October 5th, 2009
Fertility
At first glance, fertility can seem one saucy little Virtue. However, fertility is really the ability to bear fruit. Creativity, Inspiration, and the ability to act as catalyst from which many things spring is the primary function of being fertile. Its focus lies on the value of reproduction and cultivation.
Fertility of the mind and of the body is governed by creativity and passion. It is where our soul’s fire is located and our ability to thrive from our interactions with what we are given. Take into consideration the analogy of a fertile field versus the fertile human mind: When seeds are sewn under the correct conditions (thanks wisdom!), life will grow there. A barren land is as devastating as a barren mind; nothing can grow there and it will remain that way unless cultivated. To achieve fertility, one must learn to listen to inspiration and act as a conduit of spirit. Whatever spirit moves you, allow yourself to be moved. Make something of nothing and dance in the fire of your soul. Surrender to the waves of spirit.
(179 words)
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October 5th, 2009
Moderation
Moderation is a Virtue that acts as the key to all Virtues. Aristotle inferred that moderation was desirable if a person wished to be virtuous because it was neither too much or too little. As a general rule, all things should be done in moderation, as an overabundance of something can create a fulsome lifestyle of excess and waste. A shortage of something creates starvation and incompletion.
Moderation speaks to us of our appetites for everything. I strive to live my life in moderation except for a few caveats worth mentioning. For me, sometimes ‘good enough’ is not nearly enough. I do not wish to settle for anything but excellence, although I am not always left with a choice in the matter. One cannot become a great person if one cannot exceed the norm. I suppose that I am an advocate of moderation of extremes; allowing extremity when it is not destructive to one’s integrity and goals.
On the Christian standard, Virtues and Vices are opposite one another on the spectrum, and yet they are told that they are to strive towards Virtue. In Druidism, as in all things, we seek the third option rather than the duality we often see reflected elsewhere. Moderation is our ideal for excellence, whereas Christianity strives for the unattainable goal. Not to be critical of Christianity; I grew up Catholic and old philosophies die hard.
Today, I have explored the 9 ADF Virtues, and the Catholic virtues in detail to discover how I truly felt about them. I prefer imperfection if it is honest, because I find honesty is important to achieving Excellence. I often see Excellence as indicating over-achievement, but I see it a bit more as careful attention and management of one’s appetites; knowing when it’s okay to be moderate and when to give all you can.
Living a warrior lifestyle of excellence and achievement (physically and mentally) sometimes crosses paths with the more druidic path of intellectualism and scholarship. Using moderation, I try to find a healthy blend of the two, as I feel they serve somewhat different functions. I frequently put my all into everything I do, while still maintaining the careful knowledge and consideration necessary to understand my actions and the impact they will have.
(375 words)
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October 5th, 2009
Hospitality
I find the concept of hospitality as a virtue almost as integral as wisdom is as a virtue. My entire life I was raised by my Grandmother to offer good hospitality because of the human need we have for comfort, stability, and kindness. Hospitality can be defined as the social art of kindness.
My father’s line descends from a long and somewhat goofy line of Irish Catholics, and so my Grandmother was raised in the Irish traditions of hospitality as well as some of her own invention. To be hospitable is to pay kindness to others in the hopes that it will be reciprocated. A gift for a gift is the family standard.
Hospitality as a Virtue can be relegated to the home hearth: treating visitors with kindness, making them comfortable, feeding them, entertaining them, respecting them. It is the art of making a house a home to your family and friends. As an act of love for others, it never became tiring. Chores were not chores, rather they became actions that signified one’s appreciation for others. It is a proud tradition that I strive almost constantly to achieve, and continue to persevere through my failings.
It was absolutely essential to cultivate a welcoming and stable environment for family and friends, especially during the rearing of children. In my own life practice I attempt to make friends as comfortable as I am able when they are here, provide good food and entertainment and try to accommodate them as best as I can. When one seeks to lead a virtuous life, it is necessary to find sanctuary; there is very little that can compare with the sanctity of the home.
