Ethics in the Old Persuasion
Some Basics
Do not do what you desire- do what is necessary.
I've often said that this, in its own way, says more or less the same thing as Crowley's "Do What Thou Wilt", not the selfish will of the Self, but the True Will reached through communion with our Fetch-Mate and our Fate. True Will is bound to lead us beyond our mundane Will's interests more often that not, because it will show us what is necessary to do.
Other Cunning Folk, of British Traditional Craft leanings, once told me that some Traditional Witches she had met had adopted a form of "Rede," no doubt merely to use when debating with Wiccans. She says, "Know what you do, and do as you will." That is also a good piece of advice, I think.
Take all you are given, give all of yourself.
This is very good for modern Pagans, since we get carried away easily by everyday life, and there is always a risk of leaving our Craft for our "spare time" - as if it were a mere hobby!
"What I have- I hold!"
I like to think of "holding" as guarding, as well - knowledge and wisdom is something to be treasured. Not to be hidden, but shared, as the previous precept also reminds us. But also to be protected, not discarded or mixed with nonsense. However little experience and knowledge I may gain, I am being entrusted with it, and this is to be remembered, lest I might misplace it or allow it to rust.
When all else is lost, and not until then, prepare to die with dignity.
This is a reminder never to give up, never to surrender to adversity. And, when the last day comes, come forward and meet it with our head on high with courage and honor. How else? Not with fear of the unknown, for it is not that unknown for us - not pleadingly. For the Old Ones expect us to look them in the eyes - not with regret, for we know all is as it should be.
Do not do what you desire- do what is necessary.
Take all you are given, give all of yourself.
"What I have- I hold!"
When all else is lost, and not until then, prepare to die with dignity.
These may sound like peculiar laws, but they are wise, and based upon experience of the Wise Ones. The first is perhaps one of the most difficult to live by, since there is no room for illusion. The second allows you little time for yourself. The third is the keystone of wisdom. The fourth is the key to the "personality" of the Wise Ones." The question you need to ask is, “Who or what does my ethic serve”?
So you're Pagan and you seek a code, a way of living, thinking, and acting, which will identify you as Pagan, and satisfy your need for guidance in life, and satisfy the need that we all have to make good decisions when life presents us with quandaries and various situations. So you evolve a set of "ethics" or “codes of ethics”, or a “moral code” that will help you to do just that. Some people come up with their own, though I don't think most Pagans have the wisdom to really do that successfully. Most people gain their ethical and moral codes from the background they were raised in, from parents and teachers, and from their first spiritual background, if they had one. Later, people may join religious groups or other cultures that have different ethical and moral codes, and they can accept those as their own, or as their primary codes.
Wiccans, for instance, mostly begin life as christian, leave that, and become Wiccan, accepting the "An it harm none, do as you will" Rede as their primary moral and ethical injunction. Most Wiccans also maintain their previous christian morality and ethics, even if they want to deny it. It influences all that they do, think and feel. Some Wiccans and Pagans do manage to free themselves from previous cultural and religious christian conditioning, and truly accept Pagan ethical and moral codes - you can get those from authentic historical sources like Havamal and the Eddas, from mythological, from folk-tales, and from other places.
The question that everyone has to ask is - "Who or what does my ethic serve?" Who do your morals serve? Who do your ethics serve? Who benefits? What benefit comes from it? An it harm none? ("none" includes you). This would seem to serve the needs of yourself and other people. No one wants to be harmed, and you shouldn't harm yourself. But notice that it is dangerously anthropocentric- unless you want to take the Land as a "being" and not harm her either. If you want to take spirits as beings, then you shouldn't harm them either. Trouble is, the Rede doesn't specify, and so people will take it as disastrously narrow as they like, anything to get around being too restricted by their morality.
But there's a further problem here. Can you live, truly live without harming another? Like the cow you ate in your burger last night? Like the ant you stepped on yesterday in the grass? Like the microbes that die in your drinking water or the birds and plants that die because of your car exhaust? What about the need to harm people who murder and rape? Imprisoning them is a kind of harm. Arguably, you are severely limiting their freedom, exposing them to danger, isolation, mental anguish, and a very negative environment. Shooting a man who is holding people hostage, as a police sniper may do, is certainly harming him. This "Wiccan Rede" is a bit too generalized and open to be very good advice. The idea is fine enough; don't harm. But it leaves a lot to be desired, and doesn’t acknowledge the truth of Nature and reality.
