Turkey in America

In the USA, Thanksgiving has mutated from a religious celebration into a national festivity. Since 1941, by decree of Congress, the feast takes place on the fourth Thursday of November.

Meleagris Gallopavo

Perhaps, when the pilgrims realized that one American turkey could feed many more celebrants than any other fowl, the turkey became the emblem of Thanksgiving celebrations. Biology and mythology point out that turkeys and peacocks are kin and that they are linked with Ceres, the Goddess of harvests as well as with  Hera, the personification of family.

American Turkey	Hera's Peacock

THANK and GIVING are, at first blush, words that seem devoid of intricacies. However, like other fundamental words, the ideas in THANK and GIVE are  difficult to define. Note that alternatives to "thank you" are limited. "Appreciate" relates to price, a rather unGRACious response to gifts which inherently are given GRATis to GRATify. "Thanks" becomes clearer with GRACias, Spanish for THANK which points to GRACious GRATitude, inGRATe, GRATis and GRACe.

THANK derives from THINK. The Roman view was that "what I think is so", as if thinking can be equated with a special sort of reality. Europe recognizes Descartes for the axiom "COGITO ERGO SUM" or "I think and therefore I am" - however much earlier, Buddha pointed out that "we are what we think" while materialists later added "we are what we eat".

Fortune - Misfortune

Theologians, medicine and enthusiasts of metaphysics continue to explore the boundaries of sane and insane thinking. THOUGHTS about THINK elucidate the "realization" that the mind is not inherently RATIONAL because REASON is impacted by PSYCHE which is an independent receptacle for emotions. The mind MEDItates, cogitates, grasps, apprehends, comprehends, weighs, reflects and even ruminates while relying on PSYCHE as the interMEDIate MEDIum to frame ideas to be harmonized with reality and emotions. While doing so, PSYCHE may reMEDy discrepancies but when this fails, signs of PSYCHosis may emerge and require MEDIcations used in PSYCHiatry.

The second component in Thanksgiving is GIVE, its roots are in GIFT. In Spanish to GIVE is DAR and DARunok in Ukrainian is GIFT. From Sanskrit we get DHARma, the God who tests the virtue of men. For Buddhists, DHARMA is the ultimate reality based on four cardinal points; truth, knowledge, birth and life. In addition, we get Dharmatma and Dharmakaya for "who never sins or is a Saint" and for "pure truth".

Staying on the ball

Anesidora is the name ancients used for Gea, Ceres, Demeter, Cybele and Pandora when stressing their role as a "gift giver". Feasts, like Thanksgiving, celebrate the bounty flowing from the fertility of Gea or "mother earth". Gratitude by the FORTunate celebrating Thanksgiving is directed toward Ceres as well as the Goddess FORTuna. This Goddess may bring FORTune or misFORTUNE as she stands on the sphere of fate balancing against the winds of adversity. Mortals intuitively know that good FORTune is more likely to smile at those who have FORTitude. To "stay on the ball" and face adversity and reap CEREals from CEREs is helped by the love from those who we care for - such are the key elements for a healthy CEREbrum, PSYCHE and good fortune in general. The "pursuit of happiness" is not only a human right but also a chore.

Fortune Facing Winds of Adversity