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9 Druidic Virtues

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
This is a list of 9 virtues important to my Pagan Path as a Druid. Are there other virtues that you would add to this list or take away from it?

What virtues does your religion encourage you to live by?

-----------

Wisdom:


Is more than just being smart or intelligent. It is the ultimate culmination of experience, knowledge and sound judgement. Experience being what one gains by performing an action, right or wrong; knowledge, the banking of this experience for later usage, and when one uses both experience and knowledge together in their affairs, they are executing with wisdom.

In ancient Greece, Philosophy, meant a "lover of wisdom", therefore it also entails the ability to use and apply critical thinking, reason, discourse and ethics, in a benevolent fashion. It requires a sense of intellectual humility, proportion and ability to introspect. As a certain prayer for serenity also notes, there is wisdom in learning to accept things as they are, and only changing those things that are within your power to control.


Piety:

Stemming from the latin word pius/pietas, meaning devout and/or dutiful. It is with this devotion and duty that we show the utmost and dedicated observance of, respect for, and service to the Gods, Ancestors and Spirits of the land; through Worship, Ritual, and Sacrifices made in their honor.

Celebrating the cycles and rhythms of nature, through the keeping of the eight High Feast Days, we ground our devotion within the Earth's patterns. This keying in to the patterns of nature allows for an extension of devotion and duty to the spirits of flora and fauna native to ones locale.

Devotion and duty to ones Ancestors is to not only to honor their memory when they have passed, but to honor and respect ones living Ancestors, as well such as ones Grandparents and Parents, as well as any other close filial ties. It is through these daily pious interactions that we bring the Gods to the forefront of our lives.

Vision:

To be able to think about, plan, and strive towards the future utilizing the foresight of one's minds eye. To use the same to call forth the Past. At the same time one must not lose sight of the present moment as it unfolds around us. To be able to see things from many angles and perspectives is the hallmark of true vision.

It often must be tempered by wisdom, or else it runs the chance of turning into fantasy, not grounded in reality. It allows us to see where we are, how we got there through good and ill, and where we can go in the future. Clear inner vision unlocks our creativity and true potential, giving us the aspiration to bring them to life. While clear outer vision enables us to appreciate the minute details and immense beauty of the world around us.

Courage:

There are two main types of courage, physical and moral. Physical courage is bravery in the face of adversity and hardship, for the sake of a worthy goal. To display confidence in ones actions. While moral courage is to act rightly and justly, even when faced with opposition, or personal loss. Courage does not mean to be unafraid, but to face that fear head on without wavering. To still show strength of resolve even in the face of uncertainty or defeat.

When one is courageous, one does not overthink their situation, but acts as wisdom and vision guides them. The stories and myths of our Gods are filled with examples of Courage to emulate, such as Tyr placing his hand in the mouth of the great wolf Fenrir, to ensure he was bound until Ragnarok, knowingly losing his hand in the process.

Integrity:

Integrity at it's very root, is to do the right or correct thing or action, when no one is looking, even when it is not in a persons own best interest. To practice and live good morals daily. A person who sticks by and lives by their stated morals, principles, beliefs and standards.

An integrous person will first harm no one, and will be able to extol these nine virtues listed here. To keep their oaths and promises, as one's word is their bond.

A person with high integrity will strive to be honest in all their affairs, as lies serve no one but the speaker. To speak and act with an honest heart and mind, while still being mindful of anothers emotions, so as not to be hurtful.

Perseverance:

Perseverance to me means, to strive for one's goals, and attempt to achieve them despite what events may unfold during the journey. To push through in an arduous task, even if failure is the known and expected result. To press on, on ones path until it's final result, pushing through any discouragement hurtled onto the road ahead.

To show a calm steadfastness in daily life. While also approaching situations with an open mind, acknowledging that anything can turn out right or wrong. A person does not have to be the smartest, the richest or the most well connected person to succeed -- as long as they can persevere when pursuing their goals, they will gain much. Without the ability to persevere through adversity, we would get nowhere, succumbing to every set back.


Hospitality:

Hospitality is to be kind to the guests that are in one's home. To give them a warm welcome, and safe harbor. This includes extending that warmth to the Gods and Spirits of one's tradition, and their Ancestors. Showing them that they are welcome in your home and heart.

