Aloha Daughters of the Goddess!
We are in the time of late harvest. The days are shorter, and the blessed rains are back in Northern California. After the last rain, everything felt and smelled so fresh and renewed. This is a time to come together and celebrate and give gratitude for all the abundance we have.
Celebrate Corn Mother and Green Corn Ceremony
Monday, November 20th, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
Waxing Moon in Sagittarius and Sun in Scorpio
Concord locale/Directions given upon RSVP
$30 or $15 for first time attendee
See participation for series packages
Corn Mother is the Goddess of fertility, the Earth and farming. Corn is a Sacred Plant and food to many of the First Nations peoples of the Americas. Corn was first grown in Mexico about 5,000 years ago and has become the most important food crop in Central and North America. Corn is Sacred food for the Seminole people of Florida. Every year the Green Corn Dance is held. It is a ceremony that celebrates the corn and gives thanks to the Corn Mother Goddess.
Most of the Indigenous Tribes of Florida became extinct because of European contact and the disease carried by the Spanish. The few Indigenous people who were left were shipped to Cuba by the Spanish. In 1813, because of the brutal US Government war with Maskókî tribes in Alabama; thousands of Indigenous warriors and families fled to Florida. The Seminole Tribe is a mixture of many different tribes from the southeastern part of the United States. Creek, Hitchiti, Apalachee, Mikisúkî, Yamassee, Yuchi, Tequesta, Apalachicola, Choctaw, and Oconee were joined by escaped slaves and others to live in thick forests and swamps of the interior Florida. The Spaniards called the indigenous Florida people Cimarrones, or free people, because they would not allow themselves to be dominated by the Europeans. The word was taken into the Maskókî language and, by the mid 1800’s, US citizens referred to all Indigenous Florida people as Seminoles.
Seminoles have created a rich culture and tradition unique to living in Florida’s tropical climate. Their housing, clothing, beadwork, and world-renowned patchwork quilts are exclusive to Florida Seminoles. Today the Seminole Tribe has become one of the largest advocates, protectors and preservers of the fragile ecosystems of Florida ~ especially the Everglades. The Tribe’s identity is so closely linked to the land that Tribal members believe that if the land dies, so will the Tribe. The Everglades have been experiencing a distressing decline and the Seminole Tribe has started a multi-million-dollar Restoration Initiative to clean up and protect the Everglades. Many Tribal members have organized protests and marches to stop oil fracking and building in the Everglades.
Corn Mother is the Goddess who gives of Herself, so Her people can live. She is able to take what no longer serves us and turn it into something positive, just as the land takes waste and makes it into beauty. At this time of celebration what do you want to compost and give back to Corn Mother for Her to transform in the Spring. During this time of late Harvest, it is important to be aware of how and where our food is produced. Please bring locally sourced or Fair-Trade Food to share.
For the altar bring a candle of any color, bring Pictures and Symbols of Corn Mother. Please bring crops of the harvest. During the Green Corn Dance, it is a time to bless Sacred Objects so please bring to the Altar anything you would like blessed.
If you are interested in attending this ritual please see our participation page for more information.