Harm is unavoidable. When we must inflict volitional harm, we have to do it with Wisdom. That is what Pagans need to hear and consider. Wisdom is never wanton, is never lacking in prudence. Wisdom is never lacking in balance, and it is never inappropriate. Without wisdom, no compassionate, balanced life is possible. But, “Who do your ethics serve”? That is the question, the supreme question. If they do not serve the causes of the Land itself, then they are not "Old Pagan ethics”. They are not Traditionally Pagan. There are three "pillars" of ethical consideration that must be taken into account when any Pagan "ethical" system is created or adhered to:
1. The relationship of humans to the Gods.
2. The relationship of humans to other humans.
3. The relationship of humans to Nature.
A Pagan ethic which doesn't serve all three of these concepts is no Pagan ethic at all. A Pagan morality that doesn't serve all three of these is no Pagan morality at all. A cauldron cannot stand on one or two legs- it needs three. Three is wholeness. Three is completion. Three is generation and shaping. Three is resolution. Three is magical power. Three is wisdom. Three hides the secret of immortality. A Pagan ethic or a Pagan morality has to be three dimensional, taking into account all three concepts of relationship - relationship between the Gods, Nature, and the human community (what is seen and unseen in harmony), relationship between humans in the community that is seen, and relationship between humans and the Land or natural world. Every possible relationship is taken into account here, to leave one out means that the whole system will become unstable and collapse.
What does it mean “to serve"? Pagan ethics "serve" nature, but what does that mean? It means that my deeds, thoughts, and beliefs help Nature to maintain health and stability and vitality. If Nature does, then humans will be healthy and well. If humans are, they will be healthy enough and well enough to have a vibrant, good relationship with each other and with the Gods and the Otherworld. If the Otherworld and the Gods are brought into the human life through such healthy reciprocity, they will, through their own power and through human beings, bless the Land with power and society in general.
Through serving Nature and the Land, you serve the people and the Gods. By serving people, you serve the Land, Nature and the Gods. By serving the Gods, you serve the land, Nature and the people. This is the majestic truth of the Threefold Harmony of things, the ultimate expression of the Truth that our ancient Pagan Ancestors once structured their societies around - the Three Functions of Rulership/Wisdom, Warriorhood, and Sustaining/Producing.
The Tribal Kings and Queens, Clan Chieftains, and Cunning Folk ruled and maintained a relationship with the Gods and spirits on behalf of the people - this is the Mysteries of Sacred Kingship and the Old Faith. The Warriors protect the people and maintain relations between people. The farmers, producers, and sustainers maintain a healthy relationship with the Land for the people. Producers feed everyone straight from the Land; warriors protect; rulers and Cunning Folk ruled and guided with wisdom and balance with the Otherworld, and mediated the blessings of the Gods to the people and vice versa. Without food, warriors couldn't fight and rulers and Cunning Folk couldn't rule or do magic. Without protection from hostile outsider and spirits, producers couldn't be safe enough to grow food or raise it, and rulers and Cunning Folk couldn't rule or do magic. Without leadership and wisdom, and the blessings of the Gods, warriors couldn't get organized enough to fight together with valor, nor fight in accord with the right order of the world, nor could producers expect the Land to give freely and justly to them, without the blessings of the Gods, or work without the protection of a ruler and his warriors. Producers need leaders to get together and organize. They also need wisdom. People are inseparable from the Land and Nature. So are the Gods and the spirits. Service to the Land and Nature affects the other two pillars or functions.
But is that enough? You can't stop there. Some people believe harmful, hateful things that lead them to hurt other people. If I served people, I would fight against those harmful thoughts and beliefs. If someone believes that trees are just lumps of wood and stones are just lumps of stone, and rivers are just water, without any hint of sacredness or spiritual powers involved, that is a harmful belief - it will lead those people to devalue the Land, and wound it. When the Land is wounded, people are wounded. When people are wounded, our ability to have a whole relationship with the Gods, with each other, and with the Land is wounded. To serve is to see thrive. How can I be "okay" when a system gives some people tons of food, but makes others starve with little? If people aren't thriving somewhere because of an unjust system, I can't say that my ethics or moral codes are worth shit if I don't reject such injustice.