To demonstrate hospitality, a person should also recognize that they are not just the host in life, and that they are both guest and host at different times depending on circumstances and location. And as we are all guests on this home we call Earth, it is also imperitive that one be hospitable to the life around them, extending a hand or defense where needed. Knowing that we are dependent upon the hospitality of the Earth in return.


Moderation:

In it's most basic form, this often refers to not overindulging in drugs or alcohol, and to stay of strong, sound, mind and body. But we can look at moderation in additional ways. It is often good to act in moderate ways, so as not to react to strong emotions in the moment. To speak, write, and interact with the world moderately, leaving little trace behind.

To live within moderate means, by not succumbing to excessive worldly materialism. Focusing only on what one needs, to successfully take care of themselves and their family, to help their kin and community as needed.

The religiously moderate will not succumb to zealotry or fanaticism; striving to maintain a balance and equality among all viewpoints. This of course does not mean accepting all viewpoints as valid, but giving them space at the campfire nonetheless.

Fertility:

Fertility to me means one has the ability to produce things. Whether that is conceiving children, or giving birth to works of creation such as arts or crafts.

It is the ability to sow seeds of thought in the present, nurturing them to grow, so that over time one can harvest the reward of completing a goal or project. Maintaining this ebb and flow of sowing ideas, growing goals, and harvesting lessons or rewards, brings our fertile and creative minds to the foreground.

By focusing on cultivating a fertile mind and life, one will be able to see and appreciate all of the created beauty that surrounds us every day. One will also become mindfully aware of how the fertility of the Earth, and her creative cycles as seasons, that sustain us all.
 

The Sum of Awe

Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Your virtues appear to be very similar if not the exact same as my own. I will list my own in my own words to compare and contrast from your own perspective.

Growth/Becoming:

There is no greater virtue in life than to grow and become something greater than you were yesterday. To use all of your experiences and to allow them to carry you in a direction that is up the ladder. To remain too complacent is a waste of potential. Of course, stressing too much about the goals you strive for, is just as bad. This is where the virtue moderation comes in, as you mentioned.

Wisdom:

Wisdom is the most useful of all virtues, because we all make mistakes in life but only the wise are able to introspect and learn from them, and in that way grow. Just like how one would aid in the knowledge of mechanics to know what is going wrong with their vehicle and how to fix it or prevent it from happening in the first place, one would aid in the knowledge of philosophy to know what is going wrong with their life and how to fix it or prevent things from going wrong in the first place.

Acceptance:

Not necessarily in contradiction to the virtue of Becoming, one can accept what they have while still striving for change at the same time. Like you mentioned, the serenity prayer, is such an amazing prayer and I use it in many aspects of my life. Accepting what I cannot change, and changing what I can. One can learn to enjoy their journey of self development, and when they do so they can have their cake and eat it too.

"One must imagine Sisyphus happy." - Albert Camus

Optimism:

Optimism, guided by rationality, is the best thing for driving ourselves for a better tomorrow. Belief in a better future will bring you a better future. What we believe is what shapes our reality. If you go around life believing the future is hopeless, that the things you strive for are impossible to achieve, then those are self-fulfilling prophecies. Optimism, on the other hand, is open-minded and sees the good in everything, so even if you don't reach what you strive for you will still have more hope to reach for.

Love:

Showing love and compassion to others, regardless of what is going on in your life, is the best way to filter out the bad karma in the world. The bad energy running around this earth might reach you, but instead of letting that bad energy spread even more through your actions, you decide to act with love and kindness and therefore you are the one who turns bad karma into good karma, bad energy into good energy.
 

Heyo

Veteran Member
This is a list of 9 virtues important to my Pagan Path as a Druid. Are there other virtues that you would add to this list or take away from it?

What virtues does your religion encourage you to live by?

-----------

Wisdom:


Is more than just being smart or intelligent. It is the ultimate culmination of experience, knowledge and sound judgement. Experience being what one gains by performing an action, right or wrong; knowledge, the banking of this experience for later usage, and when one uses both experience and knowledge together in their affairs, they are executing with wisdom.

