Coffee

Coffea cruda syn. C. arabica
Coffee – imagine a sunny day in the distant past – perhaps a thousand years ago, perhaps much longer. A band of African warriors enters a damp highland forest, dense with the glossy undergrowth of 12- to 15 – foot-high broadleaved evergreens. Clustered at the leaf axils of these shrub like trees are rounded, deep red berries, no larger than the first joint of a man’s little finger. The men know that something in the berries helps them to perform great feats of strength and bravery, and so they pluck a large supply of the berries to chew in preparation for the battle that lies ahead.

AUTUMN EQUINOX / MABON

North-September 21

South-March 21

 

The Fall Equinox, or Mabon, is celebrated as the final harvest of the season. This holiday was pivotal in ancient times, since a good final harvest was crucial to surviving the winter months ahead. This is the time of year where we truly reap what we have sown and we prepare for the long winter that lays before us. The day and night are again equal in time and the God has traveled at last to His place of rest. Now, He has sacrificed the last of Himself to provide us with a final harvest of food before the winter begins. Celebrants gather to mark the turning of the wheel and to give thanks for the ultimate sacrifice of The God, recognizing that He will be reborn at Yule. This holiday has been called “The Witches’ Thanksgiving” and is a time for feasting together with family and friends. This is also the time to welcome the season of the Crone. Kore’ goes to the Underworld to learn the secrets of the Crone (or in some stories she is kidnapped by Hades), and the earth is bare as Her mother, Demeter, mourns Her loss. But although the winter is before us, we know that the wheel will turn again, life will be reborn, and our blessings are bountiful.