Virtues: Piety (Dedicant Path Essay)

Piety is another first function virtue, the domain of priests, but also the responsibility of each member of society to remain in right relationship with the spiritual forces of the cosmos. ADF defines piety as “correct observance of ritual and social traditions; the maintenance of the agreements, both personal and societal, that we humans have with the Gods and Spirits. Keeping the Old Ways, through ceremony and duty“. I personally would define piety as a mirror of hospitality. Where hospitality is the art, state, and process of maintaining right relationships with one’s community and by extension humankind, for me piety is the art of remaining in right relationship with the kindreds.

I think we would find, if we looked into the matter, that different druids maintain different levels of piety with the kindreds and balance those obligations differently. Someone with a more folkish bent might prioritize their relationship with the Gods and the ancestors. Someone with a more pantheist leaning might prioritize their relationships with the nature spirits and spirits of place. For me, I struggle to connect with my blood-ancestors, so I focus on the relationships I can build with the Gods and the land spirits.

Photo by Luis Llerena, via Stocksnap.io

ADF emphasizes reciprocal giving as a primary component of both these interrelated virtues, and so this is how I primarily pursue relationships with the kindreds. For me, I think that while ritual is an important component of piety (I’m actually not certain one could really be pious without it) the really telling gauge of my relationships with the kindreds are the casual and informal moments when we interact. Just like you don’t gauge your relationship with your family or friends based on their punctuality with sending birthday cards (although we rightly consider them sort of rude if they don’t!) it’s the daily conversations and small interactions that I value most – for example I have a spot in my yard where I leave small found items (pretty stones, nuts, pinecones, etc.) just as a hello to the residents, and this spring they returned the favor with a blanket of strawberries that covered the entire yard. Ritual for me is a special occasion, a chance to approach someone more distant than the spirits of my lawn.