In ancient Greece, Philosophy, meant a "lover of wisdom", therefore it also entails the ability to use and apply critical thinking, reason, discourse and ethics, in a benevolent fashion. It requires a sense of intellectual humility, proportion and ability to introspect. As a certain prayer for serenity also notes, there is wisdom in learning to accept things as they are, and only changing those things that are within your power to control.


Piety:

Stemming from the latin word pius/pietas, meaning devout and/or dutiful. It is with this devotion and duty that we show the utmost and dedicated observance of, respect for, and service to the Gods, Ancestors and Spirits of the land; through Worship, Ritual, and Sacrifices made in their honor.

Celebrating the cycles and rhythms of nature, through the keeping of the eight High Feast Days, we ground our devotion within the Earth's patterns. This keying in to the patterns of nature allows for an extension of devotion and duty to the spirits of flora and fauna native to ones locale.

Devotion and duty to ones Ancestors is to not only to honor their memory when they have passed, but to honor and respect ones living Ancestors, as well such as ones Grandparents and Parents, as well as any other close filial ties. It is through these daily pious interactions that we bring the Gods to the forefront of our lives.

Vision:

To be able to think about, plan, and strive towards the future utilizing the foresight of one's minds eye. To use the same to call forth the Past. At the same time one must not lose sight of the present moment as it unfolds around us. To be able to see things from many angles and perspectives is the hallmark of true vision.

It often must be tempered by wisdom, or else it runs the chance of turning into fantasy, not grounded in reality. It allows us to see where we are, how we got there through good and ill, and where we can go in the future. Clear inner vision unlocks our creativity and true potential, giving us the aspiration to bring them to life. While clear outer vision enables us to appreciate the minute details and immense beauty of the world around us.

Courage:

There are two main types of courage, physical and moral. Physical courage is bravery in the face of adversity and hardship, for the sake of a worthy goal. To display confidence in ones actions. While moral courage is to act rightly and justly, even when faced with opposition, or personal loss. Courage does not mean to be unafraid, but to face that fear head on without wavering. To still show strength of resolve even in the face of uncertainty or defeat.

When one is courageous, one does not overthink their situation, but acts as wisdom and vision guides them. The stories and myths of our Gods are filled with examples of Courage to emulate, such as Tyr placing his hand in the mouth of the great wolf Fenrir, to ensure he was bound until Ragnarok, knowingly losing his hand in the process.

Integrity:

Integrity at it's very root, is to do the right or correct thing or action, when no one is looking, even when it is not in a persons own best interest. To practice and live good morals daily. A person who sticks by and lives by their stated morals, principles, beliefs and standards.

An integrous person will first harm no one, and will be able to extol these nine virtues listed here. To keep their oaths and promises, as one's word is their bond.

A person with high integrity will strive to be honest in all their affairs, as lies serve no one but the speaker. To speak and act with an honest heart and mind, while still being mindful of anothers emotions, so as not to be hurtful.

Perseverance:

Perseverance to me means, to strive for one's goals, and attempt to achieve them despite what events may unfold during the journey. To push through in an arduous task, even if failure is the known and expected result. To press on, on ones path until it's final result, pushing through any discouragement hurtled onto the road ahead.

To show a calm steadfastness in daily life. While also approaching situations with an open mind, acknowledging that anything can turn out right or wrong. A person does not have to be the smartest, the richest or the most well connected person to succeed -- as long as they can persevere when pursuing their goals, they will gain much. Without the ability to persevere through adversity, we would get nowhere, succumbing to every set back.


Hospitality:

Hospitality is to be kind to the guests that are in one's home. To give them a warm welcome, and safe harbor. This includes extending that warmth to the Gods and Spirits of one's tradition, and their Ancestors. Showing them that they are welcome in your home and heart.

To demonstrate hospitality, a person should also recognize that they are not just the host in life, and that they are both guest and host at different times depending on circumstances and location. And as we are all guests on this home we call Earth, it is also imperitive that one be hospitable to the life around them, extending a hand or defense where needed. Knowing that we are dependent upon the hospitality of the Earth in return.


