F – Fertility

I had a terrible time sleeping last night, so I’m going to use the extra time I have this morning to catch up on my Pagan Blog Project post.  This week, I’m writing about Fertility.  Fertility can be more than just having children; it can also be fertility of mind, body, and spirit.

I explain this more fully in my essay written on Fertility for ADF’s Dedicant’s Path (DP):

The Dedicant’s Guide* defines Fertility as “[b]ounty of mind, body[,] and spirit involving creativity and industry, an appreciation of the physical and sensual, nurturing these qualities in others” (13).  I feel that this definition adequately captures a Pagan view of Fertility.  The Dedicant’s Guide definition is very similar to that of Wiktionary’s:  “1. (uncountable) The condition, or the degree of being fertile” (“Fertility”).

Children are a perfect example of creative Fertility.  They continuously explore their creativity in tangible ways, such as drawing, painting, sculpting, and building.  Fertility, for children, describes their tendency to produce many creative works.

Yet Fertility isn’t just about the imagination.  It is also about appreciating and not fearing sensuality, whether by one’s self or between consenting adults.  For Pagans, an appreciation of sensuality might be anything from the ritual sex performed in Gardnerian covens known as the Great Rite, to performing sex magic, to simply enjoying sex (instead of being fearful of it).

To conclude, Fertility should be a Virtue.  By declaring it as such, ADF recognizes the Pagan tendency to see sensuality and creativity as qualities to appreciate and cultivate.

Next week, I’ll delve more deeply into this ADF Virtue (which has relevance for Pagans outside of ADF).

*also known as Our Own Druidry

Works Cited

Ar nDraiocht Fein: A Druid Fellowship. Our Own Druidry: An Introduction to Ar nDraiocht Fein and the Druid Path. Tucson, AZ: ADF Publishing, 2009. Print.

“Fertility.” 9 February 2013. Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Web. 13 February 2013.