Thanksgiving in the United States celebrates a gathering of friends and family together to share a meal and count their blessings.  A simple holiday compared to most, it arrives in the season of harvest and completion, when the days are shorter and we begin transitioning from autumn to winter.  In Feng Shui Five Element theory, we associate this time of year with contracted metal energy.  Metal rules the hours of 3pm to 7 pm, the time when people return home after completing their tasks of the day.

Some would say the simplicity of Thanksgiving is lost in the fast pace of our daily lives, and that we tend to hurry through the preparations and rituals so we can move on to the next scheduled holiday. If this describes your schedule, perhaps a day of listening would help.  For the past three years, the StoryCorps project has designated the day after Thanksgiving in the United States as a National Day of Listening, encouraging people to set aside time to interview and record a story from someone they know or admire.  Parents, grandparents, veterans, neighbors, strangers and friends have something to share that contributes a thread to the unique fabric of our lives.   We may be only a conversation away from that experience.

When the sun sets in the western sky, we are reminded that this day as we know it will not come again.  Take a moment over the holiday weekend to capture the story of someone in the autumn of their life whose story enriches yours.

Wishing you good ch'i, many blessings and a very happy Thanksgiving,

Diane Gallin