Greetings from Justicea!
New Year’s Day is on the doorstep, and before we step into the New Year, I’d like to send out a warm “Thank You!” to all of you who have read, liked, or sent me comments on my posts in 2022! Life intervened this year, and I didn’t post as often as I would have liked to. I hope to rectify this lapse and get back on track in 2023. — However, I will stop short of making it a New Year’s Resolution!
Revisiting Justicean Values: Logic, Honor, & Action
I am truly touched that so many of you have been inspired by the ideas that I’ve posted on GFJ over the last two years as I have endeavored to formulate, articulate, and share the customs and the laws that define my imaginary island nation of Justicea. It is a country whose people truly believe that affirming Objective Reality is the surest route to Justice. This belief leads them to ground their minds in logic, accepting the empirical evidence uncovered through Sound Science exploration; their hearts in honor, respecting the inherent dignity and value of all people; and their guts in action, moving promptly and willingly to change any law or custom found to be out of alignment with Justice.
Justiceans value Fact over Fiction, Data over Dogma, and Reality over Religion. These Justiceans Values are, of course, my own values. — And if you are a regular reader of GFJ, I trust that they are your values, as well!
And speaking of the inherent dignity and value of all people, this is a perfect time to revisit two Justicean New Year Customs that honor all people!
Revisiting Justicean New Year’s Toasting Song
In my very first GFJ post, published in January 2021, I spoke about the Justicean New Year’s Toasting Song, “Cheers to Us All!” Here again are the lyrics:
| CHEERS TO US ALL! (A New Year’s Toasting Song Sung to the Tune of “Joy to the World”) Cheers to us all, the New Year’s come! Well wishes pass around! May New Friends be found! And your Health be sound! And May Wisdom abound! And May Wisdom abound! May Friendship, Good Health, and Wisdom abound! May Friendship, Good Health, and Wisdom abound! © Justin DeForest 2018 |
In that post, I mentioned that the Justiceans sing this song at midnight immediately after a heartfelt rendition of “Auld Lang Syne,” and that each of the three well wishes appearing in this verse correspond to that gift Justicean tradition accords each of the three gexes — wenns, men, and rens1 – of bringing to Society:
- Wenns bring Diplomacy, leading to Bounty;
- Men bring Protection, leading to Wellness, and
- Rens bring Wisdom, leading to Flexibility.
Revisiting Justicean First Footing Custom
In my 2022 New Year’s Post (posted in December 2021), I wrote about how the Justiceans took the essentially misogynistic European New Year’s Custom of First Footing and revised it according to the Gifts of the Three Gexes listed above to come up with a new custom that values all! According to the Justicean First Footing Custom, any person who enters a home first in the New Year brings good luck to all its inhabitants.
As a matter of fact, if there is a particular skill that you wish to develop in yourself in the New Year, you might arrange it so that a person associated with that gift passes through your threshold first. This is easily accomplished if you are having a New Year’s party at your home.
Choose one of your guest associated with the desired skill and tell them what you want them to do. A minute or so before Midnight, have that guest (not a family member or other person who lives with you) go outside. At Midnight, when this person hears everyone inside whooping “Happy New Year,” the outside guest rings the bell, and you let them in. Announce to all which gift you hope that guest as brought you. Then all sing “Auld Lang Syne” and “Cheers to Us All!” together.
If you aren’t having a party at your place, invite to your home on January 1st a person whom Justicean Tradition says will bring the gift you want with them.
All you need to do ahead of time is determine which of the following gifts you want:
- If you want to develop your communication skills and tact or if you wish to acquire new friends or business associates in the New Year, ask a wenn (the Diplomat) to be the first guest to pass through your threshold.
- If you want to adopt healthier habits, such as implementing a regular exercise routine or Mindfulness practice, or if you wish to guard against physical or mental illness or injury in the New Year, ask a man (the Protector) to enter your home first.
- If you want to become more open-minded, insightful, or empathic to the perspectives or lived experience of other people in the New year, ask a person who openly identifies as a ren (the Sage) to be the first one through your door.
Adopt a Justicean New Year’s Custom in 2023!
I have included the links to both my January 2021 and December 2021 blog posts below so you can read more of the background information that inspired the Justicean New Year’s Toasting Song and First Footing Custom.
I hope you decide to sing “Cheers to Us All!” or Practice Justicean First Footing at your party or home this New Year’s. If you do, please leave a comment and let me know.
Justicean Customs Are for All Justice Lovers!
Justicean Customs need not exist only on the fictional island of Justicea. If they resonant with you, I hope that you will take them off your computer, tablet, or cell phone screen and implement them in your own life with your family and friends, no matter where you find yourself in this world!
- Link to January 2021 Post with more about Justicean Toasting Song https://greetingsfromjusticea.wordpress.com/2021/01/19/a-new-years-toasting-song-associated-customs/
- Link to December 2021 Post with more about Justicean First Footing Custom https://greetingsfromjusticea.wordpress.com/2021/12/31/justicean-first-footing-new-year-custom-good-luck-is-brought-by-all/
I wish you a safe, happy, and Happy New Year, and all the best in 2023!
Peace & Siblinghood,
Justin DeForest,
GJF Blogger
- Ren – Someone who experiences their gender as being somehow different from, beyond, or between that of wenn and man. A ren may self-identify as genderfluid, gender-gifted, neutrois, synthois, non-binary, or queer.
Greetings from Justicea 