To the Ancient Greeks, the word “Arete” meant excellence of any kind. By the 5th and 4th centuries B.C.E., the word developed to include moral virtues. These virtues included dikaiosyne (justice) and sophrosyne (self-restraint).

Xenion is exclusively interested in that latter sense of the word, and the reason might surprise you.

We live in a society where most people are dissatisfied. They are dissatisfied with other people, with their government, with broader society, the world, and most of all, themselves.

We want to be happy and confident. Somewhere along the way, most of us absorbed the message that happiness and confidence come from being rich, thin, beautiful, successful, famous, and youthful. The truth is that while any and all of those things might be enjoyable, they are also temporary. In some cases, they are impossible to achieve. This reality, and the hopelessness that can sometimes go with it, can make people competitive, defensive, and just plain mean.

When we shift from these values to “being spiritual” without any firm definition, sometimes we apply this competitiveness to our spirituality. We need to be the “best” at some particular spiritual skill. It may involve having superior initiatory lineage or a particular “respectable” outward spirituality. We might also hold tightly to any spiritual authority that we manage to get our hands on.

It’s also possible for the reverse to happen. Our sense of self can be tied up in failure. It can also be tied up in not fitting in.

With all of these insecurities and concerns about identity swirling around in our heads, it’s no wonder that we “need” our gnosis to conform to our identity related needs. It can be hard to hear anything which potentially invalidates our constructed identity, and as such, hard to get a truthful picture when talking to our gods. It is also difficult to step up and step down as the needs of the group demand, and to share power and responsibility.

Many practitioners describe this problem as “ego,” but that would imply that the person had too much of a sense of self. The problem is actually the reverse: these problems stem from not having a healthy and stable sense of identity!

As a group, we are mystically inclined, and as such, we want gnosis that is accurate and useful. In order to achieve this, the incoming messages must pose no threat to either the conscious or unconscious mind. Thus, the most important first step for the would-be mystic is to shift away from a sense of self based on things outside of their control, and toward a sense of self based on something which is most certainly within their control.

Our appearance, whether or not we are the best, whether or not we get the job we want, and any number of things outside of our control can rob us of our body’s ability to do any number of things.

But the degree to which we are committed to our values is certainly within our control.

Don’t misread me: I didn’t say “the degree to which we live our values.” Certainly, you can find yourself in any number of situations. You may have to do something contrary to your values to stay healthy (mentally and physically). This may be necessary to remain safe or even to survive. However, no one and nothing can rob you of the degree to which you care about your principles.

Moreover, relationships built of shared values have an enduring quality. Relationships built on admiration of more material qualities, like wealth, success, or beauty, lack this endurance. Likewise, relationships with deities who share your values are more stable than those relationships based solely on transactional reciprocity.

Our Arete, or the virtues to which we apply ourselves, need not be the same for all people. Our set of twelve is not prescriptive, but descriptive. They are used as a language for expressing who we are, our convictions, and our values. We can pick a few while recognizing the other as valid and important, even if they are not our focus. This ability to be both different fromn one another without judgment, and yet understood by one another, is core to creating a sense of self and security within our group. It also takes the group’s emphasis off of how our gnosis manifests, who is the best priest, and how powerful our relationships with the gods are.

If this idea intrigues you, consider reaching out to learn more at: a-noone@mail.com