As you can see, Traditional Pagan ethics goes a lot further than just "an it harm none"- ethics, in the oldest, most authentic Pagan sense, calls us to a form of activism, an active involvement with the world. Robert Cochrane said, "The prime duty of the wise is involvement." This is what he meant. People today want a code that gives them a ticket to sit out of the struggle that is life. That is not Wisdom. The Gods don't intend for us to be passive sitters in the bleachers or ringside seats of life; we are life, we are all involved, and what some people do across the globe, or across town, does affect us. That's how the Web of Fate works- all things are interconnected. When the Web of Fate trembles but a little, the whole web trembles on some level.
The beliefs of people far away, in one tiny province of Rome who were influenced by spirituality in the distant Middle East, changed the whole world. In 300 years, Christianity had undone the entire Roman culture and outlawed their Pagan Gods. They went on to transform all of Europe; taking our ancient Gods from us by making idiot Kings declare the worship of Pagan Gods illegal. When the relationship between humans and the Gods suffers, relationships between people and other people suffer, and the relationship between us and nature suffers. LOOK AROUND YOU! Look at this world! You can see the devastating truth of it everyday, all around you!
There is no more time to sit on the sidelines. Who do your ethics serve? They serve nothing if they don't serve other people, the Land and Nature, and the Gods. You may say, “Is their room for tolerance in here”? That depends on what you mean by "tolerance". Can a human body "tolerate" a cancer cell? No, it can't tolerate even a single cancer cell, for that cell will grow into a tumor, spread to other body parts, and kill the body. Tolerance is a good thing, but there are many acceptable limits of tolerance. There are unacceptable things in this world that cannot be tolerated. A belief that denies the sacredness of the Land, the existence of Pagan Gods, and which denies the potential of mankind is an unacceptable thing. You can see what that belief has done to our world.
To tolerate what will kill you and this planet and our people isn't real tolerance- it's "idiot tolerance". It's the sort of tolerance that many power-brokers in the modern religious world want everyone to have, so that certain religions can continue to have power and control people and maintain their hateful, destructive beliefs.
Our ancestors had a fatal flaw- they were too tolerant of Christianity. They didn't understand how dangerous of a creed it was, and what level of political corruption was tied up with Christianity; they didn't understand how dangerous it was to their cultures and their ways. They should have wiped it out the first moment it showed its face, but they were tolerant to other religions back then. They didn't care what someone else believed, as long as they didn't do anything stupid to the rest of society. And Christianity used this fact against them to slowly defame the Gods, undermine traditional ways of thinking, play on people's fears, and eventually gain a political advantage with rulers to make a "conversion", and then get laws passed to outlaw the practices of non-christian religions.
Heathen Pagan ethical thinking, ethical/moral belief, and behavior is service. True "service" is to the whole, and the whole is found in all three aspects of relationship - the three great and sacred kindreds. Service means having your deeds, thoughts, and beliefs help to maintain health, stability and vitality for the Nature/Land, for your fellow man, and the relationship between man and the Gods, or between Middle Earth and the Otherworld. There is no room here for loss of the belief that these three things are sacred, and important to the healthy functioning of the whole. If that belief is lost, or is compromised, then the health of the whole is in danger, and the Land will become a wasteland. The people will die, and the Gods will not be able to meet mankind in a reciprocal relationship that brings many blessings and abundance.
