Social, Personal and Family Values:

The values of The Numinous Way - whether social, personal or to do with the family - derive from our empathic ethics, and from an acceptance of the principle we human beings possess the ability to change ourselves for the better by using our will.  That is, we have the ability to control ourselves: to exercise restraint; the ability to develope our personal character. 

Our ethics are based upon the principles of personal honour, compassion, empathy and reason and according to these ethics what is good is what is honourable, what does not cause or contribute to suffering, and what aids, or presences Life and the Cosmic Being, while what is wrong, bad or undesirable - in terms of conduct, behaviour or action - is what is dishonourable and/or which contributes to or which aids suffering, and/or which distances us from, or which harms Life and the Cosmic Being. Thus, someone who is striving to follow The Numinous Way strives, in a gentle, empathic, human way, to do what is good, and thus honourable, and they strive to do this by using the power of their will (self-discipline). That is, they try to develope a certain personal character, a certain nature - and this character, this nature, derives from knowing and understanding the Cosmic Ethic of empathy. That is, they judge their own desires, their own feelings, their own passions, by the standards, the criteria, set by the Cosmic Ethic.

Personal Character:

The personal character of someone following The Numinous Way is evident in a quiet dignity, in tolerance, in fairness, in gentleness, in honesty, and in manners. Thus, such an individual is dignified; fair, honest and just, and while somewhat restrained, modest and self-effacing, they can be gently enthusiastic and gently joyful, feeling and knowing as they do the beauty, joy and numinosity of life.

All these personal qualities, these virtues, derive from empathy, compassion and honour. Thus, someone who possess such qualities, will be somewhat reserved, modest, tolerant, and as they will strive to be polite and self-controlled: not given to displays of public emotion, and not given to ostentatious display of any kind. That is, they strive not to attract attention to themselves through their appearance, their speech, their behaviour. Such a person seeks, in a gentle, natural way, to be in control of themselves because that is the civilized, the human, the noble, the empathic, thing to do, and a means whereby they can act honourably in any situation. To lose control - for whatever reason and from whatever means - is to lose dignity, and especially empathy with and for others, and to thus to revert to the level of a barbarian. Thus, an empathic individual will strive not to allow themselves to become intoxicated by any substance - natural or otherwise - because such intoxication reveals a lack of self-control, a lack of manners, and prevents them from exercising empathy and an honourable judgement, and prevents them from acting upon that empathy and that judgement.

Marriage:

Marriage involves a man and a woman making a free, formal and public declaration of loyalty to each other. That is, they swear an oath, on their honour, not to betray their partner and to undertake to live together in an exclusive and loving relationship. Hence, infidelity - the placing of one's own sexual desires before the oath one has sworn to one's partner - is an act of dishonour, a betrayal of this oath of loyalty; a loss of empathy. Thus, infidelity - whatever excuses a person may make - is a sign of a weak un-empathic, person: someone who lacks the self-discipline, who lacks the personal character, to uphold honour and who has forgotten or negated empathy itself. As such, infidelity, with its betrayal of trust, its deceit, and its self-indulgence, is wrong because dishonourable and a cause of suffering: the act of someone who does not understand or feel (or who has selfishly forgotten) compassion and empathy.

For marriage to take place, according to The Numinous Way, there has to be a free giving of loyalty, on one's honour, and a declaration of loyalty, a commitment of love, made before several witnesses.

The Family:

The Numinous Way regards procreation as a natural blessing - as one means whereby we can contribute to, and presence, Life, and thus aid Nature, our culture and community, aid the Cosmos, and contribute to the evolution of these living beings. Such procreation is a paean to the Cosmic Being: a sacrament of Life itself.

Hence the importance, in The Numinous Way, of the family - one very important means whereby a man and a woman can lovingly share their lives, support each other in a noble, human way, and where they can create a noble way of living for themselves and their children, with this way of living contributing to the development of their own noble character and that of their children.

Living According to The Numinous Way:

Living according to The Numinous Way involves us in judging everything - every situation, every problem, ourselves and every person - by our ethics: by the standards of honour, compassion, empathy and reason. 

Thus, we should ask ourselves such things as: What is the honourable thing to do, here? Will this act, this personal deed, cause suffering? Will it alleviate suffering? If I do this thing, will it benefit Nature, and those emanations of Nature such as the diversity of life manifest on this planet which is currently our home? Will it, will I, harm Nature? Is it dishonourable and involves a negation of empathy?