by Jack Crowley, Cedar Light Grove
As part of the ADF Dedicant's Program, we are to reflect on each of the nine "official" virtues. So far, I've written about vision and fertility. I will now attempt to write on a third, moderation. Moderation is a challenging topic for me to discuss for a couple reasons. First, my personality is not necessarily moderate. I don't mean to imply that I plunge into excess in all things. But when I enjoy something a lot, and I have the opportunity to re-enjoy that experience, I've been known to be very immoderate. At one point in my journey, I was under the impression that I had an addictive personality. I'm not as sure anymore. Perhaps, it is just age catching up with me. But moderation is not one of my key virtues. A second reason why it is a bit difficult to write about, is due to the fact that many seem to equate an emphasis on moderation with the more patriarchial and conservative of faiths: faiths that are decorated with laws and regulations of every size and dimension. Paganism is not a faith of this sort. Druidism has one key law that I know about. That law is that the ArchDruid is very fallible. The two key precepts of Reformed Druidry are that Nature is good, and Nature is good. The Wiccan branch of Paganism of course has the Rede, As thou harm none, do as thou will. And of course we have Crowley's maxim, Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law, Love is the Law, Love under will. There is a libertarian flavor to most Pagan faith. Law is not a key characteristic of the path. So where does moderation fit in? After much reflection I've come up with a view of moderation that I can live with. A better word might be balance. It is true that most Pagans do not seem to thrive on asceticism. There is no rule that you abstain from alcohol, cigarettes, or sex. In fact, many Pagan folk revel in all of these. Yet the end of Pagan culture cannot be hedonism. Pleasure is not a bad thing, but it should not be an end in itself. I believe that the goal of balance and moderation is as needed with Pagan folk as it is with hard shell Baptists. Granted, with the Baptist, there may be a need for a different kind of balance. The law that we should do as we will and harm none is a good rule to follow. The isms that plague the world today: alcoholism, racism, dogmatism, legalism, or sexism are all due to a lack of balance in behavior or beliefs. I would say we could throw asceticism into that ismish pile. I want to experience a lot during this brief cycle. I don't want to be consumed by anything. Even devotion to Deity (or Deities) can be all consuming. I want to find the balance where I can experience a great deal, learn a great deal, discover much, and yet not become a slave to any of it. To be a free person in spirit and body. The Judaic-Christian tradition often talks of holiness. It is a word that for me conjours images of self-righteous self-centeredness. But perhaps there is something we could call wholeyness. Developing different aspects of ourselves, in moderation, so that we are more whole, more complete, and more compassionate. It is this wholeyness that I strive after. But it is a wholeyness under freedom, and a freedom under moderation.