11/23/2025
Greetings Dear Ones,
Hope all are enjoying the excitement and preparations for this most beautiful time of Giving Thanks!
As we move into these days where the abundance of the earth and its diversity is experienced through the cooking and eating of meals, we have the opportunity to remember the exquisite interrelatedness and interdependence of the many factors that must come together to generate the meats, produce, grain and fruits we have at our fingertips! It comes so easy to us that we are not often mindful of the arduous processes from seed to growth and ultimately to the convenient grocery store or market nearby.
The earth and countless aspects of Nature, insects, animals, minerals, micronutrients, Elements Air, Soil/Earth, Fire (the sun), and of course Water are involved in a constant interplay and delicate balance that must be recognized and maintained in order for that abundance to continue.
A client related to me this week that she had been visiting one of the larger Cranberry producers in New Jersey and the owner shared how the movement of one type of bush nearby the bogs, caused all the bees to change their usual pattern and were then not pollinating so the cranberries could yield their normal harvest. This is one of countless ways that the effects on one species of insect affects the outcome of a staple for the Thanksgiving meal and innumerable other products made with cranberries!
Amerindian and Indigenous people around the world know, feel and live the way of connection, communication, cooperation, collaboration and communing with ‘All our relations’ referring to the earth, animals, trees, clouds, lightning, insects, all the beings that make up this magnificent and plentiful planet. Dismissing or devaluing any one factor by over use, abuse or destruction in countless ‘man caused’ ways has brought us to what multiple disciplines of science are calling the 6th mass extinction.
It is only in the practice of interrelatedness and interdependence can we survive.
We take for granted particularly at this holiday that the abundance and plenty of the land will continue to yield at the level evidenced by the overflowing tables and the amount of food wasted and thrown out without regard to the sources and the offering of their lives be it animal, vegetable, fruit or plant. For every thing that makes up this reality is Energy and has Life Force coursing through it! The more we recognize, acknowledge, respect, value and give gratitude to ALL around us, the greater the potential for its continuance.
The turkey which plays such a role this holiday has long been associated with the connection to the Earth and its blessings. “This spirit animal reminds us of the importance of our relationship with the land and nature as a reciprocal source of nourishment and sustenance. In order to receive the land’s blessings, we also need to honor the land.” Spirit Animals
Since ancient time the Papuans are familiar with sweet potato as a source of life. The all-round value of the sweet potato is then conceptualized as "the sweet life-giving". Additionally it was recognized as a symbol of peace. “By raising sweet potatoes in the midst of war another tribe will know that it signifies peace to the warring tribes.” Kiloner wenda
The Lenni-lenape Indians of New Jersey called the cranberry "Pakim" meaning 'bitter berry.' They used this wild red berry as a part of their food and as a symbol of peace and friendship. The Chippawas called the cranberry "a'ni-bimin," the Alogonquin called it "atoqua," and the Naragansetts called it "sasemineash." Native Americans would eat it raw, mixed in with maple sugar, or with deer meat (as a dried "Pemmican"). The Legend of the Cranberry: A Paleo-Indian Tale by Ellin Greene relates how the cranberry was given to man involving the Mastadon. Surely a great story for youngsters and adults alike.
While the vine of the pumpkin ties directly into friendship and connection. The pumpkin receives all its nutrients from the ground through the vine, and is a connection to the world from which it grows. In certain groups it represents Fertility, Abundance, Wealth, Prosperity, Good Luck, and Healing.
These being but a few of the ways in which cultures from around the world recognized each and everything used and consumed thereby honoring and acknowledging the significance of each and every item throughout the day.
What would our lives be like if we were to move throughout our day with thanks upon our lips and heart for each and every item we touched and received benefit from or observed? How interconnected would we feel to not only the objects, foodstuffs and materials, but to all the many hands, minds, machines, imaginations, transport, manufacture, etc. that allow us the luxury of life we experience here in the USA. Thus generating and fostering the interrelatedness and interdependence of our global existence.
