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the Frater's Mark
Rest assured, fellow net mavens, that I do not make a habit of mutilating Shakespeare (the original, unmangled quote, by the way, is from Hamlet, Act I, Scene III, advice from Polonius to Laertes; my version is a bit, shall we say, Paganized - hey, the syllable count is right, even if the meter is skewed), or any other bard for that matter, but this is a special occasion (hmmmm, another thing not to say out loud at public rituals: "I mutilate bards on special occasions!"). And not all special occasions are blissful. It seems, according to the glass teat that sits in my living room and bays mournfully for me to watch it, that the holidays - you know the set - are upon us once more. As Pagans, we know in no uncertain terms that this season is one that bears cold, snow, barren fields and a test of survival until the promise of Imbolc and Ostara as much as it bears candlelit trees and reindeer. And the cycle repeats in modern times. It's the Season of Need (need is unquestionably year-round, but we are bombarded with the reality of it, both directly and inversely, by the media in the winter months) as much as it's the season of Yule. It is the time that reminds us to care for our brothers and sisters (and that means everyone, folks, far and wide, large and small, Pagan and Cowan) who do not share in our good fortune. And we Pagans are a magnanimous lot. Case in point, about ten days ago, food banks in our area started to run dry. The Pagan group to which I belong dug deep, scrimped, pinched, searched under sofa cushions, etc., and came up with, in the course of one week, over 150 pounds of food to donate. Not too shabby. And while food and shelter are the two needs that certainly take precedence in terms of charitable donations, there are other causes charitable to keep in mind.
On the website Pagans Donate! are listed more than fifty charities to which Pagans have donated. Ironically, of those fifty, guess how many are Pagan oriented? None. That's right, not one. Let's not forget the Pagan charities, webfans! After you donate to the homeless shelters and send off your usual check to a favorite secular cause (and please don't misinterpret me here; in my opinion, that's the order in which the donating should proceed - necessity first, secondary affairs... well... second), keep in mind those Pagan organizations that could use you assistance as well. Many of these groups exist thanks only to the selfless efforts of their directors, workers and volunteers and the conscious generosity of the public at large. Much of their work is vital to the greater Pagan community, from simply educating people as to what Paganism is and what it isn't, to providing networking mediums for the sake of Pagan interaction, correspondence and solidarity to serving often overlooked segments of the Pagan population. So after the cranberry sauce has settled and before the turkey exerts its insidious control over your sleep centers, take a look at the list of Pagan charities below and see if one doesn't catch your Yuletide-tinted eye.
Alternative Religions Educational Network (AREN)
Witches Against Religious Discrimination (W.A.R.D.)
International Pagan Pride Project
Spiral Scouts (an offshoot of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church)
The Witches' League for Public Awareness (WLPA)
Or, if you want to start a Pagan charity of your own, consult the Pagan Charity Network's list of Charity Resources
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