Pagans: How can we promote goodwill to all during this joyous Yule time?

Question

In asking, I hope to extend Joy and Peace to you all as well. I hope to create a more holistic, loving peaceful and of course joyous world through in part my writing (I'm Gemini). Tell me how you can do it in your way.

Answer 1

This year we are going to to divide our time between the food pantry and the community garden. The produce from the garden goes to families in need as well.

I hope everyone has a blessed and joyous Yule and new year!

Answer 2

I am going to be at work for most of the season so others in my office can take time off from work to spend with their families. I also have to visit my family and in-laws, who are all various types of Christian, so I will do my best to "behave" and keep them appeased during this season.

The fun parts of the season are when I spend time with friends and my husband, so I will do my best to spread goodwill on a small sphere. I wish I had the time time and resources to do more volunteer work like some of the others who have posted, but I wish the best for them.

Answer 3

Agree wholeheartedly with the prior poster abt soup kitchens, Toys for Tots and similar drives....and don't forget that animal shelters can also use thingies for the beasts.

And when someone wishes me a "Merry Christmas" (not knowing I'm Pagan), they get a nice "Happy Holidays" right back....I wish religiously-oriented folk a good celebration, of whatever type they keep, and the ones we hang with cheerfully wish us the same!

Here's to a peaceful, happy, and joy-filled season (and new year) for all of us, worldwide, REGARDLESS of the Deity we talk to----or don't talk to....

Answer 4

Thank you for your benevolent energies =)

During this year's yuletide, I believe I will go to Chicago for the sole purpose of helping the homeless. I've found that the majority of homeless people do not want "drug money," but are genuinely poor and also want companionship. I've made many friends out of them just by giving them the opportunity to talk to them. I once spent several hours in one night talking to a guy named Tyrone. It's fun in a way that's hard to describe, and I think I'll do that this year. 'Tis the season of giving, and if one's heart is kind, then one will receive joy from giving.

Blessed be. )O(

Answer 5

I prefer to do it by volunteering, and when i cannot do that, simply by showing hope and joy to the people I interact with. A little smile goes a long way, and while its not much, it is something.

Answer 6

I'm agnostic. I'd just have to go with random acts of kindness. But I also think that it is not up to certain religious groups to individually decide what to do and settle on different plans of action separately. This is something that everyone should be involved in.

Answer 7

Casting a circle on the Winter Solstice in order to reach the God and the Goddess will help me to cast a world-wide healing spell to promote happiness to as many people as I possibly can.

Answer 8

By giving annoyed animals 10 points -- a sure way to spread the cheer even if it only affect one!

Merry Christmas Gemini!

Answer 9

Pagans invented charity (of course we invented a lot of stuff, like civilization, too). In ancient Greece, just about every ritual had livestock ritually slaughtered (remember they didn't have grocery stores to get their meat from back then, so they had to slaughter livestock directly), the bones, fat and blood offered to the Gods, the meat cooked and equal portions served to all in attendance. Anyone who attended, even poor people, got fed. So, basically, poor people got fed at rituals.

In ancient Rome, it was customary to put out "Hecate suppers", which were plates of food for the poor. These were put out in honor of Hecate the Goddess (the Romans got Her from the Greeks) of crossroads, gateways, thresholds and many other things.

At my Greek Pagan group, we don't slaughter animals, we buy our meat from the grocery store. But, in addition to asking people to bring food for the potluck, we ask them to bring food for the poor. Our priests take these goods to homeless people personally, with a note from our organization.

WARNING: I REALLY hate to say this, but I've actually heard bad things about the Salvation Army. I know, everybody thinks highly of them, but they're basically a born again Christian group. I'm all for "love your neighbor as yourself," and Christian charity in general is as good as any other charity, but the Salvation Army REQUIRES the poor people they help to pray in their form of prayer before they'll feed them! That's extortion! If you really want to be charitable, just give people charity without any gotchyas.

A better organization to donate to, in my opinion, is the Goodwill.

Apart from charity, one tradition that my Wiccan mentor has done for decades is to decorate the Yule tree with homemade decorations that are wishes for the new year. These can be as simple as paper or cardboard. The point is that they'll express something about your hopes and dreams for the new year. You could put ornaments representing joy and peace. The idea is that joy and peace begin with you.

Another idea, is have a big, festive party as a ritual. Victor Anderson, a Wiccan elder, now deceased, and founder of the Feri Tradition of Wicca, said that joyful festivity and laughter chase away evil spirits. Personally, I see "evil spirits" as being psychological. We get moody during the winter and it's full of bad weather, coldness, darkness, etc. We personify all this as "evil spirits" in our psyche. The best symbol for a thing is the thing itself, so I think having a joyful celebration is the best way to create joy. Your joy can spread to others, through a ripple effect. In fact, you could even make it your Will that the joy of your festivities go out into the universe and bring joy to others. If you meet others and you're joyous, they may become joyous as well.

Decking the halls comes from Welsh Paganism and bringing a tree into the home comes from German Paganism. So, I'd say deck your halls with evergreens, holly, pine cones and the like. Put a wreath on your door. Maybe even frame your windows with holly. Get a tree. Make every bit of this real evergreens, not synthetic. The smell of the real plants alone will bring good cheer. I think the reason why we bringing evergreens into the home this time of year is because we miss the green growth of spring. So, it's better to have real evergreens that you can really smell, than synthetic.

Then, have a ritual with a big celebration with lots of mulled cidar, good food, seasonal food and drink. Sing songs. "Deck the Halls" is totally devoid of any mention of Christ. (For Christians reading this, not that there's anything wrong with Christ. It's just that the asker is a Pagan wanting information about celebrating a Pagan holiday, so, unless he/she worships Christ, it would be inappropriate.)

Several things to remember: everybody who comes should be okay with the fact that you're doing a Neopagan ritual and they should know that upfront, otherwise you'll just offend people. I'd avoid inviting people who are of bad will or who have the bad habit of being disruptive. People of bad will or people who can't respect the fact that the event is a Neopagan ritual will only drag things down and kill the joy you're trying to create.

I wish you Joy and Peace this Yule. Blessed be!

Answer 10

I'm not a Pagan (I'm Agnostic) but thanks for your wishes of goodwill. :) I think giving to charities, volunteering for Blue/Brown Santa or at soup kitchens, and just preforming random acts of kindness are great ways to spread joy.