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    • Prairie Tidings (Church Blog)
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Mountain Ancestors Grove, ADF

A Year of Contemplation

Set the Standards and Use Them (Day 282)

10/9/2019

 
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Image Credit: Unknown

​Some time ago, one of the elder leaders and influencers of my religious tradition were chatting late at night during one of the organization’s annual gatherings. I was telling him about the need for ministry that both relates to the needs of human beings in need, AND that is born from the roots of our practice. What he told me was this: 

“If you really want to do something for people, come up with something that works with addicts and their process.”

After I recovered from not being heard, and the surprise of hearing something so disengaged, and uninterested from a respected leader, I replied to his challenge by saying: 

“We already have it.”

… and I excused myself for the evening. 

In short, we HAVE standards that can be applied from the darkness of addiction across the spectrum, from daily life to abject strife. We have standards. We call them the Nine Virtues. Wisdom, Piety, Vision, Courage Integrity, Perseverance, Hospitality, Moderation, and Fertility. We have standards of virtuous behavior, and a roadmap to return to the mean. 

If we don’t USE that roadmap, well then… that’s our problem. User error.

Funny thing is that the Nine Virtues were put together and submitted to the overall organization by the very leader I was talking to. They’ve been in play for decades. 

But if one doesn’t follow the standards one sets for others, others aren’t inclined to look to them to be an example of those standards. 

It also makes one rather disingenuous. 

I choose to live by a higher standard. 

(See y’all tomorrow)

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    About the Blog

    Awakening the desire to explore Stoicism, and how it relates to his existing beliefs, Rev. William committed to working through the text, The Daily Stoic, a year-long journey to awaken the Stoic mind. 
    How things are structured can be found in the first post. 

    About the Author

    Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Rev. William attended Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado where in 2007 he graduated with a degree in Religious Studies, minoring in Psychology. Currently residing in Longmont, CO, he is one of the Priests and founder of Mountain Ancestors Grove.  He spends his time playing mandolin (and some guitar), writing, engaging in LGBTQIA+ advocacy and education, community service, and sharing a larger vision of how a polytheist perspective can lead to greater human understanding, acceptance, and gods be good, peace. 

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