Do we need a new Rede? Maybe so: “An it help the Land, do it with much care”, “An it help your fellows, do it with much effort”, “An it help your fellows to know the Gods, do it with much joy”. “If it wantonly and imprudently harms the Land, stand in its way; if it unfairly and unjustly harms your fellows, become a shield; if it harms your fellow man's union with the Gods, disregard it. Call none noble unless they do these things; call none wicked unless they fail often at them”. As far as morality and ethics, morality and ethics are often divided and spoken of differently; they are distinct things. Morality is based on beliefs regarding more metaphysical matters; ethics are codes of behavior that societies agree on, agree are appropriate for people at times, ethnicities, cultures, and places. Doctors have ethics that christian society believes they should adhere to; there are medical ethics boards to investigate breaches of ethics, etc. Teachers have ethical standards, every job or profession does that are heavily Christian cultural values oriented in the U.S. Morals are different. Ethics are rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc, such as medical ethics. Morals are codes of belief and behavior that tend to apply to people more broadly, though morality can be (and usually is) culturally biased. It's immoral for an Arab woman to remove her Hijab, her head-covering in some countries, but here women walk around uncovered all the time, and we don't consider them immoral. It's immoral for unmarried people to have sex, according to christian culture, but not to Pagan cultures. These are just as few examples.
I've often said that this, in its own way, says more or less the same thing as Crowley's "Do What Thou Wilt", not the selfish will of the Self, but the True Will reached through communion with our Fetch-Mate and our Fate. True Will is bound to lead us beyond our mundane Will's interests more often that not, because it will show us what is necessary to do.
Other Cunning Folk, of British Traditional Craft leanings, once told me that some Traditional Witches she had met had adopted a form of "Rede," no doubt merely to use when debating with Wiccans. She says, "Know what you do, and do as you will." That is also a good piece of advice, I think.
Take all you are given, give all of yourself.
This is very good for modern Pagans, since we get carried away easily by everyday life, and there is always a risk of leaving our Craft for our "spare time" - as if it were a mere hobby!
"What I have- I hold!"
I like to think of "holding" as guarding, as well - knowledge and wisdom is something to be treasured. Not to be hidden, but shared, as the previous precept also reminds us. But also to be protected, not discarded or mixed with nonsense. However little experience and knowledge I may gain, I am being entrusted with it, and this is to be remembered, lest I might misplace it or allow it to rust.
When all else is lost, and not until then, prepare to die with dignity.
This is a reminder never to give up, never to surrender to adversity. And, when the last day comes, come forward and meet it with our head on high with courage and honor. How else? Not with fear of the unknown, for it is not that unknown for us - not pleadingly. For the Old Ones expect us to look them in the eyes - not with regret, for we know all is as it should be.
Do not do what you desire- do what is necessary.
Take all you are given, give all of yourself.
"What I have- I hold!"
When all else is lost, and not until then, prepare to die with dignity.
These may sound like peculiar laws, but they are wise, and based upon experience of the Wise Ones. The first is perhaps one of the most difficult to live by, since there is no room for illusion. The second allows you little time for yourself. The third is the keystone of wisdom. The fourth is the key to the "personality" of the Wise Ones." The question you need to ask is, “Who or what does my ethic serve”?
So you're Pagan and you seek a code, a way of living, thinking, and acting, which will identify you as Pagan, and satisfy your need for guidance in life, and satisfy the need that we all have to make good decisions when life presents us with quandaries and various situations. So you evolve a set of "ethics" or “codes of ethics”, or a “moral code” that will help you to do just that. Some people come up with their own, though I don't think most Pagans have the wisdom to really do that successfully. Most people gain their ethical and moral codes from the background they were raised in, from parents and teachers, and from their first spiritual background, if they had one. Later, people may join religious groups or other cultures that have different ethical and moral codes, and they can accept those as their own, or as their primary codes.
Wiccans, for instance, mostly begin life as christian, leave that, and become Wiccan, accepting the "An it harm none, do as you will" Rede as their primary moral and ethical injunction. Most Wiccans also maintain their previous christian morality and ethics, even if they want to deny it. It influences all that they do, think and feel. Some Wiccans and Pagans do manage to free themselves from previous cultural and religious christian conditioning, and truly accept Pagan ethical and moral codes - you can get those from authentic historical sources like Havamal and the Eddas, from mythological, from folk-tales, and from other places.
