In keeping with the ancestors theme I began to wonder why we are ever-ready to harvest the negative and overlook the positive when it comes to our families? If perception IS projection and as Carl Jung said “we can see nothing except ourselves” than what does that imply about our how we unconsciously feel about ourselves?
Wikipedia has this to say about harvest:
“In agriculture the harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the field. Before the 16th century it was a word that referred to the Autumn season. In fact the word comes from old English hærfest, which meant Autumn (the German word Herbst has the same origin and still means Autumn). The word is a compound word (hær + fest) and its first part has Indo-European roots in *kerp meaning to gather, pluck, harvest. So hærfest indicated originally the joyful celebration of finally being possible to gather the mature crops; it extended afterwards its meaning to the all period beginning with the harvest (autumn).“
Have we forgotten the joy of harvest, of the gathering? Have we forgotten that it is a process, not a destination? Have we forgotten how to sift out the gems from the silt? And having found those gems, have we forgotten to take them into the quiet 'in between' times to polish them and bring out their lustre. Or is it just that we have forgotten in our automated society that harvest, while joyous and gratitude-filled, is work? Harvest requires focus and effort. Once again, what you focus on grows. Imagine if we focused on our gratitude and celebration of ourselves and others? Wow! What 'sparkles' we could all share!
We are often a strange culture in North America. Our busy-ness often leaves us disconnected from our selves, our families and the planet itself. In our disconnection I think we have lost the importance of harvest. So in honour of hær + fest I'd like to consciously harvest some of the treasures from my family, both through blood and marriage. Feel free to make your own list. It's an amazing exercise.
Here are some of my 'harvest gratitudes':
- To my mother for showing me that love has many forms including fierce, messy, and highly dynamic forms of love
- To my mother for the power and exhilaration of dance. It is still a power-full part of my life.
- To my father for showing me that pragmatism and negotiation get you to your goal too
- To my father for showing me that you can't respect others unless you respect yourself first
- To both my parents for the living definition of courage; action in the face of fear, not fearlessness
- To both my parents for proving that a committed, passionate relationship is not only possible through hell or high water, but that anything else is settling.
- To my sister for showing me that stability is as important as passion. Together they are the best combination of them all.
- To my sister for showing me the power of laughter. You still make me laugh until I can't breathe
- To my family for teaching me that you don't need to understand to love. Love IS.
- To my grandmother for understanding that it is truly simple: the Goddess needs her God
- To my grandmother for showing me the treasures in simple things
- To my mother-in-law for showing me that wisdom can be passed down through the generations, and that our stories are sooooooooooooo important
- To my brother-in-law and father-in-law for showing me that fighting for and living my dreams is essential to well being
- To my daughter for showing me that we have all been here before and old souls come in small bodies. It's been a joy to know you again.
- To my husband, soul-mate and business partner: You are my rock. Thank you for proving that the five year old was right; from lifetime to lifetime that magic is real, and so are you.
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