It's been almost a year since I last posted here, but that's because it's taken about a year to really get my life somewhat organized, drop some stress and really find some time to start thinking about my religion again. Last night I had a strange dream about taking an odd class with someone who I identified as Selena Fox, but I know it wasn't her. The later today I was looking for some good Pagan Webinars and I kept coming up with page after page of Wicca/Pagan 101 classes. Sigh. Ok, time for a religion rant.
If anyone wants their religion to be taken seriously, should we really offer 101 classes? To me that is making the religion sound like a hobby. "Oh look honey, basket weaving 101 is full, but we can still make it to Wicca 101! Let's go!" Any religion is a lifestyle and shouldn't be taken lightly. If you're getting the bulk of your information from a 101 class, then you can be sure you're not learning religion. You're learning a very shallow unskilled amount of fluff or basic philosophy, nothing that truly gets to the heart of the religion.
I have yet to go somewhere and find where other faiths are going to Christianity 101, Muslim 101 or even Satanism 101. Ok, first big difference in all of these, that I will acknowledge; these are all book religions so they have a book telling them what to do. Ok, fine. You've got that argument out the way, now please let me counter with...Silver Ravenwolf is not equivelent writing to the Bible, the Qur'an or any other religious text. It is a load of fluff written to make money not teach religion.
Sure there are some basics that you might need to learn in order to consider yourself truly Wiccan, but you don't need a 101 course to do that, most won't teach you what you need to know anyway. For example, that great lesson on Circle casting! Yay, now you've read it and you can cast a circle with the best of them. What does that mean? What are you accomplishing when you cast that circle? Is it a visualization or an actual physical circle? If you can't see it, how do you know you did it right? Do you know what purpose the circle holds? Do you feel any different after casting the circle? Did that 101 book teach you anything about the circle other than "walk around the circle 3 times with incense, visualize a white light surrounding you" etc. Sure it may have given you a very basic idea of what a circle is, but to truly get to the religious sense of the matter, do you know why you're doing what you're doing? Really know. Not just, "well, the book told me to do this."
In other religions priests and pastors must dedicate their lives to those positions. They must take a certain amount of schooling and usually they go into their schooling knowing a bit about what they are getting into it for. They aren't allowed to lead a church or sermon until they have shown a certain amount of aptitude as a religious leader. Please don't think that a Pagan religion is different and that because you read a Wicca 101 book, or several similar books that all say the same thing, that you now know enough to lead a coven or circle. I promise you don't. The reason the same information is in all of those books is because it is basic and it is easy. There is little philosophy and little depth. The depth is created through actual practice; not just reading and trying it out a few times.
I can't leave this rant alone here. It begs the question, "if it's not worth it to learn from these 101 books and sites, then where am I supposed to learn this religion." Good question, it's not easy. You need to find a teacher, preferably one who isn't going to charge you (I've never seen another religion charge for this type of teaching, it is unethical). Then you need to make sure they are respectable. Ask them questions, and be prepared to answer questions. Ask at local metaphysical stores or Unitarian Churches who would be good to speak with. Realize that not everyone who teaches religion knows what they are talking about, and make sure that any student/teacher relationship you enter does not require you to stay with that teacher for any reason. And finally. After you've done all of that, and you think you know it all. You don't. The best thing about any religion is that you are always learning and growing and building spiritual relationships.
Good luck! And please, stop minimizing the Pagan faith by offering "hobby" type classes. There is a Pagan faith and there are practices that some Pagans do, like Tarot, Crystalmancy, Magic, etc. Feel free to offer 101 classes on these practices, just not on the religion itself. It really does make it sound cheap and I know those who are truly dedicated to this faith do not follow a cheap crackerjack box religion.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Friday, October 7, 2011
Time to Reset
So, the culmination of my stressful year is coming to an end. I am strongly hoping the door will not open to a new series of stressful events, however things are looking about 50/50. I won't go into the details on what might or might not happen. I am aware of the future possibilities, because it would be ignorant not to acknowledge them, however I intend to keep my focus on the positive possibilities, with a close eye on any potential kinks in the plan to head off any downward spirals.