Moderation:

In it's most basic form, this often refers to not overindulging in drugs or alcohol, and to stay of strong, sound, mind and body. But we can look at moderation in additional ways. It is often good to act in moderate ways, so as not to react to strong emotions in the moment. To speak, write, and interact with the world moderately, leaving little trace behind.

To live within moderate means, by not succumbing to excessive worldly materialism. Focusing only on what one needs, to successfully take care of themselves and their family, to help their kin and community as needed.

The religiously moderate will not succumb to zealotry or fanaticism; striving to maintain a balance and equality among all viewpoints. This of course does not mean accepting all viewpoints as valid, but giving them space at the campfire nonetheless.

Fertility:

Fertility to me means one has the ability to produce things. Whether that is conceiving children, or giving birth to works of creation such as arts or crafts.

It is the ability to sow seeds of thought in the present, nurturing them to grow, so that over time one can harvest the reward of completing a goal or project. Maintaining this ebb and flow of sowing ideas, growing goals, and harvesting lessons or rewards, brings our fertile and creative minds to the foreground.

By focusing on cultivating a fertile mind and life, one will be able to see and appreciate all of the created beauty that surrounds us every day. One will also become mindfully aware of how the fertility of the Earth, and her creative cycles as seasons, that sustain us all.
Except for piety those are virtues I can subscribe to as an absolutely non religious person. (And I'd admonish to be cautious with fertility. There are already too many humans on this planet.)

While I don't subscribe to virtue ethics totally, I do think about morality in moral basics. Mine are
Well being - that what causes/preserves life, health and comfort in my fellow creatures is a good thing.
Equality - I try to treat my fellow beings with the same respect I like to get. Nobody should be entitled to or burdened with more or less than others.
Liberty - Everyone should be able to live their life as they please as long as it doesn't take away well being, equality or liberty of others.
Survival - Not a moral principle in itself but a justification to act against the other principles when threatened with severe harm.
 

stvdv

Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
This is a list of 9 virtues important to my Pagan Path as a Druid. Are there other virtues that you would add to this list or take away from it?

What virtues does your religion encourage you to live by?
Wonderful list

Always speak obligingly and follow my conscience while purifying my thoughts words and deeds are a few toppers of mine
 

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
Except for piety those are virtues I can subscribe to as an absolutely non religious person. (And I'd admonish to be cautious with fertility. There are already too many humans on this planet.)

While I don't subscribe to virtue ethics totally, I do think about morality in moral basics. Mine are
Well being - that what causes/preserves life, health and comfort in my fellow creatures is a good thing.
Equality - I try to treat my fellow beings with the same respect I like to get. Nobody should be entitled to or burdened with more or less than others.
Liberty - Everyone should be able to live their life as they please as long as it doesn't take away well being, equality or liberty of others.
Survival - Not a moral principle in itself but a justification to act against the other principles when threatened with severe harm.

I like survival and equality making your list. I agree that these things are rather important as well.

I think I tie "equality" up with "hospitality" in my view. And "survival" is a combination of "courage and perseverance".

:)
 

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
Your virtues appear to be very similar if not the exact same as my own. I will list my own in my own words to compare and contrast from your own perspective.

Growth/Becoming:

There is no greater virtue in life than to grow and become something greater than you were yesterday. To use all of your experiences and to allow them to carry you in a direction that is up the ladder. To remain too complacent is a waste of potential. Of course, stressing too much about the goals you strive for, is just as bad. This is where the virtue moderation comes in, as you mentioned.

Wisdom:

Wisdom is the most useful of all virtues, because we all make mistakes in life but only the wise are able to introspect and learn from them, and in that way grow. Just like how one would aid in the knowledge of mechanics to know what is going wrong with their vehicle and how to fix it or prevent it from happening in the first place, one would aid in the knowledge of philosophy to know what is going wrong with their life and how to fix it or prevent things from going wrong in the first place.

Acceptance:

Not necessarily in contradiction to the virtue of Becoming, one can accept what they have while still striving for change at the same time. Like you mentioned, the serenity prayer, is such an amazing prayer and I use it in many aspects of my life. Accepting what I cannot change, and changing what I can. One can learn to enjoy their journey of self development, and when they do so they can have their cake and eat it too.

