Tis the Season

There is just so much to learn about the significance of the seasons, according to our Creator's calendar.  Granted, even those of us who are claiming to follow it, can't seem to agree on some specifics, but the general laws of nature are consistent.  As is the tradition, the debates rage across social media.  I keep the concealed moon calendar which I believe aligns with 119 Ministries.  That's not the point of this particular post today, however.  This week I've noticed how much I organize the place around the High Holy Days and have given some serious contemplation to the days when the people of YHWH actually gathered in Jerusalem around the Temple.

This year I observed Shemitah, so there was not garden, but in the other six years the harvest is complete in time for Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles.)  The winter supply is preserved and stored and the last of the fresh fruits and veggies make for minimal labor meals through the week of Sukkot.  Also to consider the gathering, there is a great opportunity to work together and share both in the labor and the accomplished results.  We are getting just a taste of what life will be like in the Kingdom.  Since my house is divided, I'm not planning to host a formal Sukkot gathering, but spiritual family is always welcome.  I have been blessed to host a few Sukkot gatherings and of course, I have developed some "traditional" dishes for the occasion.  I know I've mentioned before, this is not doctrine; but my definition of the difference between a regular meal and a feast is extra side dishes and dessert.  Moussaka has been a personal favorite entree for Sukkot for many years now, as it includes most of the last of the veggie harvest and pumpkin spice cake is the dessert.

Another factor I've considered in this timing, is the breeding season of the flocks and herds.  In the spring the milk and eggs are in abundance and the milk is delicious, so there are many milk and egg based dishes through the spring Holy Days.  By fall, the hens have slacked off and the buck scent is heavy, very heavy.  For those of us living off the land, the dishes for the autumn Holy Days are best designed to avoid milk and use minimal eggs.  I think of the ancient Israelites and the many Scriptural references to them as shepherds.  I can only imagine the throngs of people, as well as the seemingly countless animals that would surround Jerusalem in the autumn.  Knowing the way this place smells right now and will for about a month, I'm sure the musky scent of bucks and rams surrounded the city for miles.

I'm looking forward to Sukkot and awakening eye to eye with the herd.  This is only a theory, but having several herds come together through breeding season may have also kept the bloodlines from becoming too inbred while the flocks and herds increased.  Of course, obedience is the primary reason for observing these feasts, and convenience is not the issue; but it is awesome to note the natural timing of these set apart days.  I don't have a full understanding of the details of Messiah's millennial reign, but I do know the Holy Days are part of the plan.

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, YHWH of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.  Zechariah 14:16

Easy Times and Holy Days

The easiest month in homesteading, I believe, is October.  The full swing of the garden has passed, so canning and preserving is quite minimal.  All the young critters are off the bottle, and I dry up most of the dairy goats for the breeding season.  The weather is still warm, so there's no ice to chop and the big hay bales are in place, yet the pasture is still green.  Basically, it's just a matter of opening and closing the door on the chicken houses, gathering a few eggs, as they decline through the autumn season; filling water tubs, and feeding the dogs and cat.  There are still daily responsibilities, but those responsibilities are quick and easy.

The month of October on the Gregorian calendar closely aligns with the seventh month of the Biblical calendar.  It's not an exact overlap, but close enough that it's easy to see, there are far fewer agricultural responsibilities through the month of YHWH's set apart days.  Hardly a coincidence!  Considering the seasonal changes of living an agrarian lifestyle, it would be very difficult to become bored or stuck in a rut.  Life is not stationary, but is constantly changing.

With the easy month now behind me, there have been a few days of ice chopping, and feeding grain to the herd has now begun.  Although the calves will not be grained, the goats do receive non-GMO grains through the cold months and their time of gestation.  The egg production certainly slacks through the months of shorter daylight hours and the lack of garden scraps.  In the next few weeks I will be trying my hand at canning chicken and that will officially end the canning season.  This year will seem odd.  November and December work on the homestead consists of tending to ice and firewood, but January always gave a hint of new life in that I'd start the bedding plants in the greenhouse.  This year the land will rest, so January will be just like December . . . There will be no planting in mid February, but YHWH willing, the kids should be arriving.

By March, the eggs are abundant, milking is in full swing and the new bottle calves arrive.  A friend is planning to visit later this month, and I thought of his last visit which was in April.  April is also a month of minimal agriculture.  Although there is plenty of milk and the eggs are in abundance, but the garden isn't yet producing much.  April breakfasts on the homestead are amazing!  Dinners . . .not so much.  This also aligns with a set apart time.  Passover and the Week of Unleavened Bread are in the first month of the Biblical calendar which usually aligns with April.

Abba truly did create life to be so much easier than we have made it.  In the months He has called us to observe extra Sabbaths, there really is less work to be done.  April and October, both mild weather months, seasons of change, and the beauty that is clearly by the hand of our Creator.  Whether it's the color of springtime flowers or the leaves of autumn, He meant for us to enjoy this life in Him, and He decorates beautifully for His Holy Days.