Pagans and Wiccans, what are some of your core values?

Question

This questino is for those of us who are part of the Neopagan movement. What are your core values as a Pagan? How has Paganism shaped your view of the world, or effected your response to it? What do you feel are the most important values to impart on the next generaton?

I am posting this question to generate discussion, and to show that yes, we too have values.

Great answers so far!

Interconnectedness and respect for all life seem to be recurring themes here, and I agree with them.

To this I would also like to add;
Individualism -- the freedom, dignity, Divinity, and rights of each and every individual. For me, the Freedom of the Individual is my most central value. But I also recognise and honor our interconnectedness, and while I enjoy my own rights, I have no right that I would not encourage others to enjoy -- and so, as "selfish" as Individualism sounds, it actually encourages me to respect other people. Crowley said, "Every man and every woman is a star," and Heinlein said, "Thou Art God." Emmerson's essay on Self Reliance best expresses my views on the Freedom of the Individual, as does Crowley's Liber Oz -- google these and check them out!

Also, Creativity, Scholarship and a love of learning. And Open-Mindedness balanced with healthy Skepticism.

These are the values I wish to impart to my children.

Answer 1

My Family Values -

Balance - I srive for and continue to maintain equality inside and out, in every aspect of my life.

Creativity - I try to use my imagination to create according to my personal talents.

Empathy - I always try to receptive to the feelings and emotions of others.

Honesty - I always do my best to be truthful, to myself as well as others.

Knowledge - I treasure knowing and learning. I continue to look for ways to teach myself whether or not it is expected of me.

Modesty - I am aware of how others perceive me and with this in mind, I don't inflate myself or try to deflate others with my own abilities or accomplishments.

Open-Mindedness - I try to refrain from judging facts and opinions of others.

Originality - I try to act in a way that expresses my own feelings in new and interesting ways.

Perseverance - I continue to strive towards my goals and expectations with diligence until I am honestly satisfied with the outcome.

Respect - I always try to treat myself and others as inherently important.

Trust - I put faith in the actions and feelings of myself and others and work toward others doing the same for me.

Wisdom - I try to be self aware and always aspire to be knowledgable in living a good life, and in understanding my own purpose for living.

Adaptability - I try to be able to dexterously change with adversity and rewards.

Answer 2

I follow a Neo-Hellenic path. These are our core values.

1. Respect family. Look out for your own. Children care for parents, parents care for children and the sibling bond is inviable.
2. Honesty. Only fools lie. Oathbreakers are not worthy of a second glance.
3. The Code of Hospitality. Offer help to those in need who can best benefit from your help. Those who offer you help in good faith shall receive loyalty in return.
4. Walk softly on the Earth. She is the silent Mother of All the Gods and Grandmother of all living things. She must be protected, cherished and adored.
5. Obey the law of the land. Even if it's a stupid law.
6. Pay all debts with interest. Even if no interest is required or requested.
7. Afford all living things the same respect you yourself would like to receive. Assume the best and approach every new individual with perfect love and trust, until such time as they prove unworthy.
8. Do not let a wrong go unanswered. If you do not prosecute or otherwise put a stop to the practices of the one who wronged you, you are just as responsible as he is if he turns around and harms someone else.

Answer 3

Honor, loyalty, hospitality, justice, wisdom, courage - I've got a whole bunch, really.

It's changed some of the ways that I interact with the world, in that it's added a few extra things, but not too terribly different from the way I've always responded to it.

As to the most important values to pass on? All of the above, pretty much. And, probably, a love of learning - the more our kids know, the more they can understand the world and live in it. Making decisions out of ignorance is a recipe for disaster.

Answer 4

Some of my core values are honor, loyalty, hospitality, courage, and justice.

I'm not sure how my beliefs have shaped my worldviews since they have always been the same as they are now. I don't know how I'd view the world if I believed something different. I simply am the way that I am. I try to live my life honorably, am loyal to my deities and my family, I try to show hospitality and respect to others, I find courage when it's needed and try to inspire it in others, and I have a keen sense of justice whether it benefits me or not.

It is sort of a package deal---I don't think that I could separate my values into what's most important. They all work together.

Answer 5

Paganism made me realize that we do not have the exclusive right as Americans to trash the world and live as opulently as possible. This is a very important value to instill in our children, as without some degree of widespread environmentalism, there won't be anything left for them to conserve.

And my values are best summed up by the (simplified to 8 words) Wiccan Rede. Even though I've been slapped on the wrist by plenty of 'em for being Atheist and working for a Christian church, I still consider myself "slightly Wiccan." The Rede says it all: Just don't hurt anyone and enjoy life.

