volunteers who have interest in seeking pastoral/spiritual counsel and potentially seeking to be of assist to others.  What to Expect: 5 sessions to be scheduled May/June/July as befits participants Structured sessions (60 minutes per session) The relationship is a partnership (not hierarchical) We will focus on one discerned theme There will be homework assignments This experience is from the Christian basis and presumes a denominational attachment We will evaluate and summarize …

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We Need You!

The Return of the Prodigal Son Mini-Course “The Return of the Prodigal Son”    (Nouwen/Rembrandt/Luke) Mini-course on Henri Nouwen’s book, The Return of the Prodigal Son, a meditation on Rembrandt’s painting Need:  6 volunteers (first-come, first-serve) Strong commitment to complete series When:  Four consecutive Thursdays             June 6, 13, 20 and 27             6-8 pm Content:  “The Return of the Prodigal Son” Session One: A review of the Parable in (Luke 15: 11-32) and Introduction …

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Spiritual Formation Workshop

Pointe Vierge offers formation and guidance in facing the complexities of a lived life; business, career, beliefs, decisions, and critical issues. We seek to establish an “ensouled” foundation.

Events in the international and national scene point up the need for ongoing grounding in our values and establishing alignment between our personal inner core and our concrete daily lives.

We believe that this alignment is essential in developing a mature response to life’s issues of ultimacy and intimacy. It is core to spiritually grounded decision making.

Our founding partner, Vic Pergola, has spent years in preparation (ongoing) in building a competency in a number of fundamental disciplines to this effort: depth psychology, theology, scripture, Western and Christian history, and the traditions of spirituality.  Please join us!

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A Reflection On Delta…

DELTA: “Delphi” (“The Oracle”) The oracle at Delphi held a place of honor amongst ancient peoples, not only the Greeks. As we approach the Olympic Games in London, it is good to remember that Delphi was one of four sites for the ancient PanHellenic games, the precursor of our modern Olympics. The Oracle was dedicated to Apollo and from its hearth an eternal flame was kept to “light up” historic moments in Greek history. Our …

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