(279 words)
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October 5th, 2009
Perseverance
Perseverance is the art of never giving up. It is stubbornness, steadfastness, and holding on through whatever obstacles life presents you with. Perseverance can sometimes require a lending hand from Courage when the path ahead is concealed.
Growing up by the sea has leant me special insights as to the value of perseverance. I liken the virtue to that of a lighthouse keeper; a person who’s dedication and perseverance is a literal matter of life and death. In modern times, lighthouses have largely been converted to automated, unmanned towers. In older times though, the lighthouse had to be lit and remain lit, which required 24 hour care and maintenance from a living person. The light must never go out, or people will die. While giving up does not always result in loss of life, it does guarantee that the initial goal will never be realized. It is an automatic failure. The vision will be lost, and courage will not have been tested. Without perseverance, one cannot expect to dedicate themselves to anything including becoming a virtuous person. True happiness is not automatic; it is a reward.
Perseverance runs hand in hand with dedication, as both are qualities that will see a person through to the end result. No matter how bad the storm gets, how high the winds blow, how powerful the waves crash against you, none of that is as important as sticking to your path and enduring it; both for your sake, and the benefit of others you share your life with.
(254 words)
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October 5th, 2009
Integrity
To have a sense of integrity, one must first have a healthy sense of honesty with oneself. It is important to accept the reality that we are all composed of flaws and boons, and in knowing oneself it becomes easier to understand and relate to values. It is the ability to maintain a functioning level of personal honor and worth. Sometimes this requires the assistance of some of the other Nine Virtues, such as Courage when facing off with an opponent that might challenge your worth or values.
Once a set of values have been acquired, Integrity becomes the act of not selling yourself short, and not settling for less than your worth. It can be seen as the avoidance of acquiescing to actions that might compromise your beliefs.
Beliefs, value and integrity; all three speak to us of involvement with morality. Is morality truly the meaning of integrity in the strictest sense of its definition? I believe that it’s more than that. Morality indicates a set of values which occur outside the realm of Virtue. Morality is subjective; it can vary from culture to culture and morph over time to coincide with popularly held beliefs of the time. Morality is nearly synonymous in today’s world with Dogma; a Greek word adopted by much of Western culture to explain the ‘rules’ that outline a faith. Certainly, one with a good sense of integrity would stick to such a system of morality if they had adopted it, but morality is a human invention that must be learned.
What is to become of those people who do not have access to an already existing set of morals to ascribe themselves to? Do they lack integrity then because of the absence of established social mores? I don’t think they do. Integrity speaks of more than morality alone; it also speaks of personal honor and worth.
Integrity can sometimes lead us to the dangerous waters of pride and egoism, just as well as worthlessness and stagnancy. To hold good integrity, one must be moderate and lie somewhere between the two. How do you determine whether or not your own integrity has been compromised? Without a good sense of honesty, it’s difficult to tell. Remember your worth, and your intuition will guide you.
(376 words)
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October 5th, 2009
Courage
Courage is the ability to do what you are afraid of; to face what you fear most and know will likely cause you great pain or suffering. For me it is crossing high bridges, or observing the view from high atop any man made structure. It is holding a snake in the palm of my hands and observing the beauty of the beast, while seeking to calm the storm in my stomach that screams for me to run as far from it as I can. It is speaking up when others are afraid to, and acting when others are afraid to act. It is standing in front of a group of your peers and singing even when you feel their eyes upon you. It is holding a chronic diagnosis in your hands and knowing that it will likely end you, you keep living.
Courage is giving away your heart in love when you know that it will be broken.
To some, these actions may seem foolhardy for someone who would be afraid of these things. They don’t understand why we face the challenges that they are too afraid to do again and again. And why do we do this? For some, it is a call to valor. For others, it is positive self affirmation. Ultimately positive reinforcement to affirm one’s worth helps us to achieve our goal of happiness. This is especially true in today’s society where it is harder than ever to love oneself; an act alone that takes courage.
(251 words)
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October 5th, 2009
Vision
The importance of vision is the ability to see the whole picture, and imagine greater. Vision helps you set goals, while the other virtues help you realize them. Vision itself does not discern greater value for good plans or lesser value for bad plans, only the ability to imagine. The creation of goals also lies alongside (and sometimes crosses into) the realm of the value of fertility.
