Thelemic Four Step Guide Step 7 - Virtues and Responsibilities

This is the easy part, unless you have a martyr complex, or think that being a perfectionist is a spiritual accomplishment. (We are not here to be perfect. It is our duty to make mistakes and learn from them. No one is perfect, so if you think you are, that in itself is a fault. If you like to beat yourself for your faults, know that it is not healthy and not helping you. Be nice to yourself, and be gentle with yourself. How would the Dali Lama treat you? Treat yourself with the same respect, love, and understanding, just don’t make excuses.)

Think hard and list all of your virtues. These would not include the size of your private parts or your prowess in bed (and if you were about to list those, go back to section one). These might include kindness to animals, understanding, playfulness, and ability to listen. Virtues are not the same as skills or aptitudes (like mathematical ability or playing a musical instrument.) You may have an IQ of 180 and 7 college degrees, but remember, cleverness is not a substitute for character.

Keep this list and refer back to it. As you make progress on the path, your list of virtues will get longer.

Now list all of your responsibilities, financial, social, magickal, spiritual, and physical. These would include your responsibilities for paying bills and debts, your job, your relationships (family, coven, lodge, friends, community, children, yourself), your commitment to your path, your health, and your goals for the future.

Look at this list. Where are you taking on responsibility that does not really belong to you. For example, "I have to make my relationship work." 50% of that belongs to your partner. If you are trying to be all things to all people, you have a codependency problem and you need to learn to be true to yourself. If you belong to 6 organizations, have a family, a job, a garden, and 8 dogs, chances are that you are way overdoing it, and need to re-examine your priorities.

Where are you not taking responsibility that does belong to you, like paying the bills or taking care of your children your fair share of the time. How about household responsibilities like laundry, dishes, and dusting? Are you exercising? If you have a health problem, what are you doing about it? Have you been to the dentist? Are you eating healthy foods? Are your personal habits self-destructive? (That includes smoking anything, using drugs habitually, ignoring hygiene, drinking to the point of drunkenness, etc.,)

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