The question that everyone has to ask is - "Who or what does my ethic serve?" Who do your morals serve? Who do your ethics serve? Who benefits? What benefit comes from it? An it harm none? ("none" includes you). This would seem to serve the needs of yourself and other people. No one wants to be harmed, and you shouldn't harm yourself. But notice that it is dangerously anthropocentric- unless you want to take the Land as a "being" and not harm her either. If you want to take spirits as beings, then you shouldn't harm them either. Trouble is, the Rede doesn't specify, and so people will take it as disastrously narrow as they like, anything to get around being too restricted by their morality.
But there's a further problem here. Can you live, truly live without harming another? Like the cow you ate in your burger last night? Like the ant you stepped on yesterday in the grass? Like the microbes that die in your drinking water or the birds and plants that die because of your car exhaust? What about the need to harm people who murder and rape? Imprisoning them is a kind of harm. Arguably, you are severely limiting their freedom, exposing them to danger, isolation, mental anguish, and a very negative environment. Shooting a man who is holding people hostage, as a police sniper may do, is certainly harming him. This "Wiccan Rede" is a bit too generalized and open to be very good advice. The idea is fine enough; don't harm. But it leaves a lot to be desired, and doesn’t acknowledge the truth of Nature and reality.
Harm is unavoidable. When we must inflict volitional harm, we have to do it with Wisdom. That is what Pagans need to hear and consider. Wisdom is never wanton, is never lacking in prudence. Wisdom is never lacking in balance, and it is never inappropriate. Without wisdom, no compassionate, balanced life is possible. But, “Who do your ethics serve”? That is the question, the supreme question. If they do not serve the causes of the Land itself, then they are not "Old Pagan ethics”. They are not Traditionally Pagan. There are three "pillars" of ethical consideration that must be taken into account when any Pagan "ethical" system is created or adhered to:
1. The relationship of humans to the Gods.
2. The relationship of humans to other humans.
3. The relationship of humans to Nature.
A Pagan ethic which doesn't serve all three of these concepts is no Pagan ethic at all. A Pagan morality that doesn't serve all three of these is no Pagan morality at all. A cauldron cannot stand on one or two legs- it needs three. Three is wholeness. Three is completion. Three is generation and shaping. Three is resolution. Three is magical power. Three is wisdom. Three hides the secret of immortality. A Pagan ethic or a Pagan morality has to be three dimensional, taking into account all three concepts of relationship - relationship between the Gods, Nature, and the human community (what is seen and unseen in harmony), relationship between humans in the community that is seen, and relationship between humans and the Land or natural world. Every possible relationship is taken into account here, to leave one out means that the whole system will become unstable and collapse.
What does it mean “to serve"? Pagan ethics "serve" nature, but what does that mean? It means that my deeds, thoughts, and beliefs help Nature to maintain health and stability and vitality. If Nature does, then humans will be healthy and well. If humans are, they will be healthy enough and well enough to have a vibrant, good relationship with each other and with the Gods and the Otherworld. If the Otherworld and the Gods are brought into the human life through such healthy reciprocity, they will, through their own power and through human beings, bless the Land with power and society in general.
Through serving Nature and the Land, you serve the people and the Gods. By serving people, you serve the Land, Nature and the Gods. By serving the Gods, you serve the land, Nature and the people. This is the majestic truth of the Threefold Harmony of things, the ultimate expression of the Truth that our ancient Pagan Ancestors once structured their societies around - the Three Functions of Rulership/Wisdom, Warriorhood, and Sustaining/Producing.
The Tribal Kings and Queens, Clan Chieftains, and Cunning Folk ruled and maintained a relationship with the Gods and spirits on behalf of the people - this is the Mysteries of Sacred Kingship and the Old Faith. The Warriors protect the people and maintain relations between people. The farmers, producers, and sustainers maintain a healthy relationship with the Land for the people. Producers feed everyone straight from the Land; warriors protect; rulers and Cunning Folk ruled and guided with wisdom and balance with the Otherworld, and mediated the blessings of the Gods to the people and vice versa. Without food, warriors couldn't fight and rulers and Cunning Folk couldn't rule or do magic. Without protection from hostile outsider and spirits, producers couldn't be safe enough to grow food or raise it, and rulers and Cunning Folk couldn't rule or do magic. Without leadership and wisdom, and the blessings of the Gods, warriors couldn't get organized enough to fight together with valor, nor fight in accord with the right order of the world, nor could producers expect the Land to give freely and justly to them, without the blessings of the Gods, or work without the protection of a ruler and his warriors. Producers need leaders to get together and organize. They also need wisdom. People are inseparable from the Land and Nature. So are the Gods and the spirits. Service to the Land and Nature affects the other two pillars or functions.
