Forage Porridge

On 8th September 2019, we gathered at Ashlett Creek to mark the turning of the season by gathering berries together and turning them into Forage Porridge, in gratitude for the gifts the summer had brought us.

Picking Blackberries by Lynn Ungar

What will you give for a taste
of summer's last sweetness?
This jewelled crown of thorns
rings every path and highway;

No use pretending you
have not heard sweet temptation
chatter through the vines -
taste, eat

Put your hands in the thorns
and come out dripping juice,
king's purple spread from
hand to tongue.

Reach gently,
or you will find your thumb
full of thorns, and your pail
filled with unbearable tartness.

Reach gently, but reach.
The sweetest berries hide
toward the inside, hidden
beneath leaves barbed like critics.

Balance, if you must, precariously,
held by will and longing from
the net of thorns. If you want
the ripest fruit, relinquish safety.

Guard yourself only with these words:
Peril, abundance
whispered like a prayer
through purple lips.

After we had gathered our berries, and made our porridge, we reflected on this being our communion -

in gratitude for the gifts of summer, we share this simple meal together, and are nourished in both body and soul. Together we honour the gifts of the earth for our physical nourishment, and the gifts of each other to nourish our souls. The sacred art of feasting invites us to savour God with all of our senses. We often hear the injunction to look and listen for God, but in a meal we get to taste smell and touch the sacred as well. 

We finished with an embodied ritual for honouring the changing of the seasons, based on Christine Valters Paintner's idea in 'Water, wind, earth and fire - the Christian practice of praying with the elements" -

Begin by facing east, the place of the rising sun, of morning, of new beginnings, and the season of springtime

Turn towards the south, the place of the midday sun, the warmth and fullness of the day, and the season of summer

Turn towards the west, the place of the setting sun, of endings and transitions, and of the season of autumn

Turn towards the north, the place of the midnight moon, a time for reflection and turning inward and the season of winter

Reach your arms heavenward and honour the angels saints and ancestors, those who have travelled the path before us. Ask their blessing on the time ahead

Hold your arms out to your sides and honour the community across this earth of which you are a part. Remember your family and friends, pray for global issues and concerns, feel your connection to the whole of creation

Place your hands over your heart and get in touch with the still centre within you. Ask for a blessing on your own dreams, longings and desires. Open yourself to the discovery of how the Spirit is moving in your life this day.