Intention for feb: Virtue

I intend to show virtue in my interaction with others.

The phenomenon of facebook has caused me to think. 
It's different for others. 
Not everyone has the same weather on any given day. Obviously. But before I was able to see what was growing in people's gardens while snow lay on the ground outside my window, I didn't fully appreciate this.

Religion might be the same.
Morality certainly.
Do we share an understanding of "virtue"?

Is there one idea of "virtue" that we can agree on? Can we do right in our interaction with others even though we may not always agree on "right"? Is there a universal virtue?

L​ately I have been suffering from what I believe could be a hernia. It causes me to stop and rest when I exert too much effort. I often exert a lot of effort.

The discomfort emanates from my solar plexus, I believe. In the pit of my stomach where the fight or flight response is produced. It's called "solar" because it's at the centre of the body where many nerves meet (www.healthline.com/search). Like the sun, it is the energy centre of the body, giving us power and momentum (chakras.infolexus-chakra/). With the symbol of fire, the manipura chakra just under the navel is characterized by "the expression of will, personal power and mental abilities" and helps us "realize personal desires and intentions in the world" (ibid). 

Interestingly, as I write this I am waiting to hear from partners in a new venture. I want to form a non-profit Co-op which engages hand-makers, producers and providers in the Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes/Haliburton areas who use natural materials and processes. I think we could support and promote one another other for the benefit of conscientious consumers.

A month ago, I was contemplating goals much smaller. But lately this idea has given me a new direction and I have surprised myself with the actions I have been able to take to reach it.

I go skiing to pass the time.
Grandfather and grandmother fir trees, archetypal and powerful, extend their welcome. Undisturbed, the quiet lake allows me to walk on it, an honour.
 I need to rest. I lie down.
The universe opens the curtain, the sun its light and energy source. 

In his book "Sacred Plant Medicine" (2006), Stephen Harrod Buhner states that according to the Teton Sioux, the sun is only able to provide life with the help of the earth. Without the rain-giving, cooling action of the clouds and plants, and the humans who feed co2 into the cycle, the sun would dry up the earth.
We humans are needed in this life dance, despite the harm we do. 

There, with my face to the sky, I notice the other dancers in the universe: the animal and plant kingdoms, the rocks and the unseen spirit that holds everything together. I sit among these in a circle, re-establishing right relations.
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Then I get up from my council meeting in the middle of the lake and return to my work asserting myself in the world. 

​Let's all take a moment to sit among the circles of our inner and outer councils, establishing virtuous relations, before we go about our interactions with others.