But is that enough? You can't stop there. Some people believe harmful, hateful things that lead them to hurt other people. If I served people, I would fight against those harmful thoughts and beliefs. If someone believes that trees are just lumps of wood and stones are just lumps of stone, and rivers are just water, without any hint of sacredness or spiritual powers involved, that is a harmful belief - it will lead those people to devalue the Land, and wound it. When the Land is wounded, people are wounded. When people are wounded, our ability to have a whole relationship with the Gods, with each other, and with the Land is wounded. To serve is to see thrive. How can I be "okay" when a system gives some people tons of food, but makes others starve with little? If people aren't thriving somewhere because of an unjust system, I can't say that my ethics or moral codes are worth shit if I don't reject such injustice.
As you can see, Traditional Pagan ethics goes a lot further than just "an it harm none"- ethics, in the oldest, most authentic Pagan sense, calls us to a form of activism, an active involvement with the world. Robert Cochrane said, "The prime duty of the wise is involvement." This is what he meant. People today want a code that gives them a ticket to sit out of the struggle that is life. That is not Wisdom. The Gods don't intend for us to be passive sitters in the bleachers or ringside seats of life; we are life, we are all involved, and what some people do across the globe, or across town, does affect us. That's how the Web of Fate works- all things are interconnected. When the Web of Fate trembles but a little, the whole web trembles on some level.
The beliefs of people far away, in one tiny province of Rome who were influenced by spirituality in the distant Middle East, changed the whole world. In 300 years, Christianity had undone the entire Roman culture and outlawed their Pagan Gods. They went on to transform all of Europe; taking our ancient Gods from us by making idiot Kings declare the worship of Pagan Gods illegal. When the relationship between humans and the Gods suffers, relationships between people and other people suffer, and the relationship between us and nature suffers. LOOK AROUND YOU! Look at this world! You can see the devastating truth of it everyday, all around you!
There is no more time to sit on the sidelines. Who do your ethics serve? They serve nothing if they don't serve other people, the Land and Nature, and the Gods. You may say, “Is their room for tolerance in here”? That depends on what you mean by "tolerance". Can a human body "tolerate" a cancer cell? No, it can't tolerate even a single cancer cell, for that cell will grow into a tumor, spread to other body parts, and kill the body. Tolerance is a good thing, but there are many acceptable limits of tolerance. There are unacceptable things in this world that cannot be tolerated. A belief that denies the sacredness of the Land, the existence of Pagan Gods, and which denies the potential of mankind is an unacceptable thing. You can see what that belief has done to our world.
To tolerate what will kill you and this planet and our people isn't real tolerance- it's "idiot tolerance". It's the sort of tolerance that many power-brokers in the modern religious world want everyone to have, so that certain religions can continue to have power and control people and maintain their hateful, destructive beliefs.
Our ancestors had a fatal flaw- they were too tolerant of Christianity. They didn't understand how dangerous of a creed it was, and what level of political corruption was tied up with Christianity; they didn't understand how dangerous it was to their cultures and their ways. They should have wiped it out the first moment it showed its face, but they were tolerant to other religions back then. They didn't care what someone else believed, as long as they didn't do anything stupid to the rest of society. And Christianity used this fact against them to slowly defame the Gods, undermine traditional ways of thinking, play on people's fears, and eventually gain a political advantage with rulers to make a "conversion", and then get laws passed to outlaw the practices of non-christian religions.
Heathen Pagan ethical thinking, ethical/moral belief, and behavior is service. True "service" is to the whole, and the whole is found in all three aspects of relationship - the three great and sacred kindreds. Service means having your deeds, thoughts, and beliefs help to maintain health, stability and vitality for the Nature/Land, for your fellow man, and the relationship between man and the Gods, or between Middle Earth and the Otherworld. There is no room here for loss of the belief that these three things are sacred, and important to the healthy functioning of the whole. If that belief is lost, or is compromised, then the health of the whole is in danger, and the Land will become a wasteland. The people will die, and the Gods will not be able to meet mankind in a reciprocal relationship that brings many blessings and abundance.