Here are the positives, my husband is returning from Afghanistan next month! It has been a difficult year, but I've somehow managed to get through it. I have been asked to help found a new non-profit organization. While this will not be a paying job, I don't care. It is for an amazingly great cause and the experience will be more valuable than any paid job I could find. I will get to employ my research skills as well as learn some more management techniques. The home base is halfway across the country, but I'm hoping to make a road trip and meet the families the organization helps in the future. I know we can make this a great thing, I have complete faith in all of the wonderful women in this with me. Also, in terms of money, since I'll need something to help out in the wallet, I've started selling Pure Romance, and so far it's going well. My name is getting out there, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve to market more. I think things are going to be going well for me here in the next few months!
Now for a little spiritual spin, I need to refocus. I always say that, but right now I really want to. One thing I really need to do is concentrate on myself. Figure out who I am deep down, and I want to find a matron/patron deity that speaks to me. I've always focused on the Lord and Lady, with no specific name, however I can tell, lately, that it is time to find a more specific connection. The Lord and Lady will always be a part of my life, however this distinction is getting into a whole different post that I will tackle at a later time.
I'm looking forward for my husband to come home, not just to see him, because I miss him like crazy, but because he acknowledges I need some time away from everything. He knows I need a vacation, even if that means, me lounging in bed all day without any worries of the house. Just time to do what I want, when I want...and a lot of that time is going to be spent in reflection of myself, spiritually, physically and emotionally.
Here are the positives, my husband is returning from Afghanistan next month! It has been a difficult year, but I've somehow managed to get through it. I have been asked to help found a new non-profit organization. While this will not be a paying job, I don't care. It is for an amazingly great cause and the experience will be more valuable than any paid job I could find. I will get to employ my research skills as well as learn some more management techniques. The home base is halfway across the country, but I'm hoping to make a road trip and meet the families the organization helps in the future. I know we can make this a great thing, I have complete faith in all of the wonderful women in this with me. Also, in terms of money, since I'll need something to help out in the wallet, I've started selling Pure Romance, and so far it's going well. My name is getting out there, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve to market more. I think things are going to be going well for me here in the next few months!
Now for a little spiritual spin, I need to refocus. I always say that, but right now I really want to. One thing I really need to do is concentrate on myself. Figure out who I am deep down, and I want to find a matron/patron deity that speaks to me. I've always focused on the Lord and Lady, with no specific name, however I can tell, lately, that it is time to find a more specific connection. The Lord and Lady will always be a part of my life, however this distinction is getting into a whole different post that I will tackle at a later time.
I'm looking forward for my husband to come home, not just to see him, because I miss him like crazy, but because he acknowledges I need some time away from everything. He knows I need a vacation, even if that means, me lounging in bed all day without any worries of the house. Just time to do what I want, when I want...and a lot of that time is going to be spent in reflection of myself, spiritually, physically and emotionally.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tossing the Stress Aside: Visualization
I was thinking as I wrote my last post that I need some type of visualization that I can quickly do to help remind me to refocus and this is what I came up with. I actually think this has been done many times over, but I find it appropriate here and the image is just sticking in my head, so here we go.
When stressed and you literally feel like the weight and energy of the stress is weighing down on your shoulders until you look somewhat like Atlas carrying the Earth on his back, it may be time to refocus that energy. While this visualization is not the end, and doing it only once probably won't be enough, it is something quick to do to bring you back to a more positive, and self based perspective.
First of all, visualize that stress as a huge boulder on your back, it is so heavy, no wonder your back hurts and your neck and shoulders are tight. You've probably been carrying this for awhile and it's time to get rid of it. Close your eyes and visualize yourself bending your knees a bit with a good stance with feet a little more than shoulder width apart. Visualize taking your hands and getting them to fit under that boulder on your shoulders. Next spring up from the bent knees and use that momentum to help you use your hands and arms to propel that boulder off your shoulders and back to the mountain side where it belongs. Once you've done that, take a quick look at the mountain you threw that boulder back to. It wasn't so big after all, actually, you can easily see over the top of it! Now that you've done this once, you'll be able to do it again, and hopefully it will get easier to throw that boulder to the side each time you need it.
