Take a Moment to be Thankful--I Will

Here on the eve of that All American Food Fest called Thanksgiving Day, instead of exploring the world of myths, I'm pondering some "truths" for which I am deeply grateful.

Thanksgiving is not only an opportunity to indulge your love for all things starchy and gravy, thereby inducing the infamous "turkey coma," but also a day for which we should pause and ponder the good fortune of our lives.

This year, perhaps we can all be thankful that the election mayhem is well and truly over. The election commercials have ceased clogging the airwaves. PAC's are no longer stalking our  home phones. And everyone can resume normal life, as we know it.

Then there is our great good fortune to live in this country. All politics aside, we are fortunate to live in the ol' USofA. We can walk our streets in relative safety, no need to fear the whine of incoming missiles. We can go to the local store and are offered a variety of goods that would stagger some. We can worship our higher power of choice without fear of another groups attempting to obliterate us from the face of the earth. We can pursue whatever level of education or knowledge we choose without someone censoring our information or trying to kill us for reaching above our station/race/sex. The list in my heart goes on, but these stand out and I am thankful.

More personally, I am thankful for the multitude of blessings this year. I remain in good health as do all members of my family, far and wide. My son and new daughter-in-law will be blessing our family with a grand-daughter in the coming year. My writing continues to improve and my novella was accepted for publication - Collector's Item coming out in 2013. I have broadened my base of friends and have connected with a wonderful group of talented women to create this blog - Words, Women, Wisdom.

And I continue to have the loving support of a wonderful man, my husband of sixteen years.

So, take a moment tomorrow, before you dive into that Thanksgiving Bonanza and count your blessings. I guarantee it will make the meal all the sweeter.

Happy Thanksgiving and Blessed Be!

Denise Golinowski is a reader and writer of fantasy and romance. Her first enovella, The Festival of the Flowers: The Courtesan and the Scholar is available now through the Wild Rose Press. Her second enovella, Collector's Item will also be published by The Wild Rose Press in 2013. You can also visit her blog at Golinowski's Gambol.

An Opportunity For Balance--The Autumn Equinox

Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox is this weekend, Saturday, September 22^nd. An equinox is when the day and night are in balance, when the light and dark are equal. Saturday is the seasonal shift from Summer to Fall. From Saturday until the Winter Solstice on December 21^st, the days will be getting shorter and the nights longer. We will begin withdrawing from the outside world, going inward as the outside temperatures begin to drop. The vibrant, exuberance of summer will recede with the sunlight and the slower, meditative energies of winter will begin to take hold.

Myths abound about this shift, the most familiar being Persephone's return to the Underworld. You remember your mythology class, right? Hades, Lord of the Underworld, became enamored with the lovely Persephone, daughter of Demeter, Greek Goddess of the Harvest. He steals Persephone away to his realm. Demeter goes into mourning over her daughter's disappearance and the earth suffers with her. Eventually, a negotiation takes place and Hades agrees to release Persephone. However, because Persephone consumed a number of pomegranate seeds she must return to Hades for part of the year. Demeter rejoices in the return of her daughter and the earth flourishes – spring/summer. When Persephone returns to the Underworld, Demeter mourns and the earth is abandoned – fall/winter.

It sounds like a horrific and sad story, but I always wonder about the seeds. Persephone is said to understand that anyone who eats anything in the Underworld is bound to stay in the Underworld. And yet, she consumes some pomegranate seeds. Was she tricked by Hades or his minions, or did she eat them willingly because she wanted to stay? There are variations of the myth exploring both sides. I believe she made a conscious choice to eat the seeds, to shift from daughter to mate.

As with all of the equinoxes/solstices, this is a magical opportunity. As the day and night reach parity, consider how the energies of the planet begin to shift. I can feel a slight sense of breathless anticipation, can't you? Like that moment before the roller coaster starts that first drop, or the pause before the see-saw tips. The potential vibrates in the air around us.

Take a moment on Saturday to consider how your life is in or out of balance. What do you need to do to bring more balance into your life? Right now, at this moment, you can begin to balance the scales. You can take in the energetic seeds that will germinate in the cool darkness and bring balance into your life.

Settle yourself in a safe, comfortable place. Close your eyes. Relax and listen. Breathe in the cooling energy of the season. Breathe out the stress in a warm huff. In and out, slowly and smoothly. Imagine yourself standing in a peaceful, comfortable place with the summer sun on your right and the autumn moon on your left. Feel the warm and the cool energies ebb and flow around you, mingling into a single comfortable level. Absorb that energy, accepting the presence of balance into your life. Let the calming energies fill you, balancing you. Take one more deep breath and then slowly open your eyes.

Happy Mabon! Blessed Be!

Denise Golinowski is a reader and writer of fantasy and romance. Her first enovella, The Festivalof the Flowers: The Courtesan and the Scholar is available now through the Wild Rose Press. Her second enovella, Collector's Item will also be published by The Wild Rose Press in 2013. You can also visit her blog at Golinowski's Gambol.