Nine Virtues

I had originally done this paper a little over a year ago, but to be completely honest it was kind of half-assed and I blew through it. So now that I��ve actually really been thinking about it for the past week or so with the new dedicants�� group at GoG, I decided to redo it.

�h Wisdom was the suggested virtue. To me, that brings to mind pompousness and stuffiness and implies a lot of book learning but questionable interpersonal skills. In my opinion, in order to be a viable asset to your Grove and also frankly to the people in your life, I am replacing this with Common Sense. It��s all well and good if you know a lot intellectually, but if you don��t know how to express yourself in a way that other people can understand, it��s just mental masturbation. Common Sense to me says that you have life experience. That you have the sense the gods gave you to not do stupid things when avoidable. Common sense to me indicates knowledge that goes beyond books and is less judgemental than the haughty word Wisdom. In my life, I try to conduct myself with a combination of skills�Xsome book learning, some homespun knowledge, and some things I know instinctively.

�h Piety is the second suggested virtue. I don��t like this word either. It reminds me of being on my knees in Catholic church, praying to a god that is generally too busy to really hear you. Piety to me also smacks of self righteousness and that��s a trait I cannot stand. Instead, I replace Piety with Love. For me, that��s why I do this. I do it for love of the game, I do it for love of the deity, I do it for love of my community. Piety suggests obligation. Love to me suggests devotion because this is something you want and need to do instead of someone telling you this is what you��re supposed to do.

�h Vision is the third suggested virtue. To borrow a beat into the ground by three dead horses term, it means to me to think outside the box. To recognize that sometimes you may not be able to see the full picture alone and may need to have a shared vision. Vision to me is also about creating a ritual and to go with your vision and see what comes of it.

�h Courage is the fourth suggested virtue. To me, you need courage every day�Xto do what you think is right, even if no one else does. To stand up for yourself and what you believe in and to help someone else stand up when appropriate. It means having the strength to fight your own battles and to recognize when you cannot fight them alone.

�h Integrity is the fifth suggested virtue. To me, it means acting in the way you know is right. Making the judgement call to return a wallet even if no one saw you pick it up, if that��s what��s right in your moral code. I think everyone has their own individual honor code and integrity means to follow it and to make changes in it when it no longer works for you.

�h Perseverance is the sixth suggested virtue which is a nice idea, very ��I think I can, I think I can, I think I can�� but it also seems to suggest to keep going sometimes even when maybe you shouldn��t. Instead I would like to use Strength. To have strength is to recognize when you need to be strong, when you need to be weak, when you need to keep pushing and when you need to let it go.

�h Hospitality is the seventh suggested virtue. Hospitality important to me, even more so since I have my own household. It means to me, making people feel at home (either in your own home, or in grove, etc.) and treating your guests the way you would like to be treated. Whether that��s cooking a big pot of spaghetti because they��re hungry and that��s what you have or giving a glass of your best wine because you want to show them how special they are to you, there are a lot of ways to make someone feel at home. Hospitality to me should always be about giving what you want to give and not what you feel obligated to give.

�h Moderation is the eighth suggested virtue. Norma has a phrase she used once in my dedicants group which I have found to be perfect�X��Everything in moderation, including moderation.�� While it is important to have balance in your life, sometimes you need to have a little too much or not enough to appreciate the balance there. ��I eat too much/ I drink too much/ I want too much/ too much.�� - DMB

�h Fertility is the ninth suggested virtue and while I know it��s supposed to be a p.c. reclaimed word, I don��t like it. It makes me think of popping out babies and being tied to a stove and hating my life. Instead I would like to use Creativity instead. Creativity for me is my reason for living�Xto make food, poems, stories, laughter, understanding, rituals, dances, paintings, love, etc., etc., etc. is the reason I get up in the morning. To not create for me would be worse than death.

Too Soon Known | Known Too Late

Vieux Peine
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