Hail Gluttony! Thank yourself for the bounties you've achieved!
Today in the U.S. many will celebrate the secular holiday called “Thanksgiving.” It originated as a harvest festival, and the pervasive imagery has been inspired by legends about Calvinist separatist Pilgrims who emigrated in 1620 from The Netherlands to the “New World.” These staunchly Christian folks supposedly included, now and again, select nearby indigenous pagans in their festivities. However, the interactions between the European immigrants and the Native Americans were often quite negative. Various virulent pathogens were unknowingly brought to North America which, in many situations, devastated the local populaces. This article about the Plymouth Colony covers many important historical details which should be better known.
Thanksgiving evolved into an occasion for gathering with family and friends—oft times with travel involved—and extravagant feasting. Being Satanists, we naturally support participation in sumptuous banquets, guided by our principle of “indulgence, not compulsion.”
The immediate days after this holiday present a purchasing frenzy, wherein merchants—both in actual stores and online—offer discounts whipping that consumerist American trait to ever more delirious levels of excess. Again, “indulgence, not compulsion” should be kept in mind when considering what actual bargains might be worth your funds. And, the support of local small merchants is always a fine habit, as this is often the season wherein their businesses might generate the income to keep such unique venues going so that they can provide you with their fascinating wares throughout the year.
Don Gillis (1912-1978) was an American composer, educator, and orchestral music producer who wrote tonal music full of humor and good tunes which celebrate American cities and culture, incorporating Jazz idioms, quite deftly. His Symphony No. 5½ subtitled “A Symphony for Fun” is brief, and its third movement is “Scherzophrenia,” with manic energy that could readily be used to capture the spirit which moves many people this holiday season.
The entire symphony is quite pithy at about 15 minutes, and worth your time, if you can spare any during this season of many forms of excessive behaviors.
We Satanists might seize this day to celebrate our prosperity, our joy in existing, and our precious liberty. We usually make this a time to thank ourselves for boldly mastering our lives to the best of our abilities, sharing our vital existence with those whom we cherish. May those of you who choose to celebrate—in whatever manner suits your tastes—enjoy a healthy, thoughtful, thankful, as well as selectively indulgent, “Gluttony Day.”
—Magus Peter H. Gilmore