Do we need a new Rede? Maybe so: “An it help the Land, do it with much care”, “An it help your fellows, do it with much effort”, “An it help your fellows to know the Gods, do it with much joy”. “If it wantonly and imprudently harms the Land, stand in its way; if it unfairly and unjustly harms your fellows, become a shield; if it harms your fellow man's union with the Gods, disregard it. Call none noble unless they do these things; call none wicked unless they fail often at them”. As far as morality and ethics, morality and ethics are often divided and spoken of differently; they are distinct things. Morality is based on beliefs regarding more metaphysical matters; ethics are codes of behavior that societies agree on, agree are appropriate for people at times, ethnicities, cultures, and places. Doctors have ethics that christian society believes they should adhere to; there are medical ethics boards to investigate breaches of ethics, etc. Teachers have ethical standards, every job or profession does that are heavily Christian cultural values oriented in the U.S. Morals are different. Ethics are rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc, such as medical ethics. Morals are codes of belief and behavior that tend to apply to people more broadly, though morality can be (and usually is) culturally biased. It's immoral for an Arab woman to remove her Hijab, her head-covering in some countries, but here women walk around uncovered all the time, and we don't consider them immoral. It's immoral for unmarried people to have sex, according to christian culture, but not to Pagan cultures. These are just as few examples.
Traditional Pagan Cultural Values and Ethics
Truthfully, many Pagan-Heathen Ancestors were proud, boastful people. We aren't Christians; "humbleness" and "humility" isn't as important to us as to christians. I have strong opinions, and I am proud of them. I state them with pride. Some listen and laugh, others listen and learn, some listen and fight with me over them, some listen and share their own, and we both learn then. Instead of asking people to "tone down" their strong opinions, Pagans should develop enough courage of conviction, or alternatively try to understand why another person might have such a strong opinion in the first place. There may be an important reason why. Be adults and look past the perceived condescending and ridiculing, and pay closer attention to the real meaning of what is being said, not in how it is being said. The truth is never an insult except to those who deny the truth, or don't want to think about it, or accept it. The idea of an alternate or better path is not an insult, and the only people who tend to struggle against them are people who simply don't want to revise or re-think what they've been believing and doing. Modern Neo-Paganism tends to be very ego-soaked, very pleasing to the ego, as they “walk down their own paths”, they feel like "they" have achieved greatness, or found a superb "individualistic" way of believing.
But such a thing may not be the best outcome a person can hope for, as brilliant and happy as Neo-Pagans may feel "walking your own path", there are serious issues with it. To begin with, "your own path" will never advance you beyond your own power and merits. To give up on this extreme sense of "self" and "individualism" and accept Pagan Tradition, older beliefs that you didn't think up, and older metaphysical models that come from other people and other beings allows you to challenge yourself in ways that you couldn't have imagined. The power of Pagan Tradition is such that it can take a person away from the little personal corners that we tend to become satisfied with, and bring a person to a new existence within and without. From top to bottom, the new-age world glorifies the whole notion of "finding your own way" and "doing it your way" and "walking your own path". But there are problems with this. What in the world makes anyone think that they are smart enough, capable enough, or wise enough to "find their own way?" I hate to break this to most people, but if we're lost, it's precisely because we humans tend to be easily distracted, easily corrupted, and our hearts are spun on wheels. Going to the Old Ones, Ancient Gods and the Ancestors, the living images and realities of deep hidden Wisdom, is needed for us to find our way. After we have the guidance of the Old Ones and Ancient Gods, we can find our way. Not before.
Don't misinterpret me. I'm not saying humans are innately screwed up; I don't believe that, christians do. What I'm saying is our wholeness rests on our effort to find Wisdom, approach those who have Wisdom (like the Gods and Ancestors) and integrate it. But before you can seek Wisdom, you have to admit that there are wiser beings than yourself. This is something that most new-agers have difficulty doing. They want to believe that they are personally powerful enough to "create whatever reality they want", and if you want to see how atrocious this lie really is, just look at their lives.