Answer 6

Bright Blessings to you!
What a great Question!
Core Values.......I believe that i should worship and protect our Mother Earth (Goddess). That i should make every effort to stand up and defend her at every opportunity! In doing this i show my gratitude for all the blessings i receive...
I live my life by the "do as ye will but harm ye none" Which really encompasses just about everything i do... I TRY to think before i open my mouth so that my words are constructive and useful.
How has this affected my life? Well i live conscious of all our gifts and just how precious they are! I am much more aware of my own soul, and treat it carefully, and look for my "lessons", and do my best to learn from them! In the same respect i see my karma in just about every aspect of my life, so i handle different situations, more calmly and wisely.
What would i like to Impart? ....Everything i have learnt!!!
Love Wisdom Humility Respect Gratitude Consideration Peace Compassion Kindness ........................
The list is just too long!
Thank You for prompting me to reflect on these things!
Blessed Be!
)O(
~*Ariel*~

Answer 7

My core values as a pagan are to harm none, and to do everything I can to protect our planet. Paganism has changed me by helping me to see what is real, which is the earth, and air, and fire , and water, and light and dark, and the moon and the sun, and birth, life, death and re-birth, and the circle of life. I have learned that this is real for me, and that belief in male only deities doesn't work for me. I have learned that I have this life and I want to live it to the fullest, in part because I don't know what is on the other side, no one really does. That is the real stuff for me. I have learned that members of my sex have been oppressed in the name of patriarchal gods and I would like to see a continuation of realization of this historical injustice, and of changing it, into the next generations.

Great question! We sure do have values.

Bright blessings!
Lady Morgana)0(

Answer 8

Some of my core values as a Celtic Reconstructionist include Truth, Honor, and Duty.

I also strive to live by the Six Virtues of Honor, Honesty, Hospitlaity, Courage, Justice, and Loyalty.

Answer 9

I would have to say that honoring and respecting all things is the most central value to what I believe. We all exist for one reason or another and all things are sacred. I do not particularly like people in general and I have been accused of not respecting them, but just because I refuse to agree with people who are saying that I don't have a right to do what I want does not mean I don't respect people. I just don't respect what they are trying to force on me and their misperceptions about what is really going on.

Doing what we can to take care of the Earth that we live on is very important. It seems that many non-Pagan religions believe just the opposite of that and are bent on destroying our planet. I find this horrifying, but have seen the proof of it myself when some guy who worked for the Reagan administration said basically "We don't have to worry about pollution and all that because God is going to destroy the Earth soon anyway." There really are Christians who believe this and it's absurd and frightening.

And being my individual self is very important to me because I have experience with being forced to live how others want me to live and do what they want instead of following my own path. I don't care what religion people are, as long as they don't try to say that my religious beliefs are wrong or somehow bad. My religion is important to me and both my religion and I deserve the respect of others even if they don't understand it.

Paganism has shaped my view of the world in that I had my beliefs long before I discovered Paganism, but being Pagan has introduced me to a huge community of others who have similar beliefs and religious practices to mine. The Pagan community has given me reason to view humanity in a less negative light and realize that others care about the Earth and life on it as much as I do.

Answer 10

I am a pagan, animist and a pantheist. I follow the Toteg Tribe path (which is pretty nondogmatic) so these are my own views.

I trust in the universe’s ability to maintain order and balance of its own accord. I believe that we change the world by changing ourselves. My goal is inner transformation. I honor the workings of interconnectedness and recognize our inability at this time to see the full tapestry. In short, we need to live and think in a way that is more harmonious with the natural cycle of things.

The awareness of the meaning of life comes from observing how the various living things appear to mesh to provide a whole tapestry. This recognition is emphasized through celebrating the seasons and intimate synchronization with Nature. We need to be a dedicated part of the Terran evolutionary process, and involve ourselves in carrying it forward by individual and communal feedback with the Universal Circle of Life. To teach and reinforce the teachings of interdependence, I honor Mother Earth, Father Sky, spirits of the land, and ancestors through votive offerings (libations) of grain and water. This is not because I believe that they are necessarily literal deities, but because by personifying them and associating them with familial relationships (as well as viewing other people, plants and animals as our “brothers and sisters”) the sense of a caring, interdependent relationship is reinforced. It also assists me in having more of an emotional response to them (in normal human terms we can identify with them better when we personify them) and it incorporates recognition of the equality and necessity of both genders.

My ethics and values are guided by this sense of interdependence and the recognition of the impact that my personal actions in the larger scheme of things.