Ethics and Values, Part Three October 17, 2008

Having looked at the ethical/value systems of a number of diverse traditions (including Asatru) and then discussed my own values, I am now going to describe some of the values I would like to be a part of my monastic life, and which would form the foundations of a Rule for Northern Pagan monasticism.

Keeping in mind that not every person who might be attracted to this kind of life is going to be a Lokean, or even god-touched (and this is not a bad thing), I’ve decided to focus on what I consider to be fairly universally applicable values that diverse members of a hypothetical community could utilize as a basis for practice just as well as a solitary monk or nun. So far there are six, as follows:

Celebration: Whether we are worshiping the gods, remembering the dead, commemorating rites of passage or special events, honoring spirits, landwights and housewights, marking the cycles of earth, moon and sun, or all of the above, celebration of some kind is a key component of Northern religious practice. Rituals help maintain and strengthen our ties to our ancestors, the land we inhabit, the gods and spirits of the Nine Worlds, and to each other. They also provide an opportunity for gathering with those we might not see at other times, and for doing certain kinds of business at which it is important to have an entire community assembled. And who doesn’t love an excuse to congregate, feast, sing songs and tell stories, and have a good time? At some point I’d like to create a liturgical calendar which would cover daily, monthly and yearly rituals and would be available to other interested parties, but that’s a long way in the future. (Of course, one may celebrate alone, although if one is faining gods and other wights, you could say that one is not really “alone”…)

Contemplation: A counterpoint to celebration, contemplation is inwardly focused. Monastic life should include times for solitary work, meditation, prayer and other activities which allow one to shed external distractions and listen to the voices of the Holy Ones, or simply the small voice of wisdom within. After all, though we might gather joyfully to celebrate together, ultimately our relationships with the wights are individualistic and often deeply personal, imbued with a different kind of joy. What forms of contemplation one chooses are less important than that they are useful at quieting the static and noise in your brain and helping you get to a place where you can think deeply and/or commune with the wights. Disciplined exercises in a martial art you are already trained in can provide a deeply contemplative experience. Utiseta or “going under the cloak” is another way to achieve this. I’m fond of using my prayer beads as a meditative tool as well as a devotional one, but using field archery for this purpose has helped me too. And that brings me to…

Mindfulness: Unlike lay folk, someone devoted to a monastic life will probably have certain restrictions and taboos that must be followed at all times, self-imposed or otherwise: wearing particular kinds of clothing, abstaining from certain foods, following a daily schedule of prayer, work and recreation, refraining from certain activities at various times. Being mindful not only of one’s activities but of the reasons behind those activities helps keep us focused on spirituality as an integral part of life rather than something that exists only during prayer or ritual. Yet being mindful does not mean being too critical or getting bogged down in details. The goal is attentive appreciation, not anal-retentive nitpicking. Mindfulness is a virtue whose value is well attested in the primary sources, which are full of wise women and men whose advice was sought after by others. You can bet that they didn’t get to be so wise by being unmindful or willfully ignorant. Half of Havamal seems to be about being mindful of one’s words and deeds, too.

Service: Reciprocity was important in Old Norse culture, but it isn’t just about giving gifts. I believe that to fully appreciate the value of receiving service from others, one needs to know exactly what goes into rendering it. Our modern home culture has an unhealthy attitude towards service; the idea that retail or restaurant jobs are not “real” work, or are only held by those incapable of doing any better, illustrates this. But there is nothing wrong with honorable service of any kind. Understand that I’m not necessarily talking about thralldom (which is important to some folks, like Theodish Heathens), nor am I saying that service is only ever properly rendered from those of lower status to their superiors. A friend of mine who is also a monk says that anybody, no matter what their rank, can receive service. Indeed, high-status positions are often far more about serving others (or the common good) than is imagined by the ambitious. And if nothing else, I’d venture to guess that most Northern Tradition monastics, even the solitary ones, would be in service to the gods and spirits, at least.

Sacrifice: This is indeed a part of the Northern tradition, and it is a value whose omission from the NNV and most similar Heathen codes of ethics has always blackly amused me. After all, Odin gave up His life for the runes and the wisdom they carry. Frey gave up the best sword in the Nine Worlds in order to win Gerda as His bride. Tyr gave up His hand as a pledge of honor to Fenrir. Willingly giving up something necessary and valuable to you is a powerful act, especially when offered in the correct spirit. When you give some treasured or necessary thing that you can’t easily do without, you are giving a gift of great power, so you had better be prepared to offer a sacrifice only when you are certain the reward is well worth it or there is truly no other option. But if you’re devoted enough to become a nun or monk in the first place, then this notion of sacrifice probably isn’t one you’re afraid of, anyway.

Faith: Um, what? Shouldn’t someone already have faith if they’re trying to be a Pagan nun? Well, yes. However, I once wrote in a short story that faith isn’t an unassailable fortress; it’s a crumbling wall that we struggle to climb every day, some days never reaching the top. If you believe that becoming a monastic will settle every doubt and prevent further spiritual crises once and for all, have I got news for you. Nobody, no matter how cloistered or holy, is immune to disbelief, disappointment or anger at the workings of the gods, the world or the human heart. Cultivating our personal faith so that it becomes the mighty spear that defends us, or the strong tree that nourishes and supports us, or both, is at the heart of monastic practice. In my view, the word “frith” is partially about having faith that all must be as it should be, even if it’s not always as we’d like it to be. All of the other virtues and values listed above have the same goal in mind: to assist the monastic in striving to deepen his or her faith, which allows us to live in frith with the gods, the world, each other and ourselves.

I may think of other things to add to this list, but for now, that’s what I’ve come up with. The Rule I intend to develop will be based on these (and any other) values, rather than the personal ones which I’ve written about previously. I am striving for mindfulness especially in developing the common Rule, so that my personal blind spots affect its writing as little as possible.