I can see a lot being done with this imagry, so I'll work on it. If I come up with any additions to it, or meditations I'll let you know. But I can already tell you that my back feels somewhat better after doing this, and I do have that feeling of a weight being lifted off my shoulders. I hope this works for you, if not, tweak it or move on to something else. If you have ideas for additions to this or variations, I'd love to hear them, just leave them in the comments!
Bright Blessings,
~Ava
When stressed and you literally feel like the weight and energy of the stress is weighing down on your shoulders until you look somewhat like Atlas carrying the Earth on his back, it may be time to refocus that energy. While this visualization is not the end, and doing it only once probably won't be enough, it is something quick to do to bring you back to a more positive, and self based perspective.
First of all, visualize that stress as a huge boulder on your back, it is so heavy, no wonder your back hurts and your neck and shoulders are tight. You've probably been carrying this for awhile and it's time to get rid of it. Close your eyes and visualize yourself bending your knees a bit with a good stance with feet a little more than shoulder width apart. Visualize taking your hands and getting them to fit under that boulder on your shoulders. Next spring up from the bent knees and use that momentum to help you use your hands and arms to propel that boulder off your shoulders and back to the mountain side where it belongs. Once you've done that, take a quick look at the mountain you threw that boulder back to. It wasn't so big after all, actually, you can easily see over the top of it! Now that you've done this once, you'll be able to do it again, and hopefully it will get easier to throw that boulder to the side each time you need it.
I can see a lot being done with this imagry, so I'll work on it. If I come up with any additions to it, or meditations I'll let you know. But I can already tell you that my back feels somewhat better after doing this, and I do have that feeling of a weight being lifted off my shoulders. I hope this works for you, if not, tweak it or move on to something else. If you have ideas for additions to this or variations, I'd love to hear them, just leave them in the comments!
Bright Blessings,
~Ava
Take a Deep Breath...Now Refocus That Energy!
For those of you who know me personally, you know I'm working towards a Masters degree in Psychology. If you know this, you probably also know I am a stay at home mom, I am the spouse of a currently deployed soldier and I am at wits end with my Statistics "professor." All of these things equal out to STRESS!! I'm not naive enough to think I'm the only one with stress, or that I'm the only one in my type of situation with stress, or that there isn't some one (many someone's) out there with more stress than me...I know all of these things are true. However, knowing they are true for other people does not reduce the fact that my stress is there for me and it is my responsibility to diffuse it somehow. Ah, the old self responsibility value, going strong here, maybe a little too strong as I try to take responsibility for everything imaginable that comes to me, lol.
This past week has been a nightmare, not the worst nightmare I've ever had, but enough to catch me with a short fuse, and unfortunately those in closest proximity get the worst of the explosion (I can't apoligize to my children enough! We've talked about how wrong Mommy has been for the way she has acted and I vowed to find a new way to express my frustration; a lesson I talk with my children a lot about when it comes to tantrums...I throw big ones too). So, here's the deal, with the high level of stress, it makes the small things seem to be mountains, and the only thing I'm hearing is "you can't do this!!" However, that's my voice and no one else's, in fact, everyone else is screaming with confidence "YOU CAN DO THIS!!!" Goes to show you how easy it is to hear things when they are close, this is another reason why self responsibility is so important! The more I've told myself "I can't" the more I've believed myself and the more down I've gotten. The more down I've gotten, the more the stress builds (all that pressure coming down on my shoulders), the more the stress builds the more I find things wrong in every situation, and the more I find things wrong in every situation the more negative I get...and you see where this horrible cycle is going.
