Justice

I wrote this as a reflection for the Cherry Hill Spiritual Potluck on November 28th. If you are interested to attend these online gatherings, just let me know and I'll send you the info. On the 28th, we recognized Astraea, Goddess of Justice, Trans Remembrance Day and Thanksgrieving.

Astraea, goddess of Justice, is said to be the daughter of Zeus and Themis. Her name means Starry One. Themis is one of the Titans associated with justice, wisdom and wise counsel. Her blessings fall on the just and the true. Her daughter Astraea, is also a personification of justice, but is associated with innocence and purity. It is said that Astraea is the last of the Greek deities to leave the Earth. When Astraea left the world of mortals out of disgust for the corruption and wickedness that had spread among humanity, Zeus transformed the goddess into the Virgo constellation. This ended the Golden Age of mortals. The ancient Greeks believed that one day Astraea would come back to the Earth, and that her return would mark the beginning of a new Golden Age.

Justice, Social Justice, injustice - all these types of justice are on full view in our society today. A 17 year old gets off for killing two men, all three men who killed Ahmad Aubrey are found guilty. At least 45 transgender or gender non-conforming people have been killed this year; the Human Rights Campaign Foundation uses “at least” because too often these stories go unreported or misreported. 2300 Native women are missing as of 2020. Lies perpetuated by the wicked or the mislead are literally killing people. It seems Astraea was right to be disgusted.

Justice will have a different meaning to those with different experiences in the world whether of country, racial identity, gender identity or sexual orientation. The American Indian Movement, Black Lives Matter, the Human Rights Campaign, the Farm Workers Movement, and so many others seek to promote social justice, creating a more equitable world. What kind of Pagan justice system can we create to address all the kinds of injustice we see around us or in our communities? Astraea gives us guidance. Innocence can mean free of guilt, but it can also mean free from immorality. As Pagans our moral guidance will vary somewhat between traditions, however we must look to what guidance we can find in our traditions to promote justice and social justice. For example, as I have talked about before, the Charge of the Goddess includes aspects of character that we would do well to promote within and among ourselves. We can be powerful and compassionate. We can be humble and reverent. We can be mirthful and beautiful. We can be honorable and strong. Restorative justice is an approach which may be relevant to a Pagan justice. Restorative justice is powerful and compassionate because the accused is presented with the behavior that is problematic rather than presented as lacking character. The accused must listen to those harmed with humility. Those accusing must listen to the accused with an honorable open mind. Restorative justice is more interested in repairing relationships, which seems me what justice should be pursuing any way and seems to me to embody Pagan moral values.

For those of us with privilege in our society, we can argue for and promote that law enforcement and investigators take up the cause of our trans people and our Native women to finally bring some justice to the murdered and missing. As Pagans, we can embody Astraea and her mother Themis by holding those in power accountable. Our prayers, our rituals, our letter writing, our speaking at city council meetings, our ways of influencing those in power must be relentless towards justice as we coax Astraea to return and bring us back to a place free from wickedness. Truth and reconciliation efforts, restorative justice practices all attempt to restore relationships to peace and understanding.

In terms of Thanksgrieving, while I can certainly understand the concept of Thanksgrieving, it makes more sense to me to think about lies about history. What purpose was meant by the incorrect story associated with Thanksgiving? How do we confront lies which parade as history? Grieving for our native people is a daily act. Those families of the missing women grieve every day. Anyone who has lost a loved one to violence is grieving every day. I’ve come to see grief as a wave, that peaks and ebbs as we go about our lives. Perhaps some would like to see the grief they feel about how native people were treated peak at Thanksgiving and that is their choice. I think that discussing the real story of Thanksgiving, of how history is used to perpetuate lies and misunderstanding and that history is not devoid of bias at all, is another approach. Learning the truth of our native cultures in all their amazing diversity and complexity is another possibility.

Having a day to remember to be thankful and grateful is a great antidote to the injustice we see in the world. We cannot be in disgust or anger or grief all the time. It is good for us to find what we have to grateful for more than once a year, but our Thanksgiving holiday brings it to mind strongly during our dark time of the pagan year, when gratitude can help us maintain our perspective as we contemplate our lives in the creative darkness. Let us bring Astraea forward in our lives at this time, bringing star light to our movements towards justice.

Blessings on the grieving

Blessings on the forgotten

Blessings on the missing

Blessings on all our hearts

Blessings for Astraea

Blessings for Themis

Let Justice be manifest in all our actions.

Let Justice rain down on all our courts

Let Justice show us the way to repair relationships

Let it be so.