True morality consists not in following the beaten track but in finding out the true path for ourselves and fearlessly following it.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
The word, “morality” comes from Latin, moralitas, meaning “manner, character, proper behaviour”
One would be forgiven for thinking that morality was invented therefore by the Romans…in my view a most immoral culture and empire!
Following on from the collapse of the Roman Empire, morality became the foremost banner of the Abrahamic religions, as they prescribed the life to be adhered to for those in Europe and later North and South America, as well as large parts of Africa.
Failing to adhere could mean being cast out from society, which was governed in strict terms by the church, in almost every instance.
And this has remained de rigeur until recently…in fact, my own lifetime.
In fact, social acceptability and indeed family acceptance was predicated upon one’s adherence to religion…or apparent adherence!
This blog was preceded and inspired by a conversation I had a few days ago with a family member, a sibling.
We both recalled how dominant religion was in our childhood, education and subsequent life outside of Ireland.
My Mother declared towards the end of her life, that she felt fortunate to have reached a time in history when she could ask questions about the institutions that governed much of her life and embrace the possibility of a much bigger picture.
We shared many interesting conversations on many aspects of life…she felt the “lid was off the box!”
I have recently declared myself to be a pagan woman, in that I do not believe in any form of killing, for any reason, nor do I believe in a “creator” as in any sky god, including Zeus and I seek the Divine in all life. Mother Earth is both my home and “church,” feeding my deepest spiritual needs.
(Paganism is not dogmatic. Pagans pursue their own vision of the Divine as a direct and personal experience. ~Pagan Federation)
As I revealed this to my brother, we both realised that this would have been impossible to declare for any of our previous family over the course of the last 1500 years .
So, here I am, the first woman in my family for 1500 years to happily and openly declare my spiritual path outside of any established, monotheistic church or religion and reconnecting with ancient family …that’s quite profound, don’t you think?
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