I was 45 before I learned what virtue was. Oh, I had heard of it before. I might even have been able to tell you there were four Cardinal ones if I had thought about it, which I never really did. And I had some vague idea that having had virtue while I was alive might be a good thing after I was dead. But that was about it.

I thought that the purpose of Virtue was to get you a place in heaven after you were dead. What I have discovered is that the purpose of Virtue is to teach us something while we are alive. Frankly, at first I thought this was a pretty radical idea and I had a hard time believing it. So I tried it and believe it or not it seemed to work. When I tried to live and act according to a simple description of virtue that I had found, the world just seemed like a better place. People were kinder and more worthy of respect, unhappy events were less devastating, there was more hope.

This experience has made all the difference in the world to my Hermetic practice. It has made the words "As Above, So Below" come alive in my life. When I see the world differently it looks different.

I am curious if anyone else has had this experience.

4W