True Wisdom comes with sacrifice, and chiefly the sacrifice of the "self" that we all love to love. This doesn't mean that when you are Wise, when you have given yourself to your Self, that you will be a zombie with no sense of self at all. It doesn't mean that, not by a long shot. It means that you will see, experience, and understand with a deeper wisdom than most people can appreciate. But before you get there, you have to let go of the ego-soothing fictions that we all get tangled up in. Fear is a hurdle that must be jumped. It is the Pagan mythological Ordeal. The Ancestors and the Gods want bold people; for they favor the brave and those who fear not.
I had to overcome fear. I had to get off my limited understanding of the "self" and "self achievement". I had to revise what I believed and thought. That's how we grow; it's like a sword being beaten in a fire. Through ordeal, we are refined into a precious treasure. I listen to people who give their opinions, but that's not the same thing as being closed minded. People can say whatever they want, but I don't have to accept what people say. I have as much right to express back what I think about them and their beliefs as they do. Seeking Truth is a fine quest, but you can't get it even from the best books or discussions. Truth is a process of living, thinking and questing. Only you can live, think, and quest for yourself. The best you can hope for here are hints and confirmation along the way.
But such a thing may not be the best outcome a person can hope for, as brilliant and happy as Neo-Pagans may feel "walking your own path", there are serious issues with it. To begin with, "your own path" will never advance you beyond your own power and merits. To give up on this extreme sense of "self" and "individualism" and accept Pagan Tradition, older beliefs that you didn't think up, and older metaphysical models that come from other people and other beings allows you to challenge yourself in ways that you couldn't have imagined. The power of Pagan Tradition is such that it can take a person away from the little personal corners that we tend to become satisfied with, and bring a person to a new existence within and without. From top to bottom, the new-age world glorifies the whole notion of "finding your own way" and "doing it your way" and "walking your own path". But there are problems with this. What in the world makes anyone think that they are smart enough, capable enough, or wise enough to "find their own way?" I hate to break this to most people, but if we're lost, it's precisely because we humans tend to be easily distracted, easily corrupted, and our hearts are spun on wheels. Going to the Old Ones, Ancient Gods and the Ancestors, the living images and realities of deep hidden Wisdom, is needed for us to find our way. After we have the guidance of the Old Ones and Ancient Gods, we can find our way. Not before.
Don't misinterpret me. I'm not saying humans are innately screwed up; I don't believe that, christians do. What I'm saying is our wholeness rests on our effort to find Wisdom, approach those who have Wisdom (like the Gods and Ancestors) and integrate it. But before you can seek Wisdom, you have to admit that there are wiser beings than yourself. This is something that most new-agers have difficulty doing. They want to believe that they are personally powerful enough to "create whatever reality they want", and if you want to see how atrocious this lie really is, just look at their lives.
True Wisdom comes with sacrifice, and chiefly the sacrifice of the "self" that we all love to love. This doesn't mean that when you are Wise, when you have given yourself to your Self, that you will be a zombie with no sense of self at all. It doesn't mean that, not by a long shot. It means that you will see, experience, and understand with a deeper wisdom than most people can appreciate. But before you get there, you have to let go of the ego-soothing fictions that we all get tangled up in. Fear is a hurdle that must be jumped. It is the Pagan mythological Ordeal. The Ancestors and the Gods want bold people; for they favor the brave and those who fear not.
I had to overcome fear. I had to get off my limited understanding of the "self" and "self achievement". I had to revise what I believed and thought. That's how we grow; it's like a sword being beaten in a fire. Through ordeal, we are refined into a precious treasure. I listen to people who give their opinions, but that's not the same thing as being closed minded. People can say whatever they want, but I don't have to accept what people say. I have as much right to express back what I think about them and their beliefs as they do. Seeking Truth is a fine quest, but you can't get it even from the best books or discussions. Truth is a process of living, thinking and questing. Only you can live, think, and quest for yourself. The best you can hope for here are hints and confirmation along the way.
