The Journey of a Modern Druid

Still here!

robsteiner — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:55:36 GMT

Hello, Livejournal! Just a quick note to say I'm still here (not that anyone really cared where I've been, but hey, work with me)!

I've been feeling rather disconnected lately, from everyone and everything. The holiday season has not been easy, with more tension than holiday spirit in the air. But I've survived Christmas. Just New Years (and my...ummm....birthday. ugh.) to go.

I held my weekly ritual last night (one day late, due to the busy-ness of the major gifting holiday). It went quite well. I made an offering to lord Ing, and he gave me a good omen in return. He seemed to be telling me to re-engage, both with people and my spirituality. He was telling me to continue to work on my spiritual life, and reminded me that any energy, good or bad, that I put out there will come back to me. So here's to sending out good energy!

So with the memories of a positive ritual fresh and warm, I'm feeling slightly energized and am endeavoring to start crawling out of my hole. My DP work has been suffering as of late, and I need to get back on track with that. I received several bookstore gift cards for the holiday. I think I'll purchase a book for my final DP book review with some of that money.

I'd also like to reconnect with some of my fellow dwellers of Middengeard. I hope to be not so much of a stranger.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of the Yule season and have a great start to the new year!

The 9 Virtues - Integrity

robsteiner — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:36:40 GMT

We now return you to your regularly scheduled DP work :)

When I consider the virtue of Integrity, I just immediately want to paraphrase the 80's band The Fixx, from the song “One Thing Leads to Another”: Do what you say; say what you mean.

This for me pretty much sums up what it means to be a person with integrity. If you say you're going to do something, then do it. If you say something, don't speak in half-truths, or use floral prose that hides your true meaning. Stand behind your words and speak the truth.

To me, integrity is behind the concept of oaths, a concept thought very highly of in ADF, and other religious groups as well. When we take an oath before our grove mates, we're making a promise. And if we break our promise, we break our word. We didn't “do what we said”. Breaking our word essentially makes us a liar. Lying always has consequences. Even if there's a good reason for the lie, the consequences remain. One of those consequences is loss of integrity. In other words, loss of the trust of others. That's not to say that the trust can't be regained, but it will take much more work to regain it than it did to gain it in the first place.

Overall, especially in a group setting, I think integrity is one of the most important virtues. By showing ourselves to be people of integrity, we build a solid foundation for the group to sit upon. Or, as the Norse would say, we add to the luck of the group. By having a solid foundation, we provide for a future full of potential. And that indeed is a good thing.

The 9 Virtues - Piety

robsteiner — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:55:48 GMT

Growing up as a Catholic, I seem to recall thinking of “pious” as a descriptor of a particular sort of person. This saint was pious, or that priest is pious. Piety was something reserved for a select few. We the masses might strive for piety, but we'd most likely fail. Most wouldn't even try.

Now, perhaps because I'm older, or perhaps because of my chosen religious path (I suspect it's more the latter), I don't see piety that way at all. Piety is something for all of us to strive for. Most of us that try will succeed. Walking the Dedicant Path is itself, I believe, an act of piety.

Two summers ago, at the Summerland 2010 festival, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop on piety, presented by Vice Archdruid Seamus Dillard. At one point, Seamus asked for a show of hands: Who practiced their religion daily? Weekly? High days only? As I recall, High days only had the biggest show of hands. Seamus's remarks on that didn't seem to indicate that he believed that the “High days only” crowd were not pious, only that there was room for improvement.

I guess this begs the question: Is there such thing as “more pious than thou”? Is one who does daily devotionals more pious than one who does a weekly ritual? And is that person more pious than one who only attends High day rituals? Can piety be measured by what one does, or is it more a quality that one possesses inside? These are not questions that I have answers for. They are definitely topics for further contemplation.

To sum it up in a nice, simple statement, I believe that piety is working to strengthen the bond between us and the Kindreds.

The 9 Virtues - Wisdom

robsteiner — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:01:22 GMT

When contemplating the virtue of wisdom, the phrase that kept coming to mind was akin to “wisdom results from experience”. I think there is a tendency to sometimes equate wisdom with intelligence. This is not true. Of course, that’s not to say that wisdom does not require intelligence. Being smart and wise would probably not be a bad thing. But intelligence in and of itself does not make one wise. Intelligence can result from book-learning. But wisdom cannot be simply taught out of a book, or in a classroom. To become wise, one needs to go out into the world, and experience (there’s that word again) what life has to offer. It is only through trial and error, I believe, that wisdom can be gained. Another common phrase that I think relates to wisdom is “just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should be done”. A smart person may know what can be done. A wise person knows whether or not it should be done.

The 9 Virtues - Hospitality

robsteiner — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:12:33 GMT

I'll begin by posting my essays for the 9 core Virtues held by ADF. This is my first.

In my younger days, when I moved out of my parents' house, I asked several friends to give me a hand. Fortunately, they answered the call. So they lent me their time and muscles to help me move into my new place. Traditionally, when such events are finished, the person making the move offers refreshments and food to the weary helpers. Yet I had no such things to offer my friends. Never entered my mind, I'm sorry to admit. And I heard about it. From my brother, from my parents (who, fortunately for my friends, stepped up and fed everyone). They made it clear to me that that is no way to treat those who make your life easier. That has stuck with me ever since. I always try to make sure I have something on hand for guests (and not just those who perform heavy labor on my behalf!). I'm not perfect, of course. Sometimes I forget. But I think it's so critical to take those actions to create and strengthen the “ties that bind”.

What I'm finding now is that this lesson is so easy to remember with new friends and acquaintances, and yet so easy to forget with those we hold most dear. It's easy to take for granted our grovemates, our parents, our siblings, even our spouses (maybe even especially our spouses). Of course, we must extend hospitality to them as well, and we must not forget it. Hospitality is not a “set it and forget it” type thing. It must continually be fed, strengthened, and renewed.

Of course, hospitality isn't just the responsibility of the host. Guests also have a role to play. When we enter another's home (or grove), we're not entering a restaurant. Restaurant staff is paid to take care of customers. Hosts take care of their visitors because it's the right thing to do. Guests should accept the hospitality while keeping in mind that it is being freely offered. Guests should return the hospitality by, for example, helping to clean up after a meal. Or by not leaving wrappers or used napkins lying around. Or using coasters! We are guests, not crashers. By returning the hospitality offered to us, we're doing our part to strengthen the ties.

First Post

robsteiner — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:43:29 GMT

HI there! My name's Rob, and I intend for this to be a record of my Dedicant Path work done for Ar nDraiocht Fein: A Druid Fellowship (ADF). I've been a member of ADF for about a year and a half. I officially started the DP work at Samhain 2010, when I took an oath to have it completed by Samhain 2012. For those of you keeping score, that would mean I'm about half-way through the work, chronologically speaking. I already have a good deal of writing done that I plan on posting here in the days and weeks to come.