The 27 Virtues of THE WAY

It is with gratitude, to the Congregation of the Oak that I post these 27 virtues of the Way. The Congregation of the oak utilizes these guidelines and the ethical standards from which they derive their practices. These ethics I've found are an important aspect of the practices of the Craft. Regardless of whether you are Druid or Wiccan or any other tradition of Paganism.

1: FORBEARANCE: refraining from the enforcement or forgiveness of something (as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due, the act of Patience or the quality of showing Leniency, The act of forbearing or waiting; the exercise of patience. "He soon shall find Forbearance no acquaintance ere day end." Milton. The quality of being forbearing is indulgence toward offenders or enemies; long-suffering. "Have a continent forbearance, till the speed of his rage goes slower."

2: WISDOM: Good judgment is the ability to perceive people and situations correctly, deliberate about and decide on the correct response. Synonym: Sense.

3: TRUTH: Being Correct, Fact, Actuality, Fidelity, Constancy, Fact, sincerity in action, character, and utterance, the state of being the case, the body of real things, events, and facts, a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality or a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true, the body of true statements and propositions, fidelity to an original or to a standard.

4: FAITH: The allegiance to duty or a person, fidelity to one's promises, sincerity of intentions, belief and trust in and loyalty to the God, Goddess, even a pantheon or a tradition, belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion, firm belief in something for which there is no proof, complete trust or something that is believed especially with strong conviction, a system of religious beliefs, - faith is without doubt or question.

5: LOVE: strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties, maternal love for a child, attraction based on sexual desire, affection and tenderness felt by lovers, affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests, love for his old schoolmates, an assurance of love warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion, the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration, beloved person, often used as a term of endearment, unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another, the Godly concern for humankind, brotherly concern for others, a person's adoration their God.

6: HOPE: To cherish a desire with anticipation, transitive senses, to desire with expectation of obtainment, to expect with confidence, TRUST or EXPECT.

7: HONOR: good name or public esteem: Reputation, a showing of usually merited respect or RECOGNITION, PRIVILEGE, or a person of superior standing, one whose worth brings respect or fame now used especially as a title for a holder of high office, one whose worth brings respect or fame, an evidence or symbol of distinction. Archaic Use: a gesture of deference: BOW, or an academic distinction conferred on a superior student, a course of study for superior students supplementing or replacing a regular course, a keen sense of ethical conduct, INTEGRITY to one's word given as a guarantee of performance. Synonyms HONOR, HOMAGE, REVERENCE, DEFERENCE meaning respect and esteem shown to another, HONOR may apply to the recognition of one's right to great respect or to any expression of such recognition. HOMAGE adds the implication of accompanying praise. REVERENCE implies profound respect mingled with love, devotion, or awe, or great reverence for your father. DEFERENCE implies a yielding or submitting to another's judgment or preference out of respect or reverence, or deference to their elders.

8: HUMOR: Temperament, of cheerful humor, an often temporary state of mind imposed especially by circumstances, a sudden, unpredictable, or unreasoning inclination, WHIM, the uncertain humors of nature, that quality which appeals to a sense of the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous, the mental faculty of discovering, expressing, or appreciating the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous, something that is or is not designed to be comical or amusing Synonym WIT.

9: INSIGHT: The ability to broaden one's own perspective, to have a greater understanding of our place or role in the cosmos, and may also relate to the past, present and future, the power or act of seeing into a situation PENETRATION, the act or result of apprehending the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively. Synonym DISCERNMENT

10: SERVICE: The work performed by one that serves, HELP, USE, BENEFIT, glad to or joyful to be of service, contribution to the welfare of others, disposal for use. A form followed in worship or in a religious ceremony, a meeting for worship, a helpful act , useful labor that does or dose not produce a tangible commodity, a facility supplying some public demand, a facility providing maintenance and repair.

11: PERSEVERANCE: is drive, motivation to improve self, pursue long-term goals, steadfast fullness even when that pursuit becomes difficult.

12: CONFIDENCE: a feeling or consciousness of one's powers or of reliance on one's circumstances, faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way, the quality or state of being certain, CERTITUDE, a relation of trust or intimacy, reliance on another's discretion, support especially in a legislative body, synonyms CONFIDENCE, ASSURANCE, SELF-POSSESSION, APLOMB mean a state of mind or a manner marked by easy coolness and freedom from uncertainty, diffidence, or embarrassment, stresses faith in oneself and one's powers without any suggestion of conceit or arrogance. ASSURANCE carries a stronger implication of certainty and may suggest arrogance or lack of objectivity in assessing one's own powers, SELF-POSSESSION implies an ease or coolness under stress that reflects perfect self-control and command of one's powers, Aplomb implies a manifest self-possession in trying or challenging situations.

