Meeting Persephone

And now for the ethos of Druidry. Ethos is defined as a set of values observed by an individual or, in this case, a culture or group. I see this as a way of living with Honour and that is a direct reflection on my path and those others who are also on this path - whether we ever meet or not. Representing our place in a positive light has a ripple effect. If I cannot be a positve example of a path, I do not want to define myself as a part of it. I will be honest enough here to state that I have not always been wholly ethical and I'm not wholly ethical now. What I believe we are obligated to do is to improve - not to be perfect. If ethics were always easy and widely understood, they wouldn't need to be spelled out..

I don't know exactly what my approach will be in this particular entry. I've already listed the ethics of Druidry in my entry 'Druidry - pt. 1' and so I don't want to be entirely redundant, but there is also the issue of the list being pretty self-explanatory. In other words - I'm going to wing it. I'll comment as I believe I might have something specific to say even if it's something that I disagree with or might not be in complete agreement about but otherwise I will just list the specific value. And so... away we go.

1. Every action has a consequence that must be observed and you must be prepared to compensate for your actions if required.

Personal responsibility is probably one of the most appealing things to me in regard to Druidry's ethics. I think we've all been through a phase where we deny fault and cover up actions - we tend to call it adolescence. :o) But then that time passes and we realize that we have a vested interest in doing right and promoting right behavior in ourselves and our children. It's not easy and mistakes are made, but as a wise person once said "if you're not doing anything you can't do anything wrong". Even mistakes are evidence of involvement and mistakes can be learned from and behaviors changed but at least you're involved.

1. All life is sacred and all are responsible for seeing that this standard is upheld.

I've already written about the controversial topic of the death penalty and while I don't want to get into that again, it does separate me a bit from the rest of Druidry in regard to the sacredness of life issue. But while I believe in personal responsibility and accountability, I also believe that all things, animate or inanimate, are sacred and it is our responsibility to advocate and live in a way that works to protect all.

1. You do still live in society and are bound by its rules.

I confess that I find this one a little bit funny. Funny - odd, not funny - ha ha. When we consider the anarchist -type nature of Druids, it seems peculiar to bind us to society's rules and believe that, especially in the US, these rules are not to be ridiculed, protested, and actively questioned because they deny the very core of value #2 in this very list. I do not speak of those widely understood laws and rules that promote fair treatment and safety (as examples) but discriminatory laws can and should be protested even if larger society believes these are completely legitimate despite their cruelty.

So, yes, we are bound by society and rules. Most of those rules are easy to uphold and we should, but we also should not hesitate to speak out against injustices in our society.

1. Work with high standards.
2. Make an honest living.
3. Be a good host as well as a good guest.

I'd mentioned in another entry that this is really difficult for me - hospitality. As a hostess I try to predict the needs and wants of any possible guests and provide for them, but still have this nagging at the back of my mind that guests, like fresh fish, start to smell after a time and should be gotten rid of. I'm a very private person and that makes it difficult to be as open as I should be as a hostess. I want guests, but I want them on my terms and that isn't really conducive to hospitality. On the other hand, guests also need to be aware of their own impact on someone's home and life.

As a guest I am overly considerate. I try to have as little impact on my host's life and home as possible. When I leave I try to also leave some token of appreciation for their hospitality.

1. Take care of yourself.

I am a miserable failure at this. I take much better care of those I love than myself. There is no nice way to put it and so I'll leave it at that.

1. Serve your community.

I do a fair job of this though not in an active consistent way. I'm not really physically fit to go out and actively participate in or organize those community activities that are beneficial to those in need, but I do make a lot of donations of food, clothes, household items, etc. What I do, I do whole-heartedly and happily.

1. Maintain a healthy balance of the spiritual and mundane.

Balance in anything is not my forte` and this is why I benefit so much from the path that I'm on as it expressed through its very cyclical nature the need for balance and as such inspires the same in me.

1. Uphold the Truth, starting with yourself.

This was exceedingly difficult in the beginning of my journey but is becoming much easier. Truth is beautiful even when it's not perfect. Perhaps it is even more beautiful in its imperfection or I just see it that way because it is as rare to me as a precious stone. That doesn't make it easy, but it makes it an accomplishment for sure.

1. Be sure in your convictions, particularly when judging or accusing someone, but also when debating. Ask yourself: are you really sure? Do you really know that this the case?

This is an on-going work but I am much better at it than I was. I now work to back up what I have to say about something with evidence though I still stumble at times with my own convictions.

I hope that I've been as honest and thorough as I'd intended to be in this process. It's not an ending nor a means to an end but a check-up of sorts with where I've been and where I'm heading so that I can witness any progress that might have been made but also pause to reflect and address changes or weaknesses in my positions that need to be worked on.

I've completed (for now) a look at these categories - beliefs, gifts, and ethics. I'll likely compose one final entry in this series and comment on what I've learned and hopefully feel equipped to make some sort of a declaration by then.

Thank you for indulging me in this. And if you stopped reading - pfffbbbbbtttt!!! LOL