How on earth am I going to get myself out of this cycle!! Well for starters, let's see what I can do about stress. Is there anything I can remove from my life? *looks around room, checks day planner, mental inventory of activities* No, nothing I can remove. Since I can't remove anything I need to do something about organizing and managing it better. If anything I need to add more things to my planner. What's that you say? Am I crazy? An already full planner causing immense amounts of stress and you want to add things! Yep. I guess I am crazy. I never denied that, however, I promise you, what I'm going to add will actually save me time and sanity. What I need to add is a little something people refer to as "me time." Yep, you heard me right. I need to squeeze some time in every day to do what I want to do. This me time cannot include Facebook or pointless games. I suppose blogging will be okay, but it can't be about anything but something I WANT to write about, and it can't be negative (which I try not to be). Once I add in some me time, I should find that I am happier and more productive. This will be a huge stress reliever. Both because it will give me a chance to relax and also because it will make me more productive, which means getting more of the clutter cleared out (mental, emotional and physical).
In other words, I need to refocus my energy on the positive and not the negative. Here is one way I am doing that. Remember that Statistics professor I mentioned? He hasn't been a good teacher, and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, that maybe, just maybe something is going on in his life causing this. So, rather than my perception of him get me down and let it affect me, I'm going to do the best I can with what I have. Therefore, I'm going to work my butt off and still get an A in the class, even if he doesn't help me out with it! Now, this plan is a little late since I'm on finals week for the class, but it's a lesson learned. Refocus the energy from a negative to a positive. I built up so much energy worried about what he was going to do, that I failed to put just as much or more energy into what I was actually doing. This is how people and situations can consume you if you let them. Take control of your life and don't let other people lead you around by the ear. You are responsible for you. I'll be practicing refocusing my energy, I hope you'll give it a try too if you need it.
Brightest Blessings,
~Ava
This past week has been a nightmare, not the worst nightmare I've ever had, but enough to catch me with a short fuse, and unfortunately those in closest proximity get the worst of the explosion (I can't apoligize to my children enough! We've talked about how wrong Mommy has been for the way she has acted and I vowed to find a new way to express my frustration; a lesson I talk with my children a lot about when it comes to tantrums...I throw big ones too). So, here's the deal, with the high level of stress, it makes the small things seem to be mountains, and the only thing I'm hearing is "you can't do this!!" However, that's my voice and no one else's, in fact, everyone else is screaming with confidence "YOU CAN DO THIS!!!" Goes to show you how easy it is to hear things when they are close, this is another reason why self responsibility is so important! The more I've told myself "I can't" the more I've believed myself and the more down I've gotten. The more down I've gotten, the more the stress builds (all that pressure coming down on my shoulders), the more the stress builds the more I find things wrong in every situation, and the more I find things wrong in every situation the more negative I get...and you see where this horrible cycle is going.
How on earth am I going to get myself out of this cycle!! Well for starters, let's see what I can do about stress. Is there anything I can remove from my life? *looks around room, checks day planner, mental inventory of activities* No, nothing I can remove. Since I can't remove anything I need to do something about organizing and managing it better. If anything I need to add more things to my planner. What's that you say? Am I crazy? An already full planner causing immense amounts of stress and you want to add things! Yep. I guess I am crazy. I never denied that, however, I promise you, what I'm going to add will actually save me time and sanity. What I need to add is a little something people refer to as "me time." Yep, you heard me right. I need to squeeze some time in every day to do what I want to do. This me time cannot include Facebook or pointless games. I suppose blogging will be okay, but it can't be about anything but something I WANT to write about, and it can't be negative (which I try not to be). Once I add in some me time, I should find that I am happier and more productive. This will be a huge stress reliever. Both because it will give me a chance to relax and also because it will make me more productive, which means getting more of the clutter cleared out (mental, emotional and physical).