As a member of the ADF today living in a nation in which Pagans (and especially Druids) are in the minority, it is important to have a clear cut goal for the future. Our collective vision may be a mission statement, or a proclamation of intention, but it is important to be able to view the entire picture to make our growth as a religious organization a reality. Having a clearly focused goal increases its chances of being realized.
The other important aspect of vision lies within the literal context of the word. Vision is also the value of having sight beyond mere sight. Vision can be the art of viewing an idea presented to you through inspiration or divinatory means. Through divinatory tools and adherence to the other virtues, this virtue can be cultivated and honed into a truly valuable asset. The realm of vision is that of what lies beyond the reach of our normal sight distance, figuratively speaking.
(228 words)
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October 5th, 2009
Piety
The importance of piety in today’s culture has remained rather true to this virtue’s lineage back to ancient cultures. It is important to carry the Gods with you at all times on your journey through life, and it is crucial that we remember their presence and thank them for it through prayer, ritual, meditation or other means. Through repetition of these tasks, there lies the ever-present danger of performing for the sake of performance, issuing lip service or hollow words. To remain pious, one must remain sincere and reverent. It is easiest to do this through actions that coincide with your daily routine. For example, knowing that the Gods are always with me while doing menial tasks such as laundry, I might take a moment to consider the source of water and reflect on those Shining Ones most associated with it. I might honor Boann, or thank Mananaan MacLir, or perhaps even offer up the mysteriously missing sock as tribute to the good humor of The Dagda. If you wore boots all the time, you can surely bet you’ll wear through a large quantity of socks.
Incorporating your venerations with daily tasks is certainly a healthy way to retain piety, but truly nothing can equal the value of regular quiet meditation, earnest prayer, or devotion time with your personal Patrons. It is important to be reverent, rather than the extremes of fanaticism or ambivalence. I personally thank The Morrígan in the morning when I wake up to greet the day, and again before sleep and count my blessings for every day that I am gifted to wake with the opportunity to remain in Her service.
(275 words)
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October 5th, 2009
Wisdom
Wisdom is simply the ability to know. Knowing implies an understanding that exists beyond learning as the ability to recognize. Wisdom is desirable for practical reasons, one of them being as a time saver. To be wise is to know through past experience, which prevents a repeat of the same trials and outcomes through recognition. I am a seeker of wisdom in that I wish to understand and recognize that which holds value from those things in life that do not. It takes careful consideration and practice to recognize the importance of life events; whether or not to cry over spilled milk, pour myself another glass, or kidnap a cow to solve the milk shortage debacle.
Wisdom is a virtue that seems to exist within many cultures (ancient and modern) as being sought-after, probably due to matters of practicality. It’s especially handy to have a knowing individual within your tribe to reduce waste in the form of time, effort, and resources which helps to ensure the survival of your people.
(170 words)
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October 5th, 2009
An Introduction to the 9 Virtues of Druidry
To know Right Action, one must also know and understand the value of Virtue. For clarification purposes, we must first define the difference between Virtues and Values. As I understand it, a virtue is a quality that is inherent, whereas value indicates a quality that is acquired through action outside of oneself. A virtuous person may ascribe to a given set of values that he or she has learned, adopted, shared, or chosen for themselves to serve as a road map for living a purpose driven existence or as a life path. Virtues are inherent qualities that must be nurtured to reach their full potential. There exist three schools of thought as to why one might choose to behave virtuously: Divine Instruction, to exist within society harmoniously, and to maintain and obtain happiness.
In ADF Druidry, ultimately the reason we choose to be virtuous is to obtain the ego-centric goal of happiness in life. Whether or not there is promise of reward or not with regards to living Right Action (ie afterlife, reincarnation, nirvana), each person should strive to do what makes them happy by living a virtuous life. The following nine virtues serve as a framework for living virtuously through current societal climates, while also carrying the traditions of our ancestors. Virtues and current values sometimes swap places depending on their importance in modern society.
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