In general, I’m not as smart as most ADF folks. I’m not an intellectual or a philosopher; I’m not even a liturgist. I’ve always thought of myself as a “hands-on” pagan, meaning I like to learn skills and history, rather than theories. It reads in the “Idiots Guide to Paganism” that “some pagans consider the […]
Category: Virtues
The 9 virtues of the Dedicants Program (125 words minimum for each). I try to relate these to my personal life, how I feel I have lived these virtues, and how they relate to me personally, rather than a generic definition.
9 Virtues: Moderation
I’ve been sitting here trying to think of any issues I’ve had in my life with moderation. Besides diet (and who doesn’t), there really isn’t anything specific that I’ve dealt with when it comes to moderation. As odd as some people seem to react to it, I’ve never smoked a cigarette or even seen an […]
9 Virtues: Hospitality
Our chief liturgist, Caryn, amuses me. She has a handful with her two boys, one of which is currently still living with her. As such, when he has friends over to stay the night, she takes this opportunity from the perspective that only Caryn can. She tells her son’s friends that “..it is customary of […]
9 Virtues: Perseverance
I originally wrote this essay after much struggle, and after showing it to a DP mentor, had to scrap it completely. That alone showed me that perhaps my view of Perseverance is slightly skewed or confused. Perseverance is the ability to overcome and pass through obstacles. That’s a simplified definition of it. While trying to […]
9 Virtues: Integrity
Integrity covers so many different things, I think people get caught up in the moralistic portion of it. And while morals are a big part of integrity, they certainly aren’t the whole of what integrity should be about.
9 Virtues: Courage
I get told a lot that various things I’ve done are courageous. I’m not so sure “courageous” is the word for it, more like “out of necessity”, “bull-headedness” or plain old “stubbornness.”
9 Virtues: Vision
Vision is a virtue I don’t normally think about as often as the others, probably because to me it has so many different meanings.
9 Virtues: Piety
Piety is probably the most difficult virtue for me to adhere to. Not because I don’t want to, and not because it isn’t important to me, because it is. I have this issue of short-term memory loss that really gets to me sometimes, and I have so many things bogging my mind down right now […]
9 Virtues: Wisdom
The wisest person I know is my father. He received very bad grades in school, struggles with his spelling, knows all there is to know about farming and old trucks, and has a deep appreciation for native american lore. But how does all of this make him wise?