13: COURAGE: The ability to act appropriately in the face of adversity, a mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficultySynonyms COURAGE, METTLE, SPIRIT, RESOLUTION, TENACITY mean mental or moral strength to resist opposition, danger, or hardship. COURAGE implies firmness of mind and will in the face of danger or extreme difficulty. METTLE suggests an ingrained capacity for meeting strain or difficulty with fortitude and resilience. SPIRIT also suggests a quality of temperament enabling one to hold one's own or keep up one's morale when opposed or threatened. RESOLUTION stresses firm determination to achieve one's ends. TENACITY adds to RESOLUTION implications of stubborn persistence and unwillingness to admit defeat.

14: COMPASSION: To bear, to understand those that suffer, to be more PATIENT with someone in need, sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it. Synonym PITY.

15: MODERATION: Cultivating one's appetites so that one is neither a slave to them nor driven to ill health, (mental or physical), through excess or deficiency, to lessen the intensity or extremeness, to become less violent, severe, or intense.

16: DETERMINATION: The definition of a concept in logic by its essential constituents, the addition of a differentia to a concept to limit its denotation, direction or tendency to a certain end, the resolving of a question by argument or reasoning.

17: KINDNESS: Gentle and considerate, Goodhearted, to have or show a kind nature, a fundamental nature or quality to be sought after, the quality or state of being kind.

18: RESPONSIBILITY: the quality or state of being responsible, moral, legal, or mental, accountability, liable to be called to account as the primary cause, motive, or agency, TRUSTWORTHINESS. Synonyms RESPONSIBLE, ANSWERABLE, ACCOUNTABLE, AMENABLE

19: LOYALTY: the quality or state or an instance of being loyal, unswerving in allegiance, faithful in allegiance to one's lawful sovereign or government, faithful to a private person to whom fidelity is due, faithful to a cause, ideal, custom, institution, or product. Synonym: FIDELITY, FAITHFUL.

20: CHARITY: benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity, generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering; also aid given to those in need, an institution engaged in relief of the poor, public provision for the relief of the needy, a gift for public benevolent purposes, an institution (as a hospital) founded by such a gift, lenient judgment of others. Synonym: MERCY

21: STABILITY: the quality or state, or degree of being stable. The strength to stand or endure, FIRMNESS the property of a body that causes it when disturbed from a condition of equilibrium or steady motion to develop forces or moments that restore the original condition, resistance to chemical change or to physical disintegration, residence for life in one monastery

22: PIETY: Correct observance of ritual and social traditions; the maintenance of the agreements, (both personal and societal), we humans have with the Gods and Spirits. Keeping the Old Ways, through ceremony and duty, the quality or state of being pious, fidelity to natural obligations (as to parents), dutifulness in religion, DEVOUTNESS, an act inspired by piety, a conventional belief or standard, ORTHODOXY. Synonym FIDELITY

23: SERENITY: Piece of mind a state of tranquility clear and free of storms or unpleasant change, shining bright and steady, the moon, serene in glory -- Alexander Pope, marked by or suggestive of utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude, a state of tranquilitySynonym CALM

24: INTEGRITY: Being trustworthy to oneself and to others, involving oath keeping, honesty, fairness, respectful and self-confidence adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values, INCORRUPTIBILITY, an unimpaired condition, SOUNDNESS the quality or state of being complete or undivided, COMPLETENESS. Synonym HONESTY.

25: HOSPITALITY: Is the Act of a gracious host or an appreciative guest, involving benevolence, friendliness, humor, and the honoring of "a gift for a gift".

26: LONGEVITY: a long duration of individual life, length of life long study, Synonym PERMANENCE, DURABILITY.

27: STRENGTH: The quality or state of being strong, capacity for exertion or endurance, power to resist force, SOLIDITY, TOUGHNESS, power of resisting attack, IMPREGNABILITY, legal, logical, or moral force, a strong attribute or inherent asset, degree of potency of effect or of concentration, intensity of light, color, sound, or odor, vigor of expression, force as measured in numbers, effective numbers of any body or organization, one regarded as embodying or affording force or firmness, SUPPORT. Synonym POWER