Harvest Equinox

Today we celebrate the Autumnal Equinox. Day and night are equal in length. It's a day to focus on balance and thanksgiving. In fact, I propose that we celebrate a sort of thanksgiving today instead of in November, when the rest of the country is celebrating a holiday that, essentially, celebrates one culture mowing down another.

My husband and I call Thanksgiving, thanksTaking, because that's exactly what the white settlers did. They took and took and took from the Native Americans until there was practically nothing left. We have not celebrated the traditional American Thanksgiving for a few years now. I know that there are Native ceremonies held on Thanksgiving to commemorate the peoples who were here first, and their contribution to the well-being of the settlers who took their land, in contrast to the tradtional American Thanksgiving feast.

Pagans celebrate today as a harvest festival called Mabon. All I know is that Mabon is a Welsh deity, not exactly sure what he represents, but I like the idea of celebrating the harvest today. I don't have much in the way of a feast prepared, but the foods I do have are the three sisters: corn, beans and squash. And sweet potatoes. It wasn't intentional, just a nice coincidence.

My husband and I are getting a late start today. This is his one day off. I don't have any plans, just waiting for him to wake up and see what this equinox day brings. Today's tea is assam. I figured a good, bold black tea is just right for today. Happy harvest!