In other words, I need to refocus my energy on the positive and not the negative. Here is one way I am doing that. Remember that Statistics professor I mentioned? He hasn't been a good teacher, and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, that maybe, just maybe something is going on in his life causing this. So, rather than my perception of him get me down and let it affect me, I'm going to do the best I can with what I have. Therefore, I'm going to work my butt off and still get an A in the class, even if he doesn't help me out with it! Now, this plan is a little late since I'm on finals week for the class, but it's a lesson learned. Refocus the energy from a negative to a positive. I built up so much energy worried about what he was going to do, that I failed to put just as much or more energy into what I was actually doing. This is how people and situations can consume you if you let them. Take control of your life and don't let other people lead you around by the ear. You are responsible for you. I'll be practicing refocusing my energy, I hope you'll give it a try too if you need it.
Brightest Blessings,
~Ava
Monday, June 13, 2011
Family Values
One thing I agree with whole-heartedly is the separation of church and state. One thing I disagree with whole-heartedly is separation of "church" and family. Before anyone gets up in arms and chastises me for alienating people who are not religious, who are Athiest or who have made the personal choice to not introduce their children to religion until they are older; I'm not against any of those things. They are all personal choices, and I respect them all, and frankly, they all can fit nicely into what I am about to say. In actuality, we have made the decision to expose our children to as many different religious paths as possible so they can learn to explore other cultures and choose the faith that best suits them, but now I'm getting away from my point.
Let me clarify my very brief statement above. When I say I disagree with separation of church and family, I mean that in my personal faith, not yours or anyone else's, my religion and my spirituality are a part of my everyday life, all day long, everyday. Through the day I make sure my actions match the spiritual teachings of my faith, and if it comes down to me "acting" or doing the opposite of my teachings, then I explore the reasons why I am not fully embracing the spiritual lesson. Because I practice my faith in everything I do, meaning it is a lifestyle, my family is involved, both directly and indirectly. As a stay at home mom, how can my faith and religion not touch my family, my children? They are with me almost 24/7, we plan to homeschool and keep me home with the kids as long as possible. If I were to separate these two portions of my life I would be neglecting one or the other. Both are important, and both can be lived together.
Being involved in my family is a strong value of mine. It is important for me to instill good morals and values in my children, and those morals and values include teaching them to question the norm, explore the world and often, as much as I hate to admit it, disagreeing with me and forming their own opinions and choices. If I am not practicing my faith daily, I am not fully experiencing my lifestyle choice. I don't know if all Pagans embrace this value, or even all people. I'm sure there are other critiques of this point of view, but it works for me. I look at the past, the cultures and our ancestors who lived before us and I can see how spirituality and myth was incorporated into so many details of the day. I am inspired by the past, and I find no reason to shield my children from anything spiritual. It will enhance their life by being aware of the many teachings of the world, and I only find good in that.
My family is important to me, my spirituality and religion are important to me. There is no reason why I need to separate them, and I full embrace taking these two separate circles of my life and converging them into one. Sort of like a marriage of sorts.
Bright Blessings,
~Ava
Let me clarify my very brief statement above. When I say I disagree with separation of church and family, I mean that in my personal faith, not yours or anyone else's, my religion and my spirituality are a part of my everyday life, all day long, everyday. Through the day I make sure my actions match the spiritual teachings of my faith, and if it comes down to me "acting" or doing the opposite of my teachings, then I explore the reasons why I am not fully embracing the spiritual lesson. Because I practice my faith in everything I do, meaning it is a lifestyle, my family is involved, both directly and indirectly. As a stay at home mom, how can my faith and religion not touch my family, my children? They are with me almost 24/7, we plan to homeschool and keep me home with the kids as long as possible. If I were to separate these two portions of my life I would be neglecting one or the other. Both are important, and both can be lived together.
Being involved in my family is a strong value of mine. It is important for me to instill good morals and values in my children, and those morals and values include teaching them to question the norm, explore the world and often, as much as I hate to admit it, disagreeing with me and forming their own opinions and choices. If I am not practicing my faith daily, I am not fully experiencing my lifestyle choice. I don't know if all Pagans embrace this value, or even all people. I'm sure there are other critiques of this point of view, but it works for me. I look at the past, the cultures and our ancestors who lived before us and I can see how spirituality and myth was incorporated into so many details of the day. I am inspired by the past, and I find no reason to shield my children from anything spiritual. It will enhance their life by being aware of the many teachings of the world, and I only find good in that.