"One must imagine Sisyphus happy." - Albert Camus

Optimism:

Optimism, guided by rationality, is the best thing for driving ourselves for a better tomorrow. Belief in a better future will bring you a better future. What we believe is what shapes our reality. If you go around life believing the future is hopeless, that the things you strive for are impossible to achieve, then those are self-fulfilling prophecies. Optimism, on the other hand, is open-minded and sees the good in everything, so even if you don't reach what you strive for you will still have more hope to reach for.

Love:

Showing love and compassion to others, regardless of what is going on in your life, is the best way to filter out the bad karma in the world. The bad energy running around this earth might reach you, but instead of letting that bad energy spread even more through your actions, you decide to act with love and kindness and therefore you are the one who turns bad karma into good karma, bad energy into good energy.

Ah yes! Optimism is a great trait. Even if I tend to lean more cynical then most.

And Love is certainly important for all. This is another one I tie up under Hospitality (to treat All as a beloved guest).
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
This Druid doesn't have a list of virtues, but they do have a Code of Honor, which is functionally the same sort of concept. My Code of Honor is less a guide for behavior or something one is encouraged to live by than an articulation of who and what I already am - it a description of my character (virtue) by nature. That is how I understand virtue - as one's character and who one is, which will not be the same from individual to individual. Articulating this can be important because during hard times we all sometimes forget ourselves and who we are. We then risk acting out-of-character and doing dishonor to ourselves. The Code of Honor serves as a reminder of one's true character.

Peace.

That one word is the maxim of this Druid's Code of Honor. It's interesting to consider that I came up with this long before joining the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids. Since most of you won't be aware, OBOD often opens rituals by invoking peace to the four directions. The synergy there is eerily uncanny, but that's been part and parcel with my time with OBOD.

There are elaborations upon the maxim and commentaries, sure, but at core it all points back to that one word, and the harmony and balance that comes with it.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
This is a list of 9 virtues important to my Pagan Path as a Druid. Are there other virtues that you would add to this list or take away from it?

What virtues does your religion encourage you to live by?

-----------

Wisdom:


Is more than just being smart or intelligent. It is the ultimate culmination of experience, knowledge and sound judgement. Experience being what one gains by performing an action, right or wrong; knowledge, the banking of this experience for later usage, and when one uses both experience and knowledge together in their affairs, they are executing with wisdom.

In ancient Greece, Philosophy, meant a "lover of wisdom", therefore it also entails the ability to use and apply critical thinking, reason, discourse and ethics, in a benevolent fashion. It requires a sense of intellectual humility, proportion and ability to introspect. As a certain prayer for serenity also notes, there is wisdom in learning to accept things as they are, and only changing those things that are within your power to control.


Piety:

Stemming from the latin word pius/pietas, meaning devout and/or dutiful. It is with this devotion and duty that we show the utmost and dedicated observance of, respect for, and service to the Gods, Ancestors and Spirits of the land; through Worship, Ritual, and Sacrifices made in their honor.

Celebrating the cycles and rhythms of nature, through the keeping of the eight High Feast Days, we ground our devotion within the Earth's patterns. This keying in to the patterns of nature allows for an extension of devotion and duty to the spirits of flora and fauna native to ones locale.

Devotion and duty to ones Ancestors is to not only to honor their memory when they have passed, but to honor and respect ones living Ancestors, as well such as ones Grandparents and Parents, as well as any other close filial ties. It is through these daily pious interactions that we bring the Gods to the forefront of our lives.

Vision:

To be able to think about, plan, and strive towards the future utilizing the foresight of one's minds eye. To use the same to call forth the Past. At the same time one must not lose sight of the present moment as it unfolds around us. To be able to see things from many angles and perspectives is the hallmark of true vision.

It often must be tempered by wisdom, or else it runs the chance of turning into fantasy, not grounded in reality. It allows us to see where we are, how we got there through good and ill, and where we can go in the future. Clear inner vision unlocks our creativity and true potential, giving us the aspiration to bring them to life. While clear outer vision enables us to appreciate the minute details and immense beauty of the world around us.

