Thanksgiving

Good Morning, and Happy Thanksgiving. I got up, did my meditation and Rune work, and then pulled the bird out of its Cranberry brine, gave it a bath, and patted it dry. I then gave it a nice rubdown inside and out with some bacon butter, so it would feel relaxed and well cared for. I then lovingly and tenderly, and with a bit of salivation, placed it in the smoker with some applewood smoke. It is now perfuming the air with its gourmet goodness. Bacon, butter, spice, and fruit, over the rich smell of meat curling slowly and seductively upward. Steaming tendrils, dancing in celebration, wafting upward in the cool fall air. Tantalizing the senses, beckoning to the feast.

     It is the foremost, and perhaps only day of the year in which we as individuals in American culture for once, give food/ nutrition/ fuel its rightful prominence or attention. On this day out of all others we may even go so far as to give thanks, and feel grateful. If we even think of the deeper connotations of Thanksgiving it is in a historical sense. The story goes that some of our ancestors, or early european immigrants to this country suffered quite a lean existance upon their arrival until they could get the lay of the land and how things worked on this continent. After much struggle to just survive and adapt to their new surroundings, they finally experienced a modicum of success and were finally able to manifest enough provisions to sit down and have a celebratory meal together, and give thanks, or be thankful to one another, their native hosts, and to the deity they gave credit for assisting them in their survival and success.

    Our ancestors, whatever race or country we hail from, have always throughout time, and in all places throughout the world, had harvest celebrations to celebrate the passing of another year, and survival, and to be mindful of all the effort, intention, and creation that happens all around them and in them, and the abundance of life of which they were a part as habitants of a wonderful multiverse.

     All the days of the solar cycle, all effort, intention, sacrifice, faith, and ritual that our right action entails has born fruit. Grattitude to our Gods, our Ancestors, and ourselves is due. We have survived another year and have gathered abundance, unto ourselves. Respect, and awe, for our holy powers that enable us to be, and create, and grow things in conjunction with fate. This should fill our hearts and minds and instruct our grattiude, and joy at such times. For against all odds we are here.

    The Masculine act of hardening, penetrating the fertile earth, depositing a payload of nutrition and seed stuff and protecting its investment, and the Feminine act of the earth yielding to penetration receiving, and accepting the nutrition and seed stuff. Enveloping and protecting and gestating until the right moment arrives and the magic of life happens anew in accordance with the overarching will to create and manifest. A new physical form takes its place in the circle of existance, and nourishes and supports all other life forms in their similar trajectories toward a bountiful harvest. For this we give thanks.

    Our ancestors witnessed this process, realized they were a part of it, and correctly assessed that this was the very working of life and creation, and existance and that they were an intimate part of it all. They had to be, to exist and survive, as do we. They thought about it, dreamt about it, envisioned it, reenacted it, and celebrated it for it was life and existance itself, and they could not hope to thrive or even exist without being a part of this miraculous process.

    Today, most of us are divorced from this intimate interaction with nature and the Holy Powers, but we are no less dependant on them for our survival. Life as we know it would not exist at all if not for the process or way of creation, for it is applicable to all life forms in our multiverse. This process has become commercialized and industrialized, and its fruits necessary to our survival have become available in mass quantity for purchase. We now pay others to have our intimate interaction with nature and the Holy Powers for us. This doe not however lessen its power, nor should it lessen our respect, gratitude, and awe one bit, for our dependance on this process for our very survival remains unchanged.

    This life energy in the form of food that fuels and nourishes our efforts toward thriving existance, working our will, and co creating with the holy powers is all a part of as are we the cyclical process of life and creation in the multiverse. We realize, honor, and experience this process through the act of mindful, grateful, ritualized preparation, and consumption of food. This is a sacrifice to ourselves that we may become enriched, and more powerful, and more filled with life. This for me, is what Thanksgiving is about. Mindful participation in all that life is and can become, and the holy powerful processes and forces that we make use of to assist us in our own small, co-creative existances.

“ I salute you Holy Powers of my people. Not as a slave or as a servant, but as a free born member of the folk and as your younger kin. I also do not come to you on my knees, but standing proud and tall. Speak to my soul that I may grow in wisdom. Be my inspiration as I strive to grow wiser, stronger, and larger of spirit. May my feet walk the way of my noble ancestors as I continue my journey”.

The above prayer was composed by Stephen McNallen and came to mind while I was finishing this post.