• About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Our Leadership
    • ADF: A Druid Fellowship
    • Photos
  • Services
  • Calendar
  • Resources & Social Justice
  • Membership
  • Blogs
    • Prairie Tidings (Church Blog)
    • Rev. Badger's 2019 Stoic Blog
    • The Practical Bard (Rev. Missy's Blog)
    • Little Druid on the Prairie (Rev. Lauren's Blog)
  • Policies
  • Contact Us
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Our Leadership
    • ADF: A Druid Fellowship
    • Photos
  • Services
  • Calendar
  • Resources & Social Justice
  • Membership
  • Blogs
    • Prairie Tidings (Church Blog)
    • Rev. Badger's 2019 Stoic Blog
    • The Practical Bard (Rev. Missy's Blog)
    • Little Druid on the Prairie (Rev. Lauren's Blog)
  • Policies
  • Contact Us
Mountain Ancestors Grove, ADF

A Year of Contemplation

The Three Areas of Training (Day 27)

1/27/2019

 
Picture

Epictetus breaks down three areas of training for our spirit and character. (Discourses, 3.2.1-3a) 

First, we examine our desires and our aversions. In seeking to live the virtuous life, we have to be clear that the things which we desire need to be “good” and the things that we repel need to be “bad”. Why? Because our powerful egos have the uncanny ability to get us to desire that which isn’t good for us, and cast aside that which is good for us. 

Essentially, fine tune our attractions, because they can lead us astray. 

Next, we focus our contemplations on what motivates us to act. Are the things we are doing being done for the right reasons? Are we acting without mindfulness? Are we doing things out of habit (we’ve discussed this in an earlier post)? Do we believe we HAVE to do something (the gods told me to do it, or the clue-by-four)?

Why we do what we do is as important as actually doing it. 

Finally, our judgement. We have to invest in the greatest gift nature has blessed humans with: our REASON. Without a strong “reason engine” the above two are virtually impossible, or at the very least, exposed to being infected by self-delusion. 

Without a well-honed mind, we can easily convince ourselves that right is wrong, wrong is right, and that other core elements of reality are not what they are. 

Sounds like madness, no?

Remember, January’s practice is to awaken the need, and to acquire the skills for clarity in our perceptions. 

Ego is insidious. It is NOT helping us, ever. It serves itself…

… and so does the undisciplined, untrained spirit. 

(See y’all tomorrow) 

Comments are closed.

    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. 

    Archives

    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.