My family is important to me, my spirituality and religion are important to me. There is no reason why I need to separate them, and I full embrace taking these two separate circles of my life and converging them into one. Sort of like a marriage of sorts.
Bright Blessings,
~Ava
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Grounding and Centering Meditation
Last night I was alone in the physical for my healing circle for my friend, but I know I was not alone in spirit. I know there are many people praying for her and I will continue to offer my home on Saturday nights for anyone who wants to come share in the prayers with me.
Last night I did a simple chakra grounding and centering meditation that I adapted to my own needs from Robin Wood's website. I enjoy her visual of utilizing the notes on the scale to achieve my centering when it is just me, for the group I would much rather do something a bit less musical because my voice does not quite have the best pitch any more and I would rather people be at peace when centering then tensing up and cringing at my off key renditions of the scale! Once I find a good scale that I can use, either on a tuned piano (which mine is needing very much!) or even a good online format that moves slow enough to match what I need, then I will incorporate the music more. For now, I eliminated that part and substituted lighting of candles corresponding to the chakra colors.
As I sat and meditated, I found this to be very powerful and I was able to feel the energy flowing strong and free. After awhile I picked up my Earth meditation beads and said some short quick prayers on each as I moved through them.
I was happy with the way this meditation turned out and I am excited to do it again. I am also happy to have found a new method of centering, which seems to be much more effective than my previous methods.
Bright Blessings!
~Ava
Last night I did a simple chakra grounding and centering meditation that I adapted to my own needs from Robin Wood's website. I enjoy her visual of utilizing the notes on the scale to achieve my centering when it is just me, for the group I would much rather do something a bit less musical because my voice does not quite have the best pitch any more and I would rather people be at peace when centering then tensing up and cringing at my off key renditions of the scale! Once I find a good scale that I can use, either on a tuned piano (which mine is needing very much!) or even a good online format that moves slow enough to match what I need, then I will incorporate the music more. For now, I eliminated that part and substituted lighting of candles corresponding to the chakra colors.
As I sat and meditated, I found this to be very powerful and I was able to feel the energy flowing strong and free. After awhile I picked up my Earth meditation beads and said some short quick prayers on each as I moved through them.
I was happy with the way this meditation turned out and I am excited to do it again. I am also happy to have found a new method of centering, which seems to be much more effective than my previous methods.
Bright Blessings!
~Ava
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The Wiccan Rede and Values
I posted a while ago that I no longer identify as a Wiccan. There is no problem with the religion or beliefs of the Wiccan faith, it's just that my personal beliefs have evolved to something a bit different that doesn't exactly fit into the realms of Wicca anymore. One thing that I haven't lost though, is my love for the ethic of the Wiccan Rede. An it harm none, do as thou will. I don't want to get into an analysis of this phrase, so if you are interested in more information (please see John Coughlin's wonderful analysis of this ethic).
That brings me to my first point, the Rede is an ethic, is it really a value of mine? An ethic, simply put, is a moral, a view of what is right or wrong. A value, on the other hand, is something we put worth to, not necessarily monetary or material worth, but a personal worth in spirit and in life, some weighted more heavily important than others. Therefore, it is within my interpretation of the Rede (an ethic) that I find many of my own personal values.
One of the more important values I find in the Rede is that of self-responsibility. This is something I am teaching my kids early on; that we must be responsible for our own actions. If we are not responsible for them, who will be? The Rede points this out when it tells us to think about if what we are going to do will harm anyone. If we have fully thought about all of the possible consequences of our actions and determined it will not harm anyone (ourselves included), then we are free to do it. However, if we find something is important to do, but it will harm someone in someway, then the guidelines of the Rede stop here. At this point we need to take responsibility to explore other ethics and laws to determine if proceeding is still the best thing to do and if we are willing to live with the consequences of our actions which may be harm to ourselves or others. This is where things get sticky, and again, I'm not here to discuss the in's and outs of the Rede. So, I will leave the discussion here and say, this is why taking self responsibility in our actions is so important. Everything we do can effect someone, somewhere that we may not even know. If someone is hurt as a result of our actions, we need to do what we can to make it right. No one else should be expected to fix our wrongs.
