More Than 8 Words, Ravenscry Sanctuary and Words to Live By
64I will be elaborating on this subject in the near future. This is an intrduction to Pagan moral values and views.
For Wiccans, the moral compass has been the "Wiccan Rede" - "an it harm none, do what you will". Just eight words. Wicca is the most commonly known path of Paganism out there in the general public mundane world.. So I figure the "Wiccan Rede" the most well Known "rule" of moral value, but there is so much more.
For Druids, it has been the "Law of the Harvest", similar to the Karmic system of Hinduism. For Asatruars, it is the "Nine Noble Virtues". For the Christians, of course it is the "Ten Commandments" and the "Golden Rule" - "do unto others as you would have them do unto you".
At Ravenscry, we believe all these systems are valid and we use the Wiccan Rede, the Law of Harvest, the Nine Noble Virtues and the Golden Rule, all in unison.
Many Pagans believe that we can not sin, we at Ravenscry do not believe this is true. While we do believe it is somewhat difficult to "sin" against the Gods, it is possible for us to sin against each other. Because of this, we are responsible for our actions. No devil made us do it, we did it and we are responsible. If I borrow my friends car and wreck it, and refuse to get him another or fix it, I've sinned against him not the Gods and damaged my own reputation and standing with both. I would be surprised if the Gods were concerned about an automobile, but expect them to care about how "honourably" the situation is handled. The only way I can redeem myself is to fix the problem.
Now this is not so difficult a matter to solve when it concerns loss of property, but what about loss of life ?
Under Heathen/Asatru Law, the loss of life whether accidental or intentional was governed by "Weregild" or "man price". It may sound callous to our modern sensitivities but every life was given a price, human and animal. Take murder for instance; under Heathen law, a murderer might have to support the victim's family monetarily until that support was replaced ( a new husband or wife ) or more strictly, for the remainder of the perpetrator's life. Is our modern system better ? We may lock away a murderer for life ( though rarely ), supporting him or her with our tax dollars, or rarely execute them, receiving nothing from them either way.
Pagan Society put a high value on human life. Life was hard and the world was far from over populated. People were valuable to the community, even criminals. I think we can assume a criminal set to work off his crime was watched, marked, essentially condemned a slave in status. If the criminal refused to pay the "man - price", he was removed from the community, his life forfeit. But if he were somehow able to continue to be a functional, working member of the community while "paying" for his crime, the victims and the community benefit, and the perpetrator gets to keep his body and life whole. Once the sentence was fulfilled the man's status in the community returned.
As Pagans today and as the legacy of Pagans past, we must create a better society for ourselves. Yes, we need more than eight words, for as a society, we must create our own laws, ones that mesh with our own religious beliefs, yet live within the prevailing law of the land. For instance the Christians have their Ten Commandments, but controversies sprung up over posting them in State Courthouses. The prevailing law has separation of "church ( religion ) and state", I think a good thing.
We at Ravenscry believe this can be done. If you believe like us, that we can have a community with honour, integrity and take responsibility for our actions we want to here from you. Contact me
Blessings , Liam