A wonderful guide to beginning such a practice is “The Magic” by Rhonda Byrne. Which helps to bring awareness to the many things we unconsciously encounter in our day. Another is the “Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude” by Sarah Breathnach which assists you to bring your own recognition of that which you feel grateful for every day.
In reality as Meister Eckhart said “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough”. For in giving that thanks you are recognizing, acknowledging, valuing, respecting and appreciating the life within that aspect of the Earth. Creating abundance not merely for you, but supporting the natural abundance available should we decide as a species to protect and preserve the environment in a sustainable way
I invite you to use the opportunity of this thanksgiving Holiday to truly feel the items and foodstuffs around you. Hear and see the turkey in its habitat, which many of us here in S. New Jersey have had the pleasure of encountering within our neighborhoods. Google its call and allow yourself to experience the clean open spaces and woods that are native to the wild turkey. Contemplate how our current practices of raising them is affecting the species and our own bodies, energy fields and spirits as the lack of recognition and respect for them as beings is what we take into our individual systems and that of our species.
As you ingest the sweet potatoes feel the peace that they have given and the health they give not only through the ingestion as food, but as the basis for hormone balancing creams and salves. Go visit a cranberry bog and see the flowers that they were named for in English as it resembles a ‘crane’.
Let yourself imagine and drop into the land where the vegetables grow and commune with the many ‘creepy crawlies’ that are vital to their growth. Find a fruit bearing tree and spend time experiencing its beauty and ‘givingness’.
Notice and let yourself be filled with joy at seeing the many pumpkins on display (and of course in pies) realizing that they “represent the world we live in now, and are literally filled with blessings waiting to be granted. Each seed represents an opportunity available to you in this life, and with an average pumpkin having about 500 seeds you can literally count your blessings!” (Maddie Stutz)
The beautiful Cornucopia as centerpiece to this holiday symbolizing abundance as well as nourishment in ancient Mediterranean cultures represents the Milky Way in Native American traditions, acknowledged as the means by which all things come to this plane.
Do not doubt that your efforts and moreover your feelings about or for something can affect the whole. And when tied with an action to honor and value the ‘beingness’ or spirit of everything and everyone, the world transforms. Maybe that action is offering to take items to be recycled if your host or hostess does not. Perhaps it is in encouraging neighbors to allow the wild turkeys and other critters to move about cooperating and collaborating with nature rather than controlling it or changing it to fit someone’s standard of what is acceptable.
Donating to the many groups and foundations that work tirelessly to protect our environment, animals, insects, open spaces etc.. Or becoming more aware of the laws and regulations that decide how our food and items are produced and developed, making your voice be heard through voting and choosing from whom you purchase and/or boycotting those manufacturers and businesses that tend to harm or abuse or disrupt the natural circle of life.
You are the creator of your reality and as you transform you and your life, you are evolving this species and the interrelated, interdependent way the earth and all that is upon it interfaces with your body, your psyche, your family, your lineage, your culture, your nation, your species.
So please give deep gratitude, recognition and acknowledgment to yourself and all you do, think and feel for you matter and you play a significant role in this evolutionary leap!
And please know how truly grateful I am for you in my life!
THE HOLIDAY RAFFLE BOX IS HERE!
Holiday Gift Box includes:
Gift Certificate -$177 Plus Four Young Living Essential Oils and Goodies
Total value ~$277
Donate $15 for one chance $40 for three chances to win!
Donations can be dedicated to Camden Rescue Mission who aids those most in need in Camden or South jersey food bank
or Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge helping the critters in nearby towns
Funds for chances can be sent by Venmo -Regal or Paypal Friends and Family Andrea@HealersUniverse.com
Then just advise me through text or email or FB DM where you want to dedicate the amount and I'll see they get it before the Holidays
Drawing on the Winter Solstice Dec 21
Be well and happy always and in ALL ways,
