Traditionally, Thanksgiving was a part of a natural yearly gathering. A celebration of the sprouting of herbs and spices, the change of weather, and new seasons. Birthing and the decrease of day, giving way to more night. Stemming from the Protestant Reformation, the English celebrated on days set aside for military victories or for the area overcoming a drought. The Green Corn Dance is a part of the event, which happened in 1621 at the Harvest Feast, stemming from the very first Thanksgiving feast held amongst the Pilgrims of Massachusetts. In 1863, Thanksgiving became an official holiday. The land was occupied by indigenous people, native Americans who lived amongst each other in a large communal nation and as one with nature. Fruits of a varied assortment and vegetables naturally imbued with the flavors and essence of the local neighborhood. pulled directly from the stems of home-planted trees on land that was personal and sacred space to many indigenous tribes. Indigenous people are reminded of European colonization and the impact it had on their tribes. The Europeans brought with them conflict, disease, loss of land, freedom, and independence. One of the reasons that I don’t like the use of the word “tribe” is that, in my opinion, it’s a poor excuse to make up for the guilt and embarrassment we carry in consciousness of acting against our own kind in the most inhumane behavior. Our behavior and who we are as people should be questioned by each and every one of us. WHY? Is there a reason that at Thanksgiving celebrations, there are those who hate each other and gather at the dinner table under false pretenses and with ill-will intentions? Who, no sooner than they enter the door of the visited, have been talking nothing but negatives with no positive to spare. Who gather each year for drink, to be merry on another’s dime, and to somehow skate through the holidays without full accountability. The good thing is that the celebration of festivities in and of itself is doing a great service to humanity by attempting to bring together in good harmony those who say that they believe in something eternal and everlasting to talk about it. Thanksgiving dinners offer the sanctity of family and those friends and acquaintances who appear to be of like mind and compatible spirit. The holidays are also a time when everyone is sensitive, more vulnerable, and may or may not be certain of whether they want to take the same friends, habits, or daily lifestyle into the following year. So here we are at the end of the year 2025, with one more month to sustain our old selves, hoping and praying that our Avatars won’t share how we really feel in going into the new year. So how do we truly give thanks? Well, first, thank yourself for hanging in there and moving forward despite obstacles, adversities, and setbacks. Remember, no deity can work without a host. We are those hosts and can embody the presence of an omnipotent field of energy at any time and on any timeline. This energy or entity is what we call the Buddha nature. Next, thank yourself for your faith and for what your core beliefs are, the ones that get you up. Push you forward, moving you toward reaching goals successfully. The ones that we are all dedicated to, whether it is for good, bad, or otherwise. We should become one with ourselves, developing ourselves to truly be ever wonderful, so that we can wake up every day and be in gratitude with good intentions and not just on Thanksgiving.