Courage:

There are two main types of courage, physical and moral. Physical courage is bravery in the face of adversity and hardship, for the sake of a worthy goal. To display confidence in ones actions. While moral courage is to act rightly and justly, even when faced with opposition, or personal loss. Courage does not mean to be unafraid, but to face that fear head on without wavering. To still show strength of resolve even in the face of uncertainty or defeat.

When one is courageous, one does not overthink their situation, but acts as wisdom and vision guides them. The stories and myths of our Gods are filled with examples of Courage to emulate, such as Tyr placing his hand in the mouth of the great wolf Fenrir, to ensure he was bound until Ragnarok, knowingly losing his hand in the process.

Integrity:

Integrity at it's very root, is to do the right or correct thing or action, when no one is looking, even when it is not in a persons own best interest. To practice and live good morals daily. A person who sticks by and lives by their stated morals, principles, beliefs and standards.

An integrous person will first harm no one, and will be able to extol these nine virtues listed here. To keep their oaths and promises, as one's word is their bond.

A person with high integrity will strive to be honest in all their affairs, as lies serve no one but the speaker. To speak and act with an honest heart and mind, while still being mindful of anothers emotions, so as not to be hurtful.

Perseverance:

Perseverance to me means, to strive for one's goals, and attempt to achieve them despite what events may unfold during the journey. To push through in an arduous task, even if failure is the known and expected result. To press on, on ones path until it's final result, pushing through any discouragement hurtled onto the road ahead.

To show a calm steadfastness in daily life. While also approaching situations with an open mind, acknowledging that anything can turn out right or wrong. A person does not have to be the smartest, the richest or the most well connected person to succeed -- as long as they can persevere when pursuing their goals, they will gain much. Without the ability to persevere through adversity, we would get nowhere, succumbing to every set back.


Hospitality:

Hospitality is to be kind to the guests that are in one's home. To give them a warm welcome, and safe harbor. This includes extending that warmth to the Gods and Spirits of one's tradition, and their Ancestors. Showing them that they are welcome in your home and heart.

To demonstrate hospitality, a person should also recognize that they are not just the host in life, and that they are both guest and host at different times depending on circumstances and location. And as we are all guests on this home we call Earth, it is also imperitive that one be hospitable to the life around them, extending a hand or defense where needed. Knowing that we are dependent upon the hospitality of the Earth in return.


Moderation:

In it's most basic form, this often refers to not overindulging in drugs or alcohol, and to stay of strong, sound, mind and body. But we can look at moderation in additional ways. It is often good to act in moderate ways, so as not to react to strong emotions in the moment. To speak, write, and interact with the world moderately, leaving little trace behind.

To live within moderate means, by not succumbing to excessive worldly materialism. Focusing only on what one needs, to successfully take care of themselves and their family, to help their kin and community as needed.

The religiously moderate will not succumb to zealotry or fanaticism; striving to maintain a balance and equality among all viewpoints. This of course does not mean accepting all viewpoints as valid, but giving them space at the campfire nonetheless.

Fertility:

Fertility to me means one has the ability to produce things. Whether that is conceiving children, or giving birth to works of creation such as arts or crafts.

It is the ability to sow seeds of thought in the present, nurturing them to grow, so that over time one can harvest the reward of completing a goal or project. Maintaining this ebb and flow of sowing ideas, growing goals, and harvesting lessons or rewards, brings our fertile and creative minds to the foreground.

By focusing on cultivating a fertile mind and life, one will be able to see and appreciate all of the created beauty that surrounds us every day. One will also become mindfully aware of how the fertility of the Earth, and her creative cycles as seasons, that sustain us all.
Seems to me everything here is about character, and there is little about belief. Bravo! I particularly like the expansion on fertility.
 

ajay0

Well-Known Member
I enjoyed reading the op.

As per Swami Satchidananda and Dharmic philosophy, the practice of virtue and virtuous conduct is equivalent to meditation in itself , and helps bring forth spiritual enlightenment and material prosperity as well.

Roman philosophers have also associated virtue with fortune.

'Virtutis Fortuna Comes' (Fortune is the companion of virtue).
 
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