Another value is consideration for other people and things. This flows right from the previous point of self responsibility. Not only should we be responsible for our own actions and take into consideration how our action will affect another, but we should also take into consideration how our inaction may affect someone. I sometimes think I'm too considerate. Because of this exaggerated consideration for others I often ask too many questions to make sure other people affected by my choices are not offended and okay with the choices I'm making. Some considerations are of more importance than others, but I still hold consideration of others feelings and needs very highly, and sometimes above my own feelings and needs (which is something I need to work on in finding balance). While the Rede doesn't flat out mention inaction, I like to think it hints at it, because if we choose not to act, that is still the act of not choosing, which may harm someone.
Taking care in the actions we take part of is a value I find in the Rede. Again, this value flows directly from the previous points. If we do decide to do something we are taking responsibility for the consequences and we are considering how it will affect other people, but we shouldn't stop there. We should also take care to do things correctly. A long time ago I had the chance to learn a bit of Eastern Psychology under a Zen Buddhist monk. I remember his demeanor was interesting because he had a strong adherence to rules and expectations with little room for error, yet he taught how to take care and pay attention to everything that was done to make sure it was done with the most attention possible. If an action was important enough to do, it should be done with care. This is a great message. It makes me think of all the projects I got tired of and either quit or half assed until they were finished. Were they really that important to me? I'm guessing not or I would have taken care to do them to the best of my abilities. When we take care in the actions we do, we are showing respect and appreciation, in addition to responsibility and consideration. I think this is very important, and it really does help me to step back and reassess what is important in my life.
I also see the value freedom within limits held in the Rede, as hinted at above. Now the first thing I want to address is it seems like I am placing a boundary on the freedoms everyone asserts they have, however, everything we do is freedom within limits. We set limits by the laws we obey, the rules we follow, the social norms we practice, and the ethics we adhere to. I accept this value as higher on my value continuum for the simple fact that if everyone had freedom to do everything they wanted without limits, chaos would very quickly take over. Not to mention someone else's freedom would start infringing on another person's freedom and I'm quite sure the end result would not be pretty. Even within limits we find much arguing over who is right and who should be allowed to do what. Sadly I see a lot of "his leg is on my side of the car!" type bickering among people, communities and cultures.
While I appreciate these limits to freedom to an extent, I also recognize that we are all human, humans are not perfect, therefore the limits that we have created are not always perfect. The experiences we have in life often dictate what we find important or of value, and sometimes through life we find out the things that others find valuable and learn to embrace those too. With this thought, our values either change or evolve, and we have the ability to change our laws, rules, social norms and morals to match.
There are so many things the Wiccan Rede gives me. Not only is it an ethic I can follow, but it also shares with me the importance of so many values that I hold near and dear to my heart. Just in the few values I briefly touched on in this post I can see how our values overlap and connect to each other. Often more than one value is held within a concept, and many times one leads to another. In the next month, and probably longer, I'm going to explore some of the other ethics I follow, Pagan or just cultural. I'm going to study them to see if there are any other values contained within their words and teachings. I look forward to the lessons I will learn (education, something else I place high value on).
Bright Blessings
~Ava
That brings me to my first point, the Rede is an ethic, is it really a value of mine? An ethic, simply put, is a moral, a view of what is right or wrong. A value, on the other hand, is something we put worth to, not necessarily monetary or material worth, but a personal worth in spirit and in life, some weighted more heavily important than others. Therefore, it is within my interpretation of the Rede (an ethic) that I find many of my own personal values.
