Pelican page with photo, Meridies
Knighthood page with photo (VERY cool photo), Meridies
"When I asked Orlando Cavalcanti if I could be his squire (hey, I didn’t know that’s not how it was done…I was young, and A.S. XII was a long time ago), I had not the first intention of ever picking up the sword. I was attracted to the concept of personal service, and wanted to see how the medieval models we had to draw upon would be contemporized. Orlando understood this, and took me as a squire anyway. I avoided the sword for almost six months. Even after I started fighting, I had no real notion of becoming a knight—it just wasn’t on the agenda. Over time (years 5-7 as a squire), I developed a case of “white belt fever,” and had the commensurate ups and downs associated with that malady. Gradually, I reverted to squire-as-service relationship, and, just shy of my tenth anniversary as a squire, was made a knight in Meridies."
TW #2, June 1991, about halfway down
VIGIL:"My initial vigil was an all-night affair at which I was at a significant remove from the rest of the populace, a council fire-circle which folks had to purposely seek out to find. There was a significant time of "alone inside of my own head" time, but there was also a generous bit of folks making their way to the circle, where we would talk together individually or in small groups. Two gentlemen made it their business to wait through the wee small hours of the night with me, and to be available to me at need; I will always cherish Fabiano Filio d'Duesac and William the Finn for this signal honor they gave me. At sunrise, I went down to the lake, bathed, and put on a plain white tunic, and broke fast; that afternoon, I was elevated.
"One week later, I attended an event in northern Alabama, which was held at a Benedictine monastery. I asked the religious community if it would be possible for me to kneel in vigil prayer and reflection in the sanctuary; this the Brothers acceded to. That Saturday night, in an empty church, barefoot and on my knees before the altar, was a transcendent moment for me. Though it was some 20 years ago, I remember it freshly minted. Both experiences have reinforced in me the importance of striving for genuine compassion and humility; I'm still working on this open-ended project..... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ThinkWellTNG/message/158