[trav-ers, truh-vurs] verb, trav·ersed, trav·ers·ing, noun, adjective.
verb (used with object)
1. to pass or move over, along, or through.
2. to go to and fro over or along.
3. to extend across or over: a bridge traverses the stream.
4. to go up, down, or across (a rope, mountain, hill, etc.) at an angle.
So: Passing over, moving over and along or through, to ’n fro, extending, bridging, going up, down and across.
(At an “angle,” no less…)
It is impressive how one word can encapsulate virtually every aspect of the human spiritual quest. Praise be to the everyday Romans of the 11th century whose “Vulgar Latin” (V.L. in your etymology dictionary) first employed this word as “traversare.”
In this blog, I aim to traverse all manner of metaphorical roads, bridges, mountains and streams (definitely “at an angle”). From secular to sacred—and back again. From body to spirit, thing to symbol, object to subject, heights to depths—and back again there, too. Always back again, to the sources of amazement and abjectness that underlie human existence and for which we grope to find a suitable language in our religions, our arts, and inevitably, our politics.
That groping begins in wonder and traverses mystery, but too often ends in academic abstractions drained of the life force, or worse yet: hard creeds devoid of both rational thought and mystery.
Here, we will embrace the wonder, tragedy and mystery of everyday life and return to it again and again in what may appear to be a circle until we arrive, as T.S. Eliot noted, at an otherwise familiar haunt and “know the place for the first time.”
I warmly invite you to join me in the Comments section for conversation to enrich the offerings of these pages. I implore you not to be shy.
If you’d prefer one-on-one, drop a note to: andrew@andrewhidas.com.
I also do a fair amount of Traversing at https://www.facebook.com/andrew.hidas/…where I regularly post snippets of wisdom, poetry, song lyrics and more from the world’s great thinkers and artists. “Follow” me there and it may appear on your newsfeed, though if you prefer to just bookmark and consult it when the mood strikes, I promise to make it worth your while.
In any case, thanks for stopping by, no matter where you do so.
As for the snapshot bio: I’m a long-lapsed Catholic who found my way to Unitarian Universalism as an adult. I consider myself a devout and observant non-theist.
I studied political science as an undergrad, psychology and theology as a grad. I rely on fiction, existentialism, physical activity and the mystics of every tradition for much of my internal scaffolding.
I spent a rewarding early career teaching special education and coaching college basketball, and after a long break for graduate school, eventually migrated to journalism, then business communication and consulting.
I was married for many years, and we share a now-25-year-old. (It takes the both of us, and more.)
Blogging seems to draw on all the above.
That’s the condensed version of Work-to-Date. Next chapter forming here.
—Andrew Hidas
Let me also thank the photographers: Rotating banner photos (except for the books) at top of page courtesy of Elizabeth Haslam, some rights reserved under Creative Commons licensing, see more at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lizhaslam/
Books photo courtesy of Larry Rose, Redlands, California, all rights reserved, contact: larry@rosefoto.com
Rodin’s “The Thinker” photo courtesy of Michael Heiss, Vienna, Austria, some rights reserved under Creative Commons licensing, see more at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelheiss/.
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