A New Set of Virtues?

January 19, 2011 by Galina Krasskova

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I think that we get the devotional life we deserve, the one that we put time, effort, and energy into developing. Of course, I realize that the concept of devotional work itself is also a site of immense conflict within contemporary Heathenry. That being said, there are more and more people coming into this body of religions who want more than to be told "go read the lore." They want more than what can be found in a scattered corpus of medieval texts that were never intended to either be used as religious scripture or as a substitute for actual devotional experience.

While the NNV provide a good solid foundation for folks trying to gain some sense of what Heathenry is all about and how to do it "right," I think developing interiority of practice requires a little something more. Granted, for some, maybe the NNV serves exactly that purpose and nothing else is necessary. For others, in addition to the NNV, maybe there is a hunger that requires moving beyond that initial foundation. Essentially, the really important spiritual work is done alone, in the darkness of our own spirits, after all. We wrestle with ourselves and our place in relation to our Gods alone. No one else can do this work for us. It is the portion of each man or woman on Midgard to battle this out alone and that is a frightening thing. The NNV are great guideposts for getting one started and seeing one through the initial struggles of developing as a responsible spiritual person. There are other, equally important mysteries though, and we do ourselves a tremendous disservice by ignoring them.

Now some people may not want the type of engaged spirituality that I am proposing. The idea of devotional work, of moving beyond purely Midgard consciousness, may be anathema to some Heathens. That's okay. Working to make Midgard better, to live rightly and well as a Heathen in the here and now is an immensely worthy calling. It's fundamental to the reconstruction of our ways. It is absolutely sacred work as much as that of a shaman or priest.

Many people are meant to delve into Midgard life, to do with living what the mystic does with praying and devotional work. They're two sides of the same proverbial coin. Midgard people are the roots and sturdy trunk of the Tree, absolutely essential for what they bring to the art and craft of living. Without sturdy roots, a tree cannot thrive. Others, our mystics, our Deity owned, on the other hand, are meant to move amongst the branches, to look away from Midgard into other worlds, other realms, looking toward the Gods with a fervor that sets the worlds ablaze. They are the ones meant to bring the Tree to flower, these are the ones who supply the nourishing sap that feeds those roots and helps them grow, just as those roots provide the stability without which the tree could neither stand nor flourish. Without both root and fruit, body and sap, the Tree would wither and die. Both support its weight and wisdom from two separate ends.

For those who, like me, do see something lacking, who do feel the need for something more, let me propose a different creed, a parallel one, an inner NNV to complement the existing standard. In no way do I think it should be an either/or scenario. I think we need both sets of virtues (and probably many more besides). So here are my nine of choice:

Piety. If there is anything more essential than piety, I couldn't tell you what it is. This is the foundation for everything else that we do as spiritually engaged people. Our ancestors understood piety. They also understood holy terror. We have accounts of them going down on their knees and bowing their heads in sacred groves, when the presence of the Gods was strongly palpable. Tacitus talks about this in "Germania" when he describes the rites of Nerthus. Our ancestors were not stupid. Relying as they did on the grace of the Gods for their survival in a much more conscious way than we allow ourselves to today, they knew their place and how to hold and live that place with honor. We could and should learn from them and their wisdom.

So what is piety? It's a way of being in the world, of being in right relationship with the world, one's community, one's ancestors, one's Holy Powers. It's a way of being mindful of one's place and of living that ‘place' well. It's an ongoing mindful respect that allows one's life and spirituality to flourish cleanly. We don't talk much about piety today either within Heathenry or without and I think that's a shame. We've made the reconstruction of our ancestral ways so much more difficult than it has to be because as a community we consciously and consistently, foolishly and stubbornly, deny ourselves the very tools that would facilitate it the best, piety topping the list.

I learned about piety and its importance from Sigyn, and a very devoted Sigyn's woman. I talk about it in my devotional to Sigyn a little bit:

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1/19/2011 5:00:00 AM

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About Galina Krasskova

The author of several books on the Northern Tradition, Galina Krasskova is a Heathen priest, shaman, and devotee of Odin. She blogs at Gangleri's Grove.

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