One of the more important values I find in the Rede is that of self-responsibility. This is something I am teaching my kids early on; that we must be responsible for our own actions. If we are not responsible for them, who will be? The Rede points this out when it tells us to think about if what we are going to do will harm anyone. If we have fully thought about all of the possible consequences of our actions and determined it will not harm anyone (ourselves included), then we are free to do it. However, if we find something is important to do, but it will harm someone in someway, then the guidelines of the Rede stop here. At this point we need to take responsibility to explore other ethics and laws to determine if proceeding is still the best thing to do and if we are willing to live with the consequences of our actions which may be harm to ourselves or others. This is where things get sticky, and again, I'm not here to discuss the in's and outs of the Rede. So, I will leave the discussion here and say, this is why taking self responsibility in our actions is so important. Everything we do can effect someone, somewhere that we may not even know. If someone is hurt as a result of our actions, we need to do what we can to make it right. No one else should be expected to fix our wrongs.
Another value is consideration for other people and things. This flows right from the previous point of self responsibility. Not only should we be responsible for our own actions and take into consideration how our action will affect another, but we should also take into consideration how our inaction may affect someone. I sometimes think I'm too considerate. Because of this exaggerated consideration for others I often ask too many questions to make sure other people affected by my choices are not offended and okay with the choices I'm making. Some considerations are of more importance than others, but I still hold consideration of others feelings and needs very highly, and sometimes above my own feelings and needs (which is something I need to work on in finding balance). While the Rede doesn't flat out mention inaction, I like to think it hints at it, because if we choose not to act, that is still the act of not choosing, which may harm someone.
Taking care in the actions we take part of is a value I find in the Rede. Again, this value flows directly from the previous points. If we do decide to do something we are taking responsibility for the consequences and we are considering how it will affect other people, but we shouldn't stop there. We should also take care to do things correctly. A long time ago I had the chance to learn a bit of Eastern Psychology under a Zen Buddhist monk. I remember his demeanor was interesting because he had a strong adherence to rules and expectations with little room for error, yet he taught how to take care and pay attention to everything that was done to make sure it was done with the most attention possible. If an action was important enough to do, it should be done with care. This is a great message. It makes me think of all the projects I got tired of and either quit or half assed until they were finished. Were they really that important to me? I'm guessing not or I would have taken care to do them to the best of my abilities. When we take care in the actions we do, we are showing respect and appreciation, in addition to responsibility and consideration. I think this is very important, and it really does help me to step back and reassess what is important in my life.
I also see the value freedom within limits held in the Rede, as hinted at above. Now the first thing I want to address is it seems like I am placing a boundary on the freedoms everyone asserts they have, however, everything we do is freedom within limits. We set limits by the laws we obey, the rules we follow, the social norms we practice, and the ethics we adhere to. I accept this value as higher on my value continuum for the simple fact that if everyone had freedom to do everything they wanted without limits, chaos would very quickly take over. Not to mention someone else's freedom would start infringing on another person's freedom and I'm quite sure the end result would not be pretty. Even within limits we find much arguing over who is right and who should be allowed to do what. Sadly I see a lot of "his leg is on my side of the car!" type bickering among people, communities and cultures.
While I appreciate these limits to freedom to an extent, I also recognize that we are all human, humans are not perfect, therefore the limits that we have created are not always perfect. The experiences we have in life often dictate what we find important or of value, and sometimes through life we find out the things that others find valuable and learn to embrace those too. With this thought, our values either change or evolve, and we have the ability to change our laws, rules, social norms and morals to match.
There are so many things the Wiccan Rede gives me. Not only is it an ethic I can follow, but it also shares with me the importance of so many values that I hold near and dear to my heart. Just in the few values I briefly touched on in this post I can see how our values overlap and connect to each other. Often more than one value is held within a concept, and many times one leads to another. In the next month, and probably longer, I'm going to explore some of the other ethics I follow, Pagan or just cultural. I'm going to study them to see if there are any other values contained within their words and teachings. I look forward to the lessons I will learn (education, something else I place high value on).
Bright Blessings
~Ava
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