Pumpkin Spice Pop Conscious
What is it about Pumpkin Spice that makes us feel like it’s time to celebrate a change of seasons? If that doesn’t do it for you, what does? Seasonal shifts have been marked in different ways throughout history. Join Malayna and Stacy as they look at the things that make them feel a fondness for the Fall, and compare modern homages to traditions from the past. We’ll find them in stories from and about days gone by, (like Outlander) and ones that have been retooled for today (like Sleepy Hollow). Get your favorite flavor of latte and join us for some Fall fun!
Fall begins a time of looking back, pulling in to nourish our roots, and our core. It deepens in winter with hibernation, comfort. Then the New Year starts us looking forward again, toward Spring’s newness.
What is Pumpkin Spice anyway?
Pumpkin pie spice is an American spice mix commonly used as an ingredient in pumpkin pie, similar to the British and Commonwealth mixed spice. It is generally a blend of powdered cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and sometimes allspice. It can also be used as a seasoning in general cooking.
Allspice-à Columbus Day!
Allspice (P. dioica) was encountered by Christopher Columbus on the island of Jamaica during his second voyage to the New World, and named by Dr. Diego Álvarez Chanca. It was introduced into European and Mediterranean cuisines in the 16th century. It continued to be grown primarily in Jamaica, though a few other Central American countries produced allspice in comparatively small quantities.
Allspice, also called Jamaica pepper, pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta,[2] turkish Yenibahar, English pepper[3] or newspice, is the dried unripe fruit (berries, used as a spice) of Pimenta dioica, a midcanopy tree native to the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America, now cultivated in many warm parts of the world.[4] The name ‘allspice’ was coined as early as 1621 by the English, who thought it combined the flavour of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.[5]
Ayurvedic medicine comprises the idea that there is a balance within the human body that is both physical and spiritual. This balance can and should be maintained by various means. One of these means is the proper spicing of foods.
- A spice can be warming or cooling, which means they affect the balance of the digestive system.
- Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, are warming.
DAILY WORD rather skillfully acknowledges the loss when a shift happens, as well as the good, for Columus Day.
I believe today we are learning to honor the ancient wisdom of our indigenous countrymen, as well as the tenacity with which they’ve held on to their knowledge and culture.
As we shift from a mentality of conquest and competition to one of cooperation and Unity, we learn to honor different perspectives and experiences, and learn from them.
Parliament of World Religions has Indigenous people’s programs. Rev. Molly will be representing Unity!
http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/ – reclaiming the heart of our humanity – working together for a world of compassion, peace, justice and sustainability – 10,000 People. 80 Nations. 50 Faiths
Urban Dictionary.com
pumpkin spice latte
A drink from starbucks that many white girls drink during the fall while dressed in boots (typically uggs), yoga pants (or leggings of some sort), and a jacket.
Excerpts from:
http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/man-loves-pumpkin-spice/1233778/
In Defense Of Pumpkin Spice: Why I’m Proud To Be A Basic Dude
Lester Lee in Culture Oct 5, 2015 • 6:06pm
It’s a part of the American tradition; pumpkin spice is a delicious gift from the gods.
Autumn happens once a year, and I’ll worry about the extra calories in the winter. Well, actually, winter hibernation is all about collecting calories to get through the cold. So, if anything, you’re just getting a head start.
If pumpkins aren’t your thing, cool. You have 10 months this year to live your empty, meaningless, pumpkin-free lives. But from October 1 to Thanksgiving, leave me alone…
Respect new American traditions, and enjoy pumpkin spice.
Woman who asked question about pumpkin spice latte during Hillary’s Facebook Q&A swears she’s not a plant By Nikki Schwab, U.s. Political Reporter For Dailymail.com 29 September 2015 — Hillary Clinton said she stopped drinking pumpkin spice lattes because of the calories …The ‘fun’ question was asked by Claire Celsi, an Iowan with ties to the Clinton campaign
TVs NEW FALL SEASON!
Bones, Castle, Sleepy Hollow, Grey’s Anatomy, Quantico (Priyanka Chopra!)
iZombie, Supernatural, American Horror Story, Vampire Diaries/Originals, Haven (Syfy) An FBI agent encounters residents with supernatural abilities in a small Maine town in this dramatic series inspired by Stephen King’s ‘The Colorado Kid.’
Walking Dead, Talking Dead
DaVinci’s Demons, Grimm, Ash vs. Evil Dead
OUTLANDER
Samhain (pronounced /ˈsɑːwɪn/ SAH-win or /ˈsaʊ.ɪn/ SOW-in Irish pronunciation: [sˠaunʲ]) is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the “darker half” of the year.
The Folklore of Outlander:
Silver Petticoat Review
Additionally, “according to Irish mythology, Samhain…was a time when the doorways to the Otherworld opened, allowing the spirits and the dead to come into our world” (“Samhain,” Wikipedia). In fact, Halloween (or All Hallows Eve) descends from this ancient pagan festival. According to the Celts, “On that day all manner of beings were abroad: ghosts, fairies, and demons–all part of the dark and dread” (Santino, “The Fantasy and Folklore of All Hallows”).
Significantly, when Claire travels back in time, it is soon after an old Sowen (Samhain) ritual is performed by a group of druids at the standing stone circle. Ancient legends and mysteries surround both the stones and the Eve of Samhein (when considering the Celtic tales), such as the Eve opening the worlds between the fairy realm (and other realms) into the human world.
Spiritual Humanism.org
Fall Equinox
In the Northern Hemisphere the Autumnal Equinox, occurs around September 23rd or 24th. It is also known as Michaelmas, Mabon, and Harvest Home.
Traditionally, the Japanese marked the spring and fall Equinox with higan, a seven day period in which they remember their ancestors by visiting the family grave, cleaning the tombstone, offering flowers and food, burning incense sticks, and praying.
The Polish Feast of Greenery involves bringing bouquets and foods for blessing by a priest, then using them for medicine or keeping them until the following years harvest. The Roman celebration of the Fall Equinox was dedicated to Pomona, goddess of fruits and growing things.
A feast was celebrated with a traditional well fattened goose which had fed well on the stubble of the fields after the harvest. Another tradition of of the Autumnal Equinox is the use of ginger. All manner of foods seasoned with ginger are part of the day’s menu from gingerbread to ginger beer.
In England, the last sheaf of corn harvested represented the `spirit of the field’ and was made into a doll. Corn dolls were drenched with water representing rain or burned to represent the death of the grain spirit. Large wickerwork figures were also constructed to represent a vegetation spirit and burnt in mock sacrifice. Farmers and merchants gathered at fairs. Often a large glove was suspended above the fair, symbolizing the handshake of promises and openhandedness and generosity.
The tradition of celebrating the end of summer with a ‘burning man’ has been enthusiastically revived in the US as a festival of performance art and creativity. Participating in your own burning man celebration is a powerful way to connect with humanity, past and present.
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” was first published in 1820. by American author Washington Irving, while Irving was living abroad in Birmingham, England,
The story is set in 1790 in the countryside around the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town (historical Tarrytown, New York), in a secluded glen called Sleepy Hollow. Sleepy Hollow is renowned for its ghosts and the haunting atmosphere that pervades the imaginations of its inhabitants and visitors. Some residents say this town was bewitched during the early days of the Dutch settlement. Other residents say an old Native American chief, the wizard of his tribe, held his powwows here before the country was discovered by Master Hendrick Hudson. The most infamous spectre in the Hollow is the Headless Horseman, said to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper who had his head shot off by a stray cannonball during “some nameless battle” of the American Revolutionary War, and who “rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head”.
Edgar Allen Poe
PoeMuseum.org – Called “America’s Shakespeare,” Edgar Allan Poe created or mastered the short story, detective fiction, science fiction, lyric poetry and the horror story. His dark genius has invited children and adults to read and love literature for over 150 years.
The name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Raven,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.”
He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, but he made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.
From Wise Bread.com – Living Large on a Small Budget -31 Frugal Ways to Celebrate Fall
* Jump in the leaves* Go apple picking* Celebrate Oktoberfest* Admire the fall colors*Go to a fall festival*Go for a bike ride* Go to the farmers market* Pickle and preserve* Have a bonfire* Go camping*Visit a winery *Stock the root cellar* Take